Note-Taking with OneNote

What's Changing

Your quick notes and lists are moving from Google Keep to Microsoft OneNote. Think of it as going from sticky notes on a wall to a full digital notebook with tabs, sections, and unlimited pages.

Google Keep is great for short reminders and checklists, but OneNote is a much more powerful tool — you can write long-form notes, embed images, record audio, create tables, and organize everything into notebooks. It's the same idea (capture your thoughts quickly), just with a lot more room to work.

What Stays the Same

• Quick notes — jot something down in seconds, just like Keep
• Checklists and to-do items — checkboxes work the same way
• Web clipper — save things from your browser (OneNote has a browser extension too)
• Sync across devices — your notes show up everywhere — phone, tablet, desktop, web
• Search — find any note by typing a keyword

How OneNote is Organized

OneNote uses a structure like a physical notebook with tabs:

You can have as many notebooks, sections, and pages as you want. Unlike Google Keep, which is flat (all notes in one list), OneNote gives you a filing system built in.

Getting Started

Opening OneNote

1. Go to office.com and click OneNote from the app launcher (the grid of dots at the top left)
2. Or open the OneNote desktop app — search for "OneNote" in the Start menu (Windows) or Spotlight (Mac)
3. Or find it in Teams — OneNote is built right into Teams meetings and channels

Creating Your First Notebook

1. Click + New Notebook (or + Notebook in the desktop app)
2. Give it a name — something like "My Work Notes" or "Production Notes"
3. Choose where to save it — your OneDrive is the default (and best option for personal notebooks)
4. Click Create — you'll see your first section and a blank page ready to go

Taking Notes

OneNote pages are like a blank canvas — you can type anywhere, not just line by line. Here's what you can do:

• Rich text — bold, italic, headings, bullet points, highlight colours
• Checklists — click the To Do Tag (checkbox icon) to add toggleable checkboxes, just like Google Keep
• Tables — insert a table for structured data (click Insert > Table)
• Images — drag and drop photos, screenshots, or diagrams right onto the page
• Audio recording — OneNote can record audio while you type notes (Insert > Audio). Recording is permitted under Blue Ant Media's current policy (per recent summit consensus). Always get consent from all participants before recording. Note: Copilot's auto-transcription and meeting-summary features remain restricted under current policy — if you want a written record of a meeting, use OneNote's audio recording + your own typed notes rather than Copilot summaries.
• File attachments — attach PDFs, spreadsheets, or other files directly to your notes
• Drawing and handwriting — use the Draw tab if you have a stylus or touch screen

Tip: Press Ctrl + 1 (or Cmd + 1 on Mac) to quickly add a checkbox to any line. It's the fastest way to build a checklist.

Meeting Notes in Teams

OneNote integrates directly with Microsoft Teams meetings. During a call, you can take notes that are automatically linked to that meeting:

1. Join a Teams meeting
2. Click the Notes icon in the meeting toolbar (or look for Meeting Notes)
3. A note panel opens — type your notes, action items, and decisions during the call
4. After the meeting, the notes are saved and shared with everyone who was invited

This is a big upgrade from Google Keep — your meeting notes are automatically connected to the calendar event, the attendees, and the Teams channel. No more copying notes from Keep into an email after a meeting.

Sharing Notebooks

You can share an entire notebook (or just a page) with your team:

• Share a notebook — click Share in the top right, enter your colleagues' email addresses, and choose whether they can edit or just view
• Real-time co-editing — multiple people can type in the same notebook at the same time, and you'll see each other's changes live (just like Google Docs)
• Share via Teams — add a OneNote notebook as a tab in any Teams channel so the whole team has access

For shared team notebooks: Ask your manager or team lead if your department already has a shared notebook set up. Many teams at Blue Ant will have one created for them.

Migration Heads-Up

This is important to know:

• Google Keep notes do NOT migrate automatically. There is no automated tool to move your Keep notes into OneNote.
• Before move day, open Google Keep and review your notes. For anything you want to keep:
• Copy and paste the text into a new OneNote page, or
• Use Google Takeout to export your Keep notes as a backup, or
• Screenshot important notes as a reference
• Shared Keep notes — if you shared Keep notes with colleagues, you'll need to recreate them as shared OneNote pages
• Keep reminders — if you use Keep reminders, recreate them as tasks in Microsoft To Do or as Outlook reminders

Start reviewing your Google Keep now. Don't wait for the last day.

Mac Users: OneNote for Mac works the same as on Windows. Download it from the Mac App Store (search "Microsoft OneNote") or use the web version at office.com. Keyboard shortcuts use Cmd instead of Ctrl — for example, Cmd + 1 for a checkbox. The layout and features are identical.

Tips

• Show notes and production logs — create a notebook for each show with sections per season. Keep episode notes, call sheets, and production meeting minutes all in one place.
• Production meeting agendas — build a running agenda page that the team updates before each meeting. Add checkboxes for action items and check them off during the call.
• Brainstorm sessions — use a shared notebook during creative sessions. Everyone can type ideas at the same time, and nothing gets lost.
• Research and clipping — use the OneNote Web Clipper browser extension to save articles, competitor info, and reference material directly into your notebooks.
• Quick capture on mobile — install OneNote on your phone for capturing notes on set, at events, or during travel. Everything syncs to your desktop automatically.

Quick Reference Downloads

Keep these handy for quick lookups:

• OneNote Basics Quick Reference Card
• OneNote Quick Start Guide

Need Help?

1. Check Microsoft's built-in help — click the ? icon in the top right of OneNote
2. Browse other modules on this site
3. Contact your regional IT support team (the Contact page lists the right email for your office)