While OneNote is great for use on a tablet, its desktop app is just as handy. In this article, I’ll run through the essential keyboard shortcuts for OneNote on a Windows desktop computer.
Mac keyboard shortcuts in OneNote often follow the same principle as the Windows keyboard shortcuts, though the Alt key on a Windows keyboard is often replaced by the Options key on a Mac, and the Windows Ctrl key can be substituted for a Mac’s Cmd key.
The OneNote Interface
Here’s a screenshot of the OneNote interface and where you can find different areas of the program. These areas are referred to throughout the article, so use this graphic as a guide if you run into any unfamiliar terms.
- Notebooks
- Sections
- Section Groups
- Pages
- Subpages
- Active page
- Notes
- Styles
Since new notes can be added anywhere on a page, the only way to do so is by single-clicking the relevant area using your mouse. However, once you’ve done this, you don’t need to touch your mouse again! Always use the main area of your keyboard for keyboard shortcuts, and avoid using the number pad.
OneNote Shortcuts to Use When Typing Notes
These shortcuts are the nuts and bolts for creating and editing notes in OneNote.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Select the text in a note |
Shift+Left or Right Arrows |
|
Select the current line in a note |
Ctrl+A |
|
Select the current note |
Ctrl+A twice |
|
Select everything on the active page |
Ctrl+A three times |
|
Cut the selected text |
Ctrl+X |
|
Copy the selected text |
Ctrl+C |
|
Paste |
Ctrl+V |
|
Undo the previous action or actions |
Ctrl+Z |
|
Redo the previous action or actions you undid |
Ctrl+Y |
|
Insert the current date |
Alt+Shift+D |
|
Insert the current time |
Alt+Shift+T |
|
Insert the current date and time |
Alt+Shift+F |
Formatting a Note’s Text in OneNote
After using the above shortcuts to select text in a note, use these keyboard shortcuts to apply formatting. If you use any of these shortcuts without selecting text in a note, the formatting will be applied to anything you add to the note after that point.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Make the selected text bold |
Ctrl+B |
|
Make the selected text italic |
Ctrl+i |
|
Underline the selected text |
Ctrl+U |
|
Add strikethrough to the selected text |
Ctrl+- |
|
Increase the selected text’s font size |
Ctrl+Shift+. |
|
Decrease the selected text’s font size |
Ctrl+Shift+, |
|
Highlight the current line of text in yellow (or remove the yellow highlight) |
Ctrl+4 |
|
Highlight the current line of text in green (or remove the green highlight) |
Ctrl+5 |
|
Start or end a bulleted list |
Ctrl+. |
|
Start or end a numbered list |
Ctrl+? |
|
Left-align the current paragraph |
Ctrl+L |
|
Right-align the current paragraph |
Ctrl+R |
|
Copy the selected text’s formatting |
Ctrl+Shift+C |
|
Paste text formatting |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
|
Apply heading styles 1 to 6 |
Ctrl+Alt+[number] |
Working With OneNote Tables
Using tables in OneNote is straightforward. Here’s how to add and amend a table in a OneNote note.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Turn the active note into a table |
Place your cursor where you want the column break to be, and press Tab |
|
Create a table |
Alt > N > T > Arrows > Enter |
|
Insert a new row below the current row |
Ctrl+Enter |
|
Insert a new column to the right of the current column |
Ctrl+Alt+R |
|
Select cells in a table |
Shift+Arrows |
|
Select text in a cell |
Ctrl+A |
|
Select a whole cell |
Ctrl+A twice |
|
Select the whole row of cells |
Ctrl+A three times |
|
Select the whole table |
Ctrl+A four times |
|
Delete a table row |
Ctrl+A three times > Delete |
|
Delete a whole table |
Ctrl+A four times > Delete |
|
Exit a table to add text below |
Navigate to the bottom row and press the Down Arrow key |
OneNote lets you attach a visual tag to text within your notes to categorize information and make it stand out. To apply a tag, make sure your cursor is in the relevant text, and use the following keyboard shortcuts.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Apply, check, uncheck, or clear the “To Do” tag and checkbox to the current line of text |
Ctrl+1 |
|
Apply or clear the “Important” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+2 |
|
Apply or clear the “Question” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+3 |
|
Apply or clear the “Highlight” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+6 |
|
Apply or clear the “Contact” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+7 |
|
Apply or clear the “Address” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+8 |
|
Apply or clear the “Phone Number” tag to the current line of text |
Ctrl+9 |
|
Remove tags from the current line of text |
Ctrl+0 |
Organizing and Navigating OneNote Pages, Subpages, and Sections
As I mentioned above, the only way to add a new note is by single-clicking the relevant place, but that’s the only time you’ll need to use your mouse when organizing and navigating your OneNote file. See the screenshot in the first section of this article to remind yourself of the OneNote interface and, thus, some of the terms used in the table below.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Create a new page |
Ctrl+N |
|
Create a new page or subpage after the active page or subpage |
Ctrl+Alt+N |
|
Create a new subpage |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+N |
|
Promote a subpage to a page |
Ctrl+Alt+{ |
|
Demote a page to a subpage |
Ctrl+Alt+} |
|
Create a new section |
Ctrl+T |
|
Jump to the next or previous note on a page |
Alt+Down or Alt+Up |
|
Jump to the previous page in a section |
Ctrl+Page Up |
|
Jump to the next page in a section |
Ctrl+Page Down |
|
Jump to the first page in the current section |
Alt+Home |
|
Jump to the last page in the current section |
Alt+End |
|
Jump to the last page you viewed |
Alt+Left |
|
Jump to the active page’s title |
Ctrl+Shift+T |
|
Jump between OneNote’s interface areas and menus |
F6 |
|
Open a small OneNote window to create a side note |
Ctrl+Shift+M |
Other Useful OneNote Keyboard Shortcuts
Here are some other keyboard shortcuts I use all the time.
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
|
Add a hyperlink |
Ctrl+K |
|
Open a selected hyperlink |
Ctrl+Enter |
|
Launch the search bar |
Ctrl+E |
|
Share the active page via Outlook email |
Ctrl+Shift+E |
|
Show or hide the ruler lines |
Ctrl+Shift+R |
|
Open or close full-screen mode |
F11 |
|
Open Editor to review the notes for spelling and grammar |
F7 |
Learning the keyboard shortcuts is just one way to maximize your OneNote productivity. You can also set reminders for important tasks, use OCR to extract text from images, record and transcribe voice recordings, and invite collaborators to contribute to a notebook.
