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ONENOTE

By Mary Branscombe

OneNote for Windows 10 isn’t gone yet — but things are getting simpler.

Well, maybe a little.

As I’ve explained before, the OneNote app that came with Windows 10 will be going away; it’s getting replaced by an updated version of the desktop OneNote program. Microsoft recently took the next step toward that end by removing the OneNote for Windows 10 app from the Microsoft Store and replacing it with the desktop app, now called simply “OneNote” (with no year or other designation).

That’s the same OneNote desktop app you might already have installed as part of Office or on its own; it’s just easier to download (as Figure 1 shows). It doesn’t have the modern sync engine, but it does have the new Dictate feature — although we didn’t see the new Draw tab on the ribbon when we installed it. The new-look user interface is shown in the Store screenshots, but you won’t see it in the app yet. However, you can go into File | Options and move the page list to the left.

Figure 1. You can now install the desktop OneNote app from the Microsoft Store, rather than hunting down a webpage with the download, and have it update automatically.

If you have the Windows 11 22H2 update and a digital pen, you can click the button on the end of the pen to open a OneNote Quick Note (or double-click it to open OneNote). There are similar settings already in Windows 10 (see Figure 2), but you have to know where to find the OneNote program file to make them work. The new approach is simpler.

Figure 2. You’ve been able to use a digital pen to open OneNote for a long time, but Windows 10 lets you set the shortcut button yourself.

Now for some Microsoft fun. The OneNote Windows 10 app has not been removed from the Store! It’s just not what comes up when you search for OneNote — that gets you the desktop app. Installing the “new” Store app doesn’t remove the Windows 10 app from your PC, and you can still download OneNote for Windows 10 if you want it. You just need this direct link to the app in the Store (see Figure 3), which Microsoft included in last week’s blog post announcing the change.

Figure 3. You can keep using OneNote for Windows 10 and even download it from the Store onto new PCs — for now.

That’s because Microsoft will support the OneNote Windows 10 app until October 2025. The app won’t get new feature updates, but it might still need patches if any security issues are found between now and then. If Microsoft were to remove it from the Store before then, those security fixes could not be distributed. Nonetheless, expect it to go away when support ends.

Don’t get confused.

The version you find when searching the Microsoft store is the “new” desktop app.

If you’re not sure which OneNote app you’re using, look at the ribbon. If you see File on the main menu, that’s the desktop OneNote app. If not, start planning to move over.

Join the conversation! Your questions, comments, and feedback about this topic are always welcome in our forums!

Mary Branscombe has been a technology journalist for nearly three decades, writing for a wide range of publications. She’s been using OneNote since the very first beta was announced — when, in her enthusiasm, she trapped the creator of the software in a corner.

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