OneNote is a powerhouse for capturing and organizing notes—and it's excellent for task management too. (For tips on using OneNote as your ultimate to-do list, see our guide: 5 Tips for Using OneNote as Your To-Do List.) While it lacks built-in reminders or calendars, you can easily create custom ones. As a longtime OneNote power user, I've tested these five reliable methods to build your own calendar templates.
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This approach uses OneNote's native tools—think of it like designing in Word, but better integrated. (Master the basics with The Only OneNote Guide You'll Ever Need.)
Launch OneNote, go to the File menu, and select New. Choose Browse to save locally on your computer, then click Create.
Name your calendar on the new page.
Click Insert > Table. Drag to create a 5x7 grid: one header row for days, four for weeks.
Resize using corner handles to fit perfectly.
Fill the top row with days (e.g., start Monday or Sunday—your call). Drag borders to adjust rows/columns.
Format text: change fonts, colors, bold/italic via right-click styles or the Table Tools menu that appears on selection.
Save your notebook.
OneNote (since 2013) doesn't have built-in calendars, but you can template yours. Go to View > Page Size, then click Save current page as a template.
Name it, and set as default for the section to reuse monthly. Rename generically if needed.
Done—your editable monthly calendar template!
Prefer starting with presets? Learn more in How to Use OneNote Templates to Stay Organized. Go to Insert > Page Templates.
Expand categories in the pane, apply one, edit, then Save current page as a template with a new name.
Create a new section, find a template online (try The Best Free Microsoft Office Calendar Templates or printable sites). With OneNote open, Insert > Screen Clipping.
Crop and insert. Right-click image > Set Picture as Background to overlay editable text.
Keep notes concise. Pro tip: Highlight all events in one color for visibility.
This third-party add-in (Windows-only) adds a calendar view. Download NoteGemFavorites for OneNote 2016, extract (password usually '1'), and install.
Restart OneNote. Go Navigation > Page Calendar for a date-based page list.
Click dates to jump to pages. Free base version; add-ons extra.
Onetastic supercharges OneNote (explore Top 10 OneNote Macros). Its OneCalendar creates a page directory effortlessly—set language and view daily pages.
Click links to navigate. Download: OneCalendar for Onetastic (Free; $15 Pro).
Calendars are essential (try How to Block Time on Google Calendar). With these methods, manage everything in OneNote. Which is your favorite? Share in the comments!
