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How to keep your OneNote notes secret and secure

OneNote is one of the best ways to stay organized How to Organize OneNote for a Productive System How to Organize OneNote for a Productive System OneNote has organizational features that let you do more with it than just keep notes. We show you how to use them effectively. Read more . You can use it to record recipes, manage to-do lists, file receipts 6 of the Best Apps to Scan, Track and Manage Receipts 6 of the Best Apps to Scan, Track and Manage Receipts These receipt scanner apps will help you scan, save and organize each receipt for your personal or business needs. Read More

However, if you are using it for highly sensitive documents, you need to take some precautions. You don't want your data to fall into the wrong hands.

One of the best ways to keep your notes safe is to add a password.

Add passwords to OneNote

Unfortunately, you can't add a full password Notebooks . Instead, you are limited to the Sections notebook. .

Adding a password to a section is easy. Open OneNote and locate the section you want to protect. Right-click on the section name, then select Password protect this section .

How to keep your OneNote notes secret and secure

A panel will open on the right side of the screen. Click Set password and enter your new password twice. Hit OK when you're done To remove the password, go to Password protect this section> Remove password .

How to keep your OneNote notes secret and secure

You can instantly lock all password protected sections by pressing Ctrl + Alt + L or by right-clicking on a section and going to Password protect this section> Lock all .

Some caveats

There are two things to keep in mind before you start using passwords in OneNote.

First, Microsoft encrypts all password-protected sections. If you forget your password, Microsoft has no way to help you recover it and can't unlock your notes . Make sure you use a trusted password manager. You need to start using a password manager right now You need to start using a password manager right now. Now everyone should be using a password manager. In fact, not using a password manager puts you at higher risk of being hacked. Read more.

Second, OneNote doesn't show any locked password-protected sections in search results. You must unlock a section before you can analyze its content.

Are OneNote passwords a useful tool? Do you trust them as part of your workflow? Or do you find that constantly finding locked notes is a hindrance to your productivity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.