(Originally published on February 16, 2024 by Chetna Das)
Hey, Microsoft 365 Insiders! My name is Chetna Das and I’m a Product Manager on the OneNote team. I'm excited to share with you an early look at the new Sticky Notes app on Windows, focused on creating and recalling notes more seamlessly than ever.
We are taking our first step with OneNote on Windows as the entry point for this preview experience. Soon, you’ll be able to try the new Sticky Notes app from the Windows Start menu and by toggling over from the existing Microsoft Sticky Notes app on Windows.
Introducing the new Sticky Notes app for Windows
Have you ever wished to capture a thought or idea in a meeting or conversation, but it passed too quickly? Do you need an easier way to pick up where you left off with notetaking when switching between tasks? These are the kinds of issues that we aim to help you solve with the new Sticky Notes app, while keeping things simple and intuitive.
How it works
- To launch the new Sticky Notes app, open the OneNote app on Windows and select the Sticky Notes button.
NOTE: After launching the new Sticky Notes app, you can pin it to the taskbar. You can also press the Win + Alt + S keys to launch the app anytime.
Select the Sticky Notes button on the OneNote app on Windows
- To ensure that your notes are synced across your devices, sign in if you haven’t already.
- To get started with the new Sticky Notes app, read through the Quick Tips cards.
Scroll through Quick Tip cards in the Sticky Notes app
- Select + Note to create a note or select Screenshot to take a screenshot of your current app window with a single click.
NOTE: The note will automatically include original source information of the app window where note is taken from.
Take a screenshot and see source information
- If you captured a note or a screenshot from a website, click the auto-captured source to go back to that website.
Click to go back to the source website
- To see the note in a larger window, double-click it, or select the pop-out icon on the top right corner of the note.
NOTE: You can also double-click on a captured image to view it at full size.
Pop-out a note and widen its window
- To use the new Sticky Notes app in a side-by-side mode while using other apps, dock it to your desktop.
Dock to use side-by-side with other apps
- To access your Sticky Notes on the go, use the OneNote for iOS or OneNote for Android.
Scenarios to try
At work
- When a presentation is shared in a Teams meeting, take screenshots of important slides with a single click, while staying focused on the meeting.
- For a recurring meeting, take notes on the same page and your past notes will automatically rise to the top when you open the new Sticky Notes app during the next instance of the meeting series.
When learning
- While watching an educational YouTube video or reading an article, capture important sections and your previous notes will rise to the top in the app when you return to the same website later.
At home
- When planning a trip, take notes and screenshots of potential destinations. The next time you open your notes, click the source link to go back to the website in question for more details or to complete your booking.
Tips and tricks
- Pin the new Sticky Notes app to your taskbar for easy access in the future—no need to launch OneNote.
- If you’re already a signed in Sticky Notes user, all your existing notes will appear in the new app.
- Sign in to your Microsoft 365 account to sync your notes across your devices.
Availability
The new Sticky Notes app is available to Current Channel (Preview) users running OneNote on Windows Version 2402 (Build 17328.20000) or later.
Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.
Meet the creators
Bringing the new Sticky Notes app to you is a team effort so we wanted to recognize other key contributors:
As one of them stated: "I loved working on the new Sticky Notes app. It’s satisfying to know that the work we do behind the scenes helps our customers be more productive in their day."
We hope you enjoy the new Sticky Notes app!
Feedback
We’d love to know what you think about the new Sticky Notes experience! Please send us your thoughts by selecting Feedback from the ellipsis menu in Sticky Notes.
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