If you’ve only ever used OneNote to type the odd note, you’re missing most of what it can do. You can add content to OneNote in far more ways than plain text — think copied web pages, screen clippings, tables, even spreadsheets. It works less like a document and more like a digital dumping ground where nothing gets lost.
What can you add to OneNote?
I’ve been using OneNote for a while now, mostly because I’m the sort of person who has ideas at inconvenient times. A video idea in the shower, a half-formed thought on the train, a snippet from a webinar I want to remember. OneNote is where all of that ends up, and it’s flexible enough to cope with whatever I throw at it.
Typing is just the start
The obvious way to add content to OneNote is to click anywhere on the page and start typing. That’s the bit most people already know. What surprises people is that you’re not stuck writing one long list from top to bottom.
You can click in a completely different spot on the same page and start a new block of text there. OneNote treats each bit you type as its own little box, which you can then drag around and rearrange. It’s a bit like sticky notes on a board, except nothing falls off and lands under your desk.
The copy-and-paste trick I use constantly
This is one of my favourite features. If I’m browsing somewhere and spot something worth keeping, I just highlight it, copy it, and paste it straight into my notebook. No screenshots, no faff.
Better still, OneNote quietly adds the web address underneath whatever you’ve pasted, turned into a clickable link. So months later, when I’ve completely forgotten where something came from, I can click through and find it again. That little detail alone has saved me a fair bit of head-scratching.
What about screen clippings?
Screen clipping is another way to add content to OneNote, and it does exactly what it sounds like — it grabs a snapshot of whatever’s on your screen. I find it especially handy during webinars, where I can clip a slide the moment it appears rather than scrambling to note it down afterwards.
One thing to know before you try it: when you click screen clipping, OneNote minimises itself immediately. That means you can only capture whatever’s directly behind it, so it’s worth arranging your screen first rather than clicking and hoping for the best. Once you’ve got the hang of the timing, it becomes second nature.
Tables, files and spreadsheets too
Beyond text and clippings, you can also create or drop in tables, attach files, or even embed a live spreadsheet that opens in Excel for editing. I’ll be honest, the built-in tables are a bit cramped for my liking, so I usually build tables in Word or Excel first and paste them in instead. But if you just need something quick, they’re there.
File attachments are worth a mention too. If you’re building a resource page with links to several documents, attaching them directly means everything sits in one place, rather than you hunting through folders later.
How much should you actually put in OneNote?
Honestly, as much as you like. There’s no penalty for typing a quick thought on one page and pasting a full article on the next. The whole point is that OneNote is there for you to store all the bits of information – large or small.
And once you’ve got a notebook full of typed notes, pasted articles, and the odd screen clipping, there’s a good reason you won’t need to worry about finding any of it again. That’s a story for another day.
FAQ
A few quick follow-ups people often ask once they’ve started to add content to OneNote:
Can I use OneNote on my phone as well as my computer?
Yes, OneNote has apps for phones and tablets, and your notes sync across devices as long as you’re signed into the same Microsoft account.
Do I need the desktop app, or is the web version enough?
The web version covers the basics well, but the desktop app gives you extras like screen clipping and embedded spreadsheets, so it’s worth using if you need those features.
Written with the help of Claude AI, from an original transcript
YouTube Videos
What Is OneNote? The Simple Structure That Makes It Click
How to Add Content to OneNote (Typing, Copy & Paste and More)
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