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How to get started with OneNote for Windows

The basic version of Microsoft's information manager is now free for all Windows users. Here's your step-by-step startup guide.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

Microsoft's OneNote has its fans, but when it comes to note managers, Evernote tends to get all the love.

That may start to change now that OneNote has arrived for Mac and is now free for both Mac and Windows, at least in its basic form. At the very least, it may encourage folks to try the product.

If you're new to OneNote and not sure where to start, start here.

OneNote in a noteshell

A description of OneNote's core function can be found right in its name: One place to store, manage, and share your Notes and other information.

In other words, think of it as a cloud-based repository of raw text, documents, checklists, photos, audio recordings, Web pages, and the like. And that repository stays in sync with all your PCs and mobile devices: OneNote apps and software are available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, and you can also access via any Web browser.