"Insert link to file"- where did this go?

Anonymous
2013-02-06T22:04:23+00:00

I'm an attorney, and I created a great litigation and trial-management system using only OneNote.  We put it to use in a large "mass action" case with over fifty plaintiffs and tens of thousands of exhibits.  The system allowed us to completely outmaneuver the plaintiffs at trial, and we were able to line up exhibits, deposition citations, and both direct and cross examination questions from a single program.   We all credit a great deal of our defense verdict to the system.

The key feature that let us build the various pages for trial quickly was the ability to drag and drop exhibit pdfs into the onenote pages as links to files.  Due to the sheer volume of exhibits, as well as the ease of using tables, links were far more effective than inserting the files directly, and certainly more effective than inserting printouts. 

With OneNote 2013, this mission-critical feature appears to be missing.  I can only insert the file, or insert a printout.  I don't want to do either- I want to insert a link.  I know that I can insert links using the manual "insert link" function, but that is slower and more error prone than the simplicity of the previous versions.  Am I missing a key option to trigger?  Or is this a missing feature from OneNote 2013?  If the latter, I suspect we will stick with 2010....

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-07-12T19:47:06+00:00

    Until Onenote 2010 you had a choice while dropping a file unto a Onenote page:

    Insert the file into the Onenote page (embed it, comparable to an email attachment) OR

    insert only a link to the file.

    In Onenote 2013 the "insert a link" alternative was removed. 

    The wish to get it back is the theme of this thread.

    I'm afraid that many people overlook that local links are useless in shared notebooks, as you exactly described in your last sentence.

    Bernd

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-12T18:34:14+00:00

    sorry, I'm having trouble reading all of these posts.

    When I attach a file to OneNote, is it just a "short-cut" to the location where the file is stored on the desktop?

    Or does it actually "attach" the file to the OneNote and then sync to the cloud (almost like attaching / uploading a file to an email message)?

    When I use the onenote from a different computer, will the file still be there after it is sync'd with OneDrive? Or is the original file sitting on the original PC and just a link to a location on the HD that doesn't exist because now I am on a different PC?

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-07-11T08:21:46+00:00

    Microsoft just opened up a uservoice page for OneNote (to gather and prioritize requests such as this), and I've re-posted this issue over there.

    If you still care about this feature please go vote up my request!

    https://onenote.uservoice.com/forums/256328-onenote-users/suggestions/6160602-drag-and-drop-to-offer-the-option-to-insert-link-t

    Andy.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-07-09T08:04:52+00:00

    Maybe they prefer that people go to Evernote...

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-07-08T20:55:33+00:00

    We seem to have waited 18 months with no reply from Microsoft regarding whether they are actually considering this? I'm disappointed with this lack of response. If it is not going to happen - for whatever reason that information would be helpful, actually any response from Microsoft would be welcome. As it is I'm hanging on using second rate work arounds - something I'm not used to doing with Microsoft products.

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