Microsoft has detailed some of the changes coming to its OneNote note-taking app.
This month, Microsoft rolled out new page sorting features and the ability to update the app when the device is locked. He also mentioned upcoming features: dictation using artificial intelligence, the ability to insert a photo from the camera and a new sharing experience.
Unify the two OneNote apps
Microsoft, however, hasn’t finished unifying its two OneNote apps available for Windows. One of them is installed with Office while the other OneNote for Windows 10 app is available in the Store. The goal is to create a single OneNote application for Windows, as ZDNet reported last Augustbut this change is gradual over a period of 12 months.
“We’re unifying the two apps so you can enjoy the simplicity of a single OneNote app on Windows. The OneNote app on Windows continues to get new features while absorbing key features from OneNote for Windows 10,” says Microsoft. in a blog post.
The latest OneNote app available through Microsoft 365 comes preinstalled with Office on Windows 11 and can be downloaded for free as a standalone app.
Design Windows 11
The improvements Microsoft shared today are for OneNote for Windows only.
OneNote got a visual refresh inspired by Windows 11, including rounded edge windows in December, just like other Office applications. The May updates extend these improvements to OneNote’s navigation panes and full-screen mode. The Windows 11 theme and desktop wallpaper also appear in the application window.
“We worked on every rounded corner and every animation to bring a new level of polish to the app,” Microsoft says.
Track changes
A new indicator lets you know which pages and sections have unread changes. An optional “simplified ribbon” (as opposed to the “classic ribbon”) allows users to create more space for content. Ribbon options are available from a drop-down menu to the right of the shortcuts toolbar.
OneNote users will soon be able to capture more ideas with voice, drawing tools, camera, and AI-enhanced voice commands for formatting, editing, and organizing text. For example, users can say “delete that” to edit the text, or “pause dictation”.
Upcoming features bring together transcription and annotations in Office. This combination allows users to record audio, while the user annotates the document. When reviewing a document, the annotation is read in sync with the recording. OneNote will also have an automatic punctuation feature in the dictation settings.
Notebook sharing
The page sorting feature allows users to sort pages alphabetically, by date created and date modified or via the existing drag and drop functionality for manual sorting.
Additionally, the new sharing experience allows users to share the entire notebook or copy the link to the notebook. It is also possible to email a copy of the page to share a single page without sharing the entire notebook.
Inserting a picture from the camera and updating the sharing experience is currently only available through the Office Insider program.
Source : ZDNet.com
