Microsoft on Tuesday rolled out a major update to its Apple-centric OneNote product line, adding new features like access to notes stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online, inserting files and note reorganization and sharing.
With OneNote version 2.3 for iOS and version 15.2 for Mac, users now have greater control over note creation, organization and access.
According to Microsoft, a big want on customers' feature request lists was access to notebooks stored in OneDrive. Today's update brings that functionality to Mac owners, granting desktop access to notebooks stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online, the latter being a subscription productivity service in Office 365.
The update also brings universal features like file insertion and document viewing to Mac, iPhone and iPad. Users can now insert Office documents, PDF files, PowerPoint decks and other content directly in to their notes. Viewing of the same media is also supported within OneNote or through Quick Look.
For iOS, expanded share sheet integration allows users to insert pictures and files originating in other apps like Mail. PDF documents can also be inserted as printouts, facilitating in-app annotation.
OneNote's new organization features are fairly basic, allowing users to change the order or move notes to other notebooks, which can now be created on iOS devices. In addition, formatted content from webpages and other apps can now be copied and pasted into notes.
Access control has been enhanced to lock or unlock password-protected note sections created in OneNote for Windows.
Finally, OneNote for Mac now lets users send notes via email as part of the message body, a welcome change from the previous solution of tacking them on as PDF attachments.
OneNote for iOS is a free 92.4MB download from the iOS App Store, while the Mac version comes in at 243MB and is available from the Mac App Store.