Blog Post

Microsoft 365 Copilot
1 MIN READ

OneNote Copilot now supports inked notes

chenvictoria's avatar
chenvictoria
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
Jul 11, 2024

Update Sept 17th, 2024: OneNote Copilot supports inked notes are now rolled out and generally available to all eligible users on the current channel with a Microsoft Copilot Pro or M365 Copilot for Enterprise subscription. 

 

We released OneNote Copilot in November 2023, and initially this feature could only read and analyze typed text. But now Copilot is able to analyze both typed text and handwritten (inked) notes in OneNote, both via the ribbon and from the canvas!  

 

How it works 

 

To access OneNote Copilot via the ribbon: 

  1. Open OneNote and navigate to a section of handwritten ink. 
  2. Select the Copilot icon on the ribbon to open the Copilot pane. 
  3. Ask Copilot a question about your handwritten ink notes. 

 

 

To access OneNote Copilot via the canvas:  

  1. Select a group of ink strokes with touch, pen, or mouse. 
  2. Click on the Copilot icon to open the dropdown menu.  
  3. Select one of the Copilot menu prompts and let Copilot do its magic — summarize, rewrite, or even generate a To-Do list! 

 

 

Scenarios to try 

  • Ask Copilot a question about your OneNote notebook that contains handwritten and text notes to get an answer instantly. 
  • Prompt Copilot to summarize your inked notes in preparation for a meeting or an exam. 
  • Select To-Do from the Copilot menu on the canvas to create a task list based on the content of your handwritten notes. 

 

Availability 

This feature is available to Insiders running OneNote on Windows Version 2404 (Build 17628.20006) or later. 

 

Updated Sep 17, 2024
Version 3.0
  • I've used this feature, and it was mind-blowing to see OneNote Copilot answer my question based on a page that had a combination of my handwritten [sloppy, slightly-diagonal] notes, an image of a text document [that OneNote was able to read], and typed notes!

  • rashferguson's avatar
    rashferguson
    Copper Contributor

    This is a very big deal for me. So glad to see this implented. Please be sure to keep optimizing this feature. For instance, I want Copilot to be able to search thru the dozen or so notebooks and hundreds of pages (all containing handwritten notes) I have spread across both my personal and work accounts and answer questions, copy text or just simply take me to the specific note. For example, I use my handwritten pages as phone logs and being able to ask Copilot when the last conversation I had with Tom was would be great. Another example includes asking Copilot to read my "interview" notes and tell me which of the candidates had a bachelor's degree in Engineering. Stuff like this is important to me.

     

    Thanks! 

  • RobQ_MVP's avatar
    RobQ_MVP
    Iron Contributor

    This is a great new feature and nice to see it working in Copilot Pro as well as Copilot for Microsoft 365. 

    OneNote has been able to read digital ink for many many years but nice to be able to see Copilot reason over a combination of written and typed notes. 

    I'd love for Copilot to be able to add summaries and actually write the summaries in a form of digitial ink also - that would be magic!

  • jcozens's avatar
    jcozens
    Copper Contributor

    Hi, I can't seem to get this function to work on my copilot 365 account. I have tried the above prompts but copilot is saying it cant summarise it. Any help would be really appreciated.

  • KDanielK73's avatar
    KDanielK73
    Copper Contributor

    This is great, can it please replace the existing ink-to-text. The use-case is that I don't want to do a summary or rewrite, I just want to use the Copilot's ability to interpret the ink and turn it into test. The built in function isn't quite as strong