Fig. 1 The storage hierarchy in OneNote. Pages are stored in sections, which can be stored in folders, all of which are in My Notebook.
Fig. 2 A typical page in OneNote showing folders, sections, and pages.
Tabs across the top of the page show the sections.
An icon indicates a folder tab.
Tabs show the pages in a section.
Add more pages to a section by using the
New Page tab.
The basic structure of OneNote includes:
- My Notebook Everything in OneNote is within My Notebook. Both folders and sections are stored here.
- Folders These are an organizational aid. You don't have to use folders — they're optional — but they're useful if you do. Each folder can hold many sections.
- Sections Sections are another organizational aid, but they're not optional. Sections are used to keep pages of a similar type grouped together.
- Pages This is where you actually put your notes. You can write, type, or draw on a page just as you do on paper. It's easy to add pages to a section by clicking the New Page tab.
A useful analogy is to think of My Notebook as a filing cabinet. Folders are separate drawers, sections the file dividers within each drawer, and pages the pieces of paper in the files.
For example, a marketing manager might organize her notebook with a folder called Products, and then have an individual section for each product.
There are several folders and sections already in OneNote when you open it for the first time; you can delete or rename them as well as add your own. After you use Side Note, it will appear as a section (more about that in the last lesson).
Sections and folders are all colored; each will be a different color. You can specify which colors to use — you'll see how in the next lesson.
You'll use folders, sections, and pages in the practice session.
