In OneNote the Search bar has moved, How do I put it back to where it was?

Anonymous
2025-05-22T20:51:54+00:00

Version 2504 Build 16.0.18730.20122 on Windows 11.

I have been using OneNote for years, all of a sudden when I opened it up today, the Search bar has moved from its correct place on top of the pages list on the side, to now being in the upper right corner of the actual notes main page.

When I type in a search, the list of pages where the search term shows up now covers up half of the notes field, meaning you can't read half of the page to see if the search result is actually what you are looking for or not, making the entire search function pretty much useless.

How can I move the search box, and more importantly, the list of pages that contain the search result, so that it no longer covers up the actual notes page that I need to read?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | Other | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-06-26T16:15:59+00:00

    Hello,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Community Forum. Please accept our warmest regards and sincerest hope that all is well despite the situation you find yourself in.

    To move the Search bar back to its original position in OneNote, you can try the following steps:

    1. Open OneNote on your Windows 11 device.
    2. Click on the "View" tab in the top menu bar.
    3. Look for the "Search" group.
    4. Click on the "Search" dropdown menu.
    5. Select "Dock to left" or "Dock to right" to move the Search bar back to its original position on the side of the pages list.

    If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to check for any updates for OneNote or Windows 11 that could potentially address this problem.

    Hope this helps.

    Best Regards,

    Fordy B.

    Microsoft Community Moderator

    There is no Search group in View. I can't see my note unless I make my OneNote much larger, which means I can't see other windows I need.

    If I try to put the Page tab in to get to a Search group, it shows as checked in the customized ribbon window, but it doesn't show on the OneNote ribbon itself.

    Please provide a viable option to move the Search back. I can see from other commentors that your solution above does not exist for them either.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-06-25T17:53:35+00:00

    If you press CTRL+E when in any page in One Note the search box appears in the top right corner of the page. You can search all notebooks from there and it will jump to the page which finds the text match from there! Just click anywhere in the page to collapse the search results. Simple!

    My work computer has the old OneNote, and my personal computer has the updated (annoying) version. This might be a case of Windows 10 vs Windows 11 OneNote. Regardless, the search results aren't the issue, it's the search box covering the upper right corner of the actual page that can't be (re)moved.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-06-25T16:22:40+00:00

    Hey Fordy

    You be wrong! Please please, put an URGENT request in to put the Search field BACK up at the top...

    Audrey_773

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-06-25T16:19:33+00:00

    My concern isn't with the search functionality, but with the location. The new location covers up important material (including often the search result I'm looking for)

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-06-25T16:05:22+00:00

    I'm having this issue also, but do not have a "Search" group in the view menu. Not sure why.

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