While we patiently wait for Microsoft’s proposed unified OneNote experience for Windows 11, the company is dishing out new features to its web client that include New Mode switcher, Auto Inking, and Improved Copy/Paste experiences and more.
In a new post to the Microsoft 365 blog, the OneNote team covers a variety of new features and improvements coming to the web version of OneNote such as:
- New mode switcher (Starting to roll out)
- Improved copy/paste (Rolled out)
- Zoom in and zoom out (Rolled out)
- Set picture to background (Starting to roll out)
- Remember the last page you were on (Starting to roll out)
- Auto-inking with stylus (Starting to roll out in Chrome and Edge browsers, Teams)
- Re-size embedded web content as videos (Rolled out)
- Improved link sharing experience within Teams (Upcoming)
Covering some of the details for each update, we see that the new mode switcher will allow users to easily switch between editing and viewing modes. The UI for the update is similar to other Office web apps and rests in the top corner of the app as a selectable drop-down menu.
Secondly, the improved Copy/Paste experience will now include the ability to paste rich content such as lists, tables and forms from external sources using the Ctrl+Shift+ combo.
Next up is Zoom in and Zoom out controls supporting keyboard shortcuts as well as pinch-to-zoom on touchscreen enabled devices.
OneNote web users will also be able to lock images in place by making use of “Set Picture as Background” that’s coming to the Draw menu as part of the new feature drop.
On the web, OneNote will now remember the last page you left off on despite jumping through sections or other notes. Auto-Inking with a Stylus has also been enabled so users can simply put digital pen to screen and OneNote will switch over to its Inking platform. However, drawing with fingers will need to be manually enacted.
OneNote for the web will support the resizing of videos as it does in the dedicated desktop apps. Users can use the same corner dragging they do in OneNote to enlarge videos.
Lastly, there is a little treat for Teams users buried in the update that will allow better link sharing that includes enabling file permissions and preview access for OneNote links without leaving the chat window.
The features are currently rolling out, and since it’s web based, it may take some time for every last feature to hit the platform, but according to Microsoft, they should be accessible within the “next couple of weeks.”
