OneNote Templates

Save time and maintain consistency with professionally designed templates for every use case.

📋
50+
Built-in Templates
📂
10+
Template Categories
🎨
Unlimited
Custom Templates
🤝
Yes
Template Sharing

What are OneNote Templates?

OneNote templates are pre-designed page layouts that provide structure and formatting for specific types of notes. They help you maintain consistency and save time by providing ready-made formats for common note-taking scenarios.

SCREENSHOT HERE OF OneNote's template gallery showing various template categories and preview thumbnails

Template Categories

Academic Templates

  • Lecture Notes
  • Research Papers
  • Study Guides
  • Assignment Planners
  • Lab Reports
  • Reading Notes

Business Templates

  • Meeting Minutes
  • Project Planning
  • Status Reports
  • Client Notes
  • Budget Tracking
  • Team Collaboration

Personal Templates

  • Daily Journal
  • Travel Planning
  • Recipe Collection
  • Goal Setting
  • Health Tracking
  • Event Planning

Using Built-in Templates

OneNote comes with dozens of professionally designed templates that you can use immediately.

SCREENSHOT HERE OF the process of inserting a template: Insert tab > Page Templates > choosing a template from the gallery

How to Apply Templates

📋

Insert Tab Method

Go to Insert > Page Templates and choose from the gallery

➕

New Page with Template

Right-click in page list and select "New Page with Template"

🔍

Template Search

Search for specific template types using keywords

👁️

Template Preview

Preview templates before applying to see the layout

Creating Custom Templates

Design your own templates to match your specific needs and workflow requirements.

Steps to Create a Custom Template

  1. Create a new page with your desired layout and formatting
  2. Add placeholder text, tables, or other elements
  3. Go to Insert > Page Templates > "Save current page as template"
  4. Give your template a name and description
  5. Choose whether to make it available to all notebooks
  6. Your template is now available in the template gallery

SCREENSHOT HERE OF the "Save as Template" dialog showing name field, description, and scope options

Popular Template Examples

📝 Meeting Minutes Template

Meeting: [Meeting Name]
Date: [Date]
Attendees: [Names]
Agenda Items:
• [Item 1]
• [Item 2]
Action Items:
□ [Task] - [Owner] - [Due Date]

📚 Lecture Notes Template

Course: [Course Name]
Date: [Date]
Topic: [Lecture Topic]
Key Points:
• [Point 1]
• [Point 2]
Questions:
? [Question 1]
Follow-up: [Action items]

Template Best Practices

  • Keep it Simple: Don't overcomplicate templates with too many elements
  • Use Placeholders: Include [bracketed] placeholder text for easy replacement
  • Consistent Formatting: Use consistent fonts, colors, and spacing
  • Test Before Saving: Make sure the template works as expected
  • Regular Updates: Refine templates based on actual usage
  • Share with Team: Make useful templates available to colleagues

SCREENSHOT HERE OF a custom template being created, showing the design process and placeholder elements