Check out what's new for OneNote desktop this fall in a hands-on video

OneNote Pen Focused View
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft OneNote has several new features for Insiders to try this fall.
  • Many of the options have been available for other versions of OneNote but are making their way to OneNote desktop.
  • Mike Tholfsen, a product manager on the Microsoft Education team, demonstrates many of the new features in a recent video.

Office Insiders have several new tools and options to try in OneNote this fall. New pen tools, transcription, ink replay, Immersive Reader for math, and the ability to insert photos from a camera are all in testing. The unified OneNote app is now available in the Microsoft Store as well.

Mike Tholfsen, who is a project manager on the Microsoft Education team, showed the new tools in a recent video. Tholfsen regularly shares how-tos and tips for Office and other Microsoft apps.

Microsoft has confusingly had multiple versions of OneNote on Windows for years. The company is unifying the OneNote desktop experience, though not all features from OneNote for Windows 10 will make their way to OneNote, which is referred to as OneNote desktop by Tholfsen in his video for clarity.

For example, the Ink Replay feature has been available on OneNote for Windows 10 for quite some time, as well as other Microsoft Office applications. It is now in testing for the new unified OneNote app and should become generally available in the future.

The new tools bring some of the most popular features from other versions of OneNote and Microsoft Office to the unified OneNote application. Transcription is powerful within OneNote, as it supports syncing inking and audio recording, allowing you to see what you wrote during specific parts of a recording.

You can test out the latest version of OneNote by signing up to be an Office Insider through Microsoft's website.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.