Microsoft is finally moving forward to solve the confusion that is currently surrounding the OneNote application by discarding the outdated 2016 edition and revamping the app with a new build for Windows 10. The 2016 version of the app will have extended life support until the new one is ready.
To dispel the confusion: OneNote is currently available in two versions for Windows 10. Users and administrators can download and install OneNote for Windows 10 from the Windows Store. If a user still has the OneNote desktop software that is included in Office 2016 he can keep working with it until Microsoft announces the disincorporation of the app.
The company has announced that they plan to make OneNote for Windows 10 the default option when Office 2019 launches in a few months ahead. After that update comes along OneNote for Windows-10 will replace OneNote 2016 as the default application on Office 365 as well as Office 2019. The presence of both programs beyond this point is deemed redundant.
The Details Someone Could Have Missed
One thing that stands out of this press release is the fact that this is not the only exclusive option set in place for Windows-10. The announcement also heavily implies that Microsoft Office 2019 will also be Windows-10 exclusive and it will include OneNote but that the application won’t be installed by default. It’s not clear yet if it will have additional costs.
On the bright side, OneNote 2016 will remain available for users of Office 365 for a transitional period with limited support. This also applies for Windows-7, Windows-8.1, and any users who don’t have any access to Office 2019 or OneNote for Windows 10.
Any users of OneNote 2016 on still-supported versions of Windows can still use the program like before. Microsoft has announced that the basic setting of the software will be supported as long as October 2025, but there won’t be any new features or changes from now on.
Looking to the Future
The company wants OneNote users to switch to the Windows-10 version of the application, and they are making their case by offering a truly improved version of the app for Windows that uses a sync engine that works much more efficiently than the old build. App users won’t have to worry about updating OneNote anymore since now the app manages all updates automatically on the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft is paying close attention to their consumers by adding at least a hundred new features and improvements, all of them gathered from user feedback to make OneNote for Windows-10 a better working utility. The gathering of information happened over the last 18 months, and Microsoft plans on keeping the exercise as an ongoing source of feedback for improvement.
Some of the most sought after that are already available on the app are the following:
- Tagging capabilities, to allow users to create, search and insert custom tags
- Options to view and edit office files on OneNote
- Class notebook features are now built-in and don’t require the additional use of third-party plugins
- Cross-platform attention and support
- A sync engine
- Preview of any office files
- Share notes with a widget
- Accessibility Checker
- Improved reader
- Search engine to find quotes and sources
If you still haven’t tried Microsoft OneNote, now is the best time to do so, make sure to look out for future updates!