Version : √ OneNote desktop
Getting to know the File/Options/Display menu, that allows to customize your workspace : an essential menu, but not always easy to understand !
1. Get the “Send to OneNote tool” icon in the task bar :
Actually, this is not about the OneNote’ icon itself, as stated in the File/Option/Display menu. Rather, it consists in an add-in, that comes bundled with OneNote, which allows to perform 3 actions quickly :
- capture screen clipping
- open OneNote
- open a Quick note
The description in the bullet explains better what it is about :
and the result is :
In OneNote 2013, this tool was more prominent, because a window would appear each time OneNote was launched :
Note that the middle frame is greyed because no application pictured (IE, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) was opened when I took the picture.
In OneNote 2016, this window don’t show up anymore, and that’s neater ! But the tiny icon remains in the task bar, and still allows to send screen captures to OneNote which is useful when you are in another app.
The shortcut has slightly changed from OneNote 2013 to OneNote 2016, to reflect the vanishing of the “Send to OneNote” window :
See §.9 below about screen clipping notification.
2. Create all new pages with rule lines :
By default, the selected rule lines are the one shown in the illustration below (a red vertical line, and narrow horizontal lines) :
As a matter of fact, it is possible to activate this feature directly in the above mentioned menu (check “Always create Pages with Rule Lines“).
→Then modify the default type of Rule Lines, in the same window.
3. Dock new Quick Note windows on the side of the desktop
When this option is checked, new Quick Notes are docked on the (right) side of the screen, which allow to see another note on the main window (which automatically get resized accordingly) :
This Quick Note works like a docked page (tab & ribbon collapsed, linked notes activated…).
When the option is not checked, new Quick Notes open in a new window, that behaves like a “normal” window (location, size…) :
For your information, there are many ways to create Quick Notes :
- OneNote 2016 :
- Win N
- Clicking on the icon “New Quick note” in the View menu directly within OneNote
New Quick Note button, in OneNote 2016… 
…has replaced the button “Send to OneNote” tool in OneNote 2013 - OneNote 2013 :
- Win Alt N
- Clicking on the icon « Send to OneNote » (on the task bar), and then selecting the right option
- Windows 10
Note button in the notification area
Quick notes are stored in the Quick Note section, created in the first Notebook you open, quickly available in the bottom Notebook pane :
(things gets complicated if you rename this section, or have multiple devices. But that’s another subject : See this blog post for a solution)
4., 5., 6. Page Tab & Notebook pane
See first illustration at the beginning of this post, and refer to the colour for a visual explanation.
A word on Notebook pane (which is called navigation bar in the options menu…) : Note that the current notebook’ name will always appear on the left even if you uncheck “Navigation bar appears on the left“. Actually, the option only works when the notebook pane is pinned (i.e. showing all open notebooks).
7. Vertical scroll bar appears on the left :
This moves the scroll bar of the writing area.
Note that the page tabs’ scroll bar is on the right if page tabs are on the right, even if the option “vertical scroll bar appear on the left” is checked. Confusing, isn’t it ?!
8. Show note containers on pages :
See my other blog post conteneur de notes (in [French] for the time being).
9. Disable screen clipping notifications :
The table below describes how it works in OneNote 2013 :
In OneNote 2013, both notifications are disabled if you use the Screen Clipping button in OneNote’ Insert tab, but only the first is disabled if you use the “Send to OneNote” tool.
The table below describes how it works in OneNote 2016 :
In OneNote 2016, notifications are disabled even if you capture a portion of the screen with the “Send to OneNote” tool.
Updated 06/05/2017 : correction of many minor spelling mistakes, and some editing to better fit reading with smartphone format. Adding an explanation about why the middle frame of the “Send to OneNote” tool is greyed, and corrected the Quick Note section location.
Updated 11/09/2017 : with a link to my Quick Note blog post
Updated 11/11/2017 : after Windows Fall Update removed the “Note” button in the notification area