What are the most useful OneNote shortcuts?

Start with these essentials: Ctrl+M (open a new OneNote window); Ctrl+N (add a new page); Ctrl+O (open a notebook); Ctrl+S (synchronize the notebook); Ctrl+Z (undo the previous action).

How do I search all my OneNote notebooks?

Press Ctrl+E to search, then choose the scope (this page, section or all notebooks) from the search box.

How do I add a date and time stamp in OneNote?

Press Alt+Shift+F to insert the current date and time, Alt+Shift+D for the date only or Alt+Shift+T for the time only.

Do these OneNote shortcuts work on a Mac?

This list shows Windows shortcuts. On a Mac, Ctrl is usually replaced by Cmd and Alt by Option, though some shortcuts differ. On our homepage you can switch the keyboard layout to Mac to see the Mac versions.

Can I print this OneNote cheat sheet?

Yes. Use the Print cheat sheet button at the top of this page to print a compact version, or save it as a PDF. It's free to share with your team.

OneNote Keyboard Shortcuts: 50 Best Shortcuts + Printable Cheat Sheet

Basics

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`M`	Open a new OneNote window	Essential
`Ctrl`+`P`	Print the current page	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`W`	Perform the action suggested on the Information Bar	Power user
`F7`	Check spelling	Time-saver

Capture

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`M`	Create a Quick Note	Time-saver
`Alt`+`Shift`+`D`	Insert the current date	Time-saver
`Alt`+`Shift`+`T`	Insert the current time	Time-saver

Pages

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`N`	Add a new page	Essential
`Tab`	Indent the current paragraph (Ctrl+Alt+] for pages)	Time-saver
`Shift`+`Tab`	Outdent the current paragraph (Ctrl+Alt+[ for pages)	Time-saver

Sections

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`T`	Create a new section	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Tab`	Go to the next section	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Tab`	Go to the previous section	Time-saver

Notebooks

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`O`	Open a notebook	Essential
`Ctrl`+`S`	Synchronize the notebook	Essential

Edit

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo the previous action	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Y`	Redo the previous action	Essential
`Ctrl`+`X`	Cut selected text or item	Essential
`Ctrl`+`C`	Copy selected text or item	Essential
`Ctrl`+`V`	Paste clipboard contents	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`V`	Paste text only	Time-saver
`Backspace`	Delete the previous character	Essential
`Delete`	Delete the next character	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Backspace`	Delete the previous word	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Delete`	Delete the next word	Time-saver

Select

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select all items on the current page	Essential

Format

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`B`	Apply or remove bold formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`I`	Apply or remove italic formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`U`	Apply or remove underline formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`H`	Highlight selected text	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`C`	Copy formatting	Power user
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`V`	Paste formatting	Power user
`Alt`+`Shift`+`Right arrow`	Indent the current paragraph	Time-saver
`Alt`+`Shift`+`Left arrow`	Remove indent from the current paragraph	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`1`	Apply the Heading 1 style	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`2`	Apply the Heading 2 style	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`3`	Apply the Heading 3 style	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`N`	Clear all formatting from the selected text	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`.`	Apply or remove a bulleted list	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`/`	Apply or remove a numbered list	Time-saver

Insert

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`K`	Insert a hyperlink	Time-saver

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`1`	Apply, select, or clear the To Do tag	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`2`	Apply the Important tag	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`3`	Apply the Question tag	Time-saver

Find

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`E`	Search all open notebooks	Essential
`Ctrl`+`F`	Search the current page	Essential

Navigate

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Home`	Move to the beginning of the line	Essential
`End`	Move to the end of the line	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Home`	Move to the beginning of the page	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`End`	Move to the end of the page	Time-saver

OneNote keyboard shortcuts

Start with these

Basics

Capture

Pages

Sections

Notebooks

Edit

Select

Format

Insert

Tags

Find

Navigate

OneNote how-to guides

Frequently asked questions

Make them stick

More Microsoft 365 shortcuts

Basics

Capture

Pages

Sections

Notebooks

Edit

Select

Format

Insert

Tags

Find

Navigate

Start with these

Basics

Capture

Pages

Sections

Notebooks

Edit

Select

Format

Insert

Tags

Find

Navigate

OneNote how-to guides

Frequently asked questions

Make them stick

Shortcut of the Week

More Microsoft 365 shortcuts