Add content to OneNote

Completed

You can add a wide variety of content to OneNote pages including:

  • Text
  • Digital inking
  • Images
  • Video
  • Audio
  • Forms
  • Documents

This allows you to have a variety of media in one place helping you stay organized, save time, and work collaboratively.

Screenshot of the OneNote tool bar options.

Add text

Add a text box anywhere on the page by placing the cursor where you want the text to be and typing. Drag text boxes anywhere on the page after they're added.

Screenshot of a OneNote page with a selected text box highlighted.

Digital inking

On the Draw tab, select an active pen, the color, and size you want to write anywhere on the page using a stylus, trackpad, or mouse. Convert inked writing to text with Ink to Text. Other option under Draw are highlighter, shapes, graphs, and other things.

Screenshot of a OneNote page with handwritten annotations using digital inking.

Add images

Insert images by choosing the Insert and Pictures from the toolbar. You can then add an image from your device, Bing image search, or your camera.

Screenshot of the OneNote insert tab showing the pictures options.

Tip

Use the camera to scan handwritten materials and photos of practical work.

Add video and audio

Multimedia content such as videos and audio can be valuable resources for students and staff. Videos from Stream or YouTube can be added by pasting the URL or by choosing Link on the Insert tab.

Screenshot of the OneNote paste URL feature.

Select Audio under Insert to add clips. You can record a clip in OneNote to add to your page. This can be helpful to add audio prompts over an image in a Class Notebook lesson. Practical applications for audio content include voice notes, verbal assessments, or even for students to demonstrate their comprehension of a topic through a recorded audio clip.

Screenshot of the OneNote insert toolbar highlighting the transcribe feature.

Screenshot of the OneNote recording toolbar highlighting the pause and stop buttons.

Add files

Choose Insert, then select File to choose files like Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, or pdf files. The document is inserted on the OneNote page.

Screenshot of the OneNote insert tab with the file printout button highlighted.

Tip

Another method to add documents is to choose Insert and File.

Activity

Using the OneNote notebook you create, add a new page and try adding in the following content:

  • A text box
  • An image
  • A video from Stream or YouTube
  • An audio clip

Reflection

  • What are the benefits of being able to embed different multimedia, together with other content?
  • How might this be useful when used in a classroom/learning context?

Application

OneNote pages offer the opportunity to unite content in one place. Giving you a versatile approach to bringing together documents, text, video, audio, and much more.

Using OneNote you can:

  • Create an interactive textbook approach, where students can engage with different activities and can harness a range of materials to develop their knowledge, skills, and understanding.
  • Centralize staff workflow for meetings and collaboration.
  • Use text, video, audio, and inking to bring together your own resources, notes, ideas, and to-do lists.