OneNote problem on MacBook

Question

OneNote problem on MacBook

Kayla Higgs 0

In Version 26.3 (25D125) I can now no longer create new tags (MacOS). Before the last couple of updates everything was fine.

There is a menu item for Create New Tag, but it just shows a spinning wheel for a moment and then nothing.

Justin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-24T18:52:43.7666667+00:00

I have the same issue...I cannot create a new tag in OneNote. When I select Create New Tag, a side pane opens, Custom Tags appears at the top of the pane and then there is not any opportunity to see or create any custom tags. Using 16.107.2 (26032211) OneNote for Mac.
Michelle-N 20,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-25T08:28:23.15+00:00

Hi @Justin

Thank you for sharing your issue.

Since this appears to be a different scenario, I recommend creating a new thread. This will help avoid mixing multiple issues in one discussion and allow moderators to focus on your specific case more effectively.

Creating a separate thread will also enable us to request additional information via private message if needed, while helping protect personal or organizational data.

Thank you for your understanding.
Justin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-25T11:29:50.1366667+00:00

Thanks @Michelle-N I thought this was the same issue. Sorry. I will create a separate thread.
Michelle-N 20,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-25T14:25:15.5033333+00:00

Hi @Justin

I hope your issue will be resolved soon.

2 answers

Your answer

Justin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-24T18:52:43.7666667+00:00

I have the same issue...I cannot create a new tag in OneNote. When I select Create New Tag, a side pane opens, Custom Tags appears at the top of the pane and then there is not any opportunity to see or create any custom tags. Using 16.107.2 (26032211) OneNote for Mac.
Michelle-N 20,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-25T08:28:23.15+00:00

Hi @Justin

Thank you for sharing your issue.

Since this appears to be a different scenario, I recommend creating a new thread. This will help avoid mixing multiple issues in one discussion and allow moderators to focus on your specific case more effectively.

Creating a separate thread will also enable us to request additional information via private message if needed, while helping protect personal or organizational data.

Thank you for your understanding.
Justin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-25T11:29:50.1366667+00:00

Thanks @Michelle-N I thought this was the same issue. Sorry. I will create a separate thread.
Michelle-N 20,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-25T14:25:15.5033333+00:00

Hi @Justin

I hope your issue will be resolved soon.

Answer 1

In recent OneNote for Mac builds, tags and custom tags have been changed to comply with new guidelines. If custom tags disappeared or stopped working after an update, they must be recreated using the current tag features.

To create a custom tag in OneNote for Mac:

Select the text to tag.
On the Home tab, move the mouse over the Tags gallery and click the down-facing arrow at the bottom of the gallery box.
Click Create New Tag.
In the Create a Tag pane on the right, enter a name for the tag.
Choose an icon on the Featured tab or the All icons tab.
Click Create.
With the pane closed, select the text again, open the Tags gallery, and choose the new tag to apply it.

If the Create New Tag command shows a spinner and then does nothing, this is a product issue in the current build. The documented behavior is that it should open the Create a Tag pane; since it does not, the only available actions based on current information are:

Use existing built-in tags from the Tags gallery while the issue persists.
Send in-app feedback so the issue can be investigated and fixed:
- In OneNote for Mac, select the Feedback icon in the top corner of the app and describe that Create New Tag only shows a spinning wheel in Version 26.3 (25D125) on macOS.

Once the underlying issue is fixed in a later update, the Create New Tag flow above should work again.

References:

Answer 2

Hi @Kayla Higgs

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

Based on the information you described, I understand that after updating to macOS version 26.3, you are no longer able to create new tags. When selecting “Create New Tag”, it briefly shows a spinning wheel and then nothing happens. Previously, this worked fine before the recent updates.

I tested this on my environment (OneNote version 16.106), and I am still able to create new tags without any issue.

User's image

To help narrow this down, could you please clarify:

Did this behavior start immediately after updating macOS or after updating OneNote?
Does this happen in all notebooks, or only in a specific one?
Are the notebooks stored locally or in OneDrive/SharePoint?

Please try the following:

Open OneNote > Go to OneNote > Preferences > Select Privacy > Turn off Optional Connected Experiences > Restart OneNote > Then turn it back on and test creating a new tag again

Since this may be environment-specific, additional details about your setup will help identify whether this is a sync issue, permission issue, or a recent compatibility bug.

Please share more information and I’ll assist you further.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Michelle-N 20,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T14:15:43.1066667+00:00

Hi @Kayla Higgs

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let me know.
Justin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-24T18:53:37.81+00:00

As stated in my recent comment, this does not work on Mac. The Custom Tag feature is not working.