Microsoft to Unify Its OneNote Apps on Windows

The merger also will include new features and a redesign

By
Cesar Cadenas
Cesar Cadenas Writer
Cesar Cadenas
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  • California State University - Long Beach
Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry since 2016 on a variety of topics like cryptocurrency, video games, the latest gadgets, and much more.
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Updated on August 6, 2021
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Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
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Over the next year, Microsoft will merge its OneNote apps on Windows in order to have a single experience across its platform for users.

The announcement was made on Microsoft’s Tech Community blog, which states the unification will happen via a series of updates and include a redesign, as well as some new features.

Woman working on Windows computers.

MoMo Productions/Getty Images

Currently, there are two versions of the OneNote app on Windows—the app installed with Office and OneNote for Windows 10 available from the Microsoft Store.

The OneNote app will get some new features, as well as the exclusive features on OneNote for Windows 10. This includes Dark Mode, enhanced Math Assistant control, and a feed of all notes taken across different apps.

New features include the newest Microsoft pen and ink updates, a new user interface layout option that can be configured, and others that the company has yet to reveal.

People already using the OneNote app installed on Office don’t have to do anything but wait for the updates as they roll out. For those using OneNote for Windows 10, Microsoft will send out an in-app invite to upgrade, however, those invitations won’t come out until the second half of 2022.

Woman designing infrastructure

Reza Estakhrian/Getty Images

For organizations that have staff using OneNote for Windows 10, a future announcement will be made to help smoothly transition over to the new app, says Microsoft. The company goes on to say that for staff using the OneNote app in Office, nothing is required and OneNote will upgrade automatically.

As for the macOS, web, and smartphone versions of OneNote, Microsoft has said those platforms will not be impacted by this new announcement, but the company plans to continue investing in ways to improve the OneNote experience.

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