How to Add Content to OneNote Pages

Microsoft OneNote is a jewel in the Microsoft Office suite. Unfortunately, it seems to be overshadowed by the other more powerful applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. OneNote is one of the easiest and most user friendly applications you’ll find in the Office 2010 suite. If you are still on the fence, check out our tutorials on some of the cool things you can do with OneNote and how to get started with OneNote by creating your first notebook. Once you have created your first notebook, and it shouldn’t take long, you are ready to add content to OneNote. In this Microsoft Office OneNote tutorial, I’ll show you how to add content to OneNote pages.

How to Add Content to OneNote Pages

Like most Office 2010 applications, Microsoft OneNote comes with a set of default templates. However, these templates are for individual pages and you will find them in a different location. Open up your OneNote file and in the left pane, from the New Page drop-down list, select Page Templates.

There are templates on categories such as Academic, Business, Decorative, Planners, and Blank. You can choose a template based on your project requirements.

Click on a template name to see what it looks like on your page and choose one that best suits your project. Then you can start posting content.

To add content to OneNote:

Adding Pictures

You can add pictures by selecting the Insert tab and in the Images group, selecting Picture. Don’t like to do it the long way? Then simply drag and drop a picture onto the page.

Adding Screenshots

Just as you can add pictures saved on your PC, you can also add screenshots to your OneNote page. Open a webpage from where you want to take a screen clip. Then on the Insert tab in the Images group, click Screen Clipping. The webpage you opened earlier will be activated and a cursor will appear on the screen. Drag the cursor to select the web clip you want to capture and the image will automatically be inserted in your page. The image will also display the time and date the screenshot was taken.

Adding Captions

You can add captions to pictures you inserted by simply typing text.

Adding Text

To add text to a OneNote page, start typing anywhere on the page. A text box placeholder is automatically added around the text. You can then drag the placeholder to any part of the page.

Inserting Hyperlinks

Adding hyperlinks to text in a OneNote page is easy. Select the text you want to hyperlink. On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link. In the Link dialog box, in the Address text box, enter the URL and click OK.

Adding Tables

Well, OneNote even lets you create tables anywhere you want to. Just click Insert->Tables and perform basic table functions such as adding and deleting rows and columns, hiding borders, aligning text within cells, and more.

Inserting Files

Got a file that you want to add to your page? That’s easy. Just click Attach File on the Insert tab to select the file to add to the page. You can also do it the easier way by dragging the file from your PC and dropping it on the page. Remember the cool thing about OneNote is that you can add stuff anywhere on the page and then rearrange it using drag and drop functionality.

Adding Audio and Video Recordings

Inserting audio and video files to your OneNote page is fun and convenient. When you select the respective options on the Insert tab, an audio file (wma format ) is added to the page and the Audio and Video contextual tab is displayed. You can immediately start recording the audio and when your’e done you can click the Stop button to complete the recording. Similarly, when you want to record a video, click the Record Video button. The web cam will automatically be opened. You can record your video message, and click the Stop button to complete the recording. In both cases, you will see the timestamp below the data files.

Inserting a Timestamp

You can also manually add a timestamp to a piece of content you inserted in OneNote, by choosing the Date and Time options on the Insert tab. It’s as easy as a click of a button.

Inserting Mathematical Equations

Well, if you plan to collaborate with your class group on a math assignment, there’s no better way to do it than with OneNote. Adding equations and symbols is simply a matter of selecting from the commands available on the OneNote Ribbon, and yes, its available on the Insert tab again.

So there you have it. Adding content such as images, audio and video files, text, hyperlinks, math equations, … it’s all possible in OneNote, and its damn easy too!

Remember you can access OneNote on the cloud with the OneNote Web App, through your smartphone, and even using SkyDrive.

Now that you know how to add content to OneNote pages go ahead and get started.

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