As a longtime OneNote user and productivity enthusiast, I've found its standout feature to be embedding video links from YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Sway, and more. The playable thumbnails paired with notes transform it into a powerful learning platform—and that's just the start.
OneNote excels at capturing content from anywhere with one click, serving as a project management sidekick via Outlook integration, and even easing creative stress with free Mandala coloring pages shared by Microsoft.
Think of OneNote as a digital Swiss Army knife for notes. Enhance it further with these top free apps and add-ins from Microsoft and trusted third parties. Here's my curated list of the best ones to keep you organized and efficient.
This official browser extension is my go-to for capturing web content. Clip full pages, selections, or articles directly into any OneNote notebook using the Location Picker. Since OneNote syncs across devices, your clips are always accessible.
Available for Chrome; Edge users can use Web Note to snapshot sites, annotate, and share via OneNote or email.
Sway isn't just a PowerPoint alternative—it's a fast storytelling tool: Create cloud-based presentations with Microsoft's Sway. Hand over design to the app while controlling content for stunning, shareable web stories.
From OneNote, use the Send to Sway add-in (1.5 MB, 32/64-bit) to export notes and let Sway auto-format them into polished presentations. Access via the ribbon, title your Sway, customize, and share anywhere.
For superior note-taking: 12 Tips for Taking Better Notes with Microsoft OneNote. This free mobile scanner (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) photographs whiteboards or documents, then auto-crops, sharpens, and straightens for scan-like quality.
Perfect for receipts (6 Best Apps to Scan, Track Receipts) or business cards (How to Scan and Manage Business Cards). Its OCR extracts editable text—ideal for lectures in Whiteboard mode.
A game-changer for students and lifelong learners: How Learning Tools for OneNote Improve Reading Skills. This free add-in for OneNote 2013/2016 offers immersive reading with text-to-speech, focus modes, and more.
Pair with Office Lens: Scan notes via OCR, then use TTS for comprehension. Features like Focus Mode enhance retention for educators, dyslexic users, or anyone tackling dense material.
Switching from Evernote? How to Migrate from Evernote to OneNote. This official tool imports .enex files or local Evernote content into OneNote notebooks, preserving pages, tags (as sections), and attachments like PDFs/images.
Note: Complex Evernote tag structures may simplify—only the first tag per page imports.
Bloggers, streamline your workflow: Export OneNote pages or sections directly to WordPress posts. It complements brainstorming in OneNote before polishing in Word.
May require minor formatting tweaks. OneNote also has a built-in Send to Blog (File > Send > Send to Blog) via Word's publishing.
Developed by Microsoft engineer Omer Atay as a free hobby project for Windows (32/64-bit). Adds ribbon features like macros for find/replace, calendar views, Word-like styles, and favorites shortcuts.
Build custom macros with the editor or grab from Macroland repository. Automate repetitive tasks effortlessly.
These seven cover essentials, from basic clipping to advanced macros. Check OneNote's featured apps section, or integrate with IFTTT/Zapier for automation: Use OneNote Like a Scientist or Automate Learning with IFTTT. Input is easy—organization takes discipline.
What's your must-have OneNote app? Share below!
