OneNote on Windows will automatically bring up the touch keyboard when you tap the page canvas on touch-enabled devices. This is a huge win for anyone using a tablet or 2-in-1 device like the Microsoft Surface, as it makes typing instantly faster and more seamless.
Apparently, this update is a direct response to user feedback, which is always great to hear. People who rely on touch-enabled devices for their note-taking needed a way to make the typing experience much faster, and so this is a smart change. Before this, it could be a bit clunky, but now, a single tap anywhere in the canvas area of your notebook will trigger the touch keyboard. This removes the friction, letting you get straight to work, which is exactly what you want from a digital notebook.
This new virtual keyboard is just the latest in a series of welcome improvements that Microsoft has been making to OneNote. Just recently, after more than two decades, the desktop version of OneNote finally got a picture cropping tool. Images are a fundamental part of any digital notebook, so it was a huge oversight that you had to use separate software, like the Windows Snipping Tool, just to crop a picture before importing it. Now, you can do it all within the app thanks to the new contextual Format Picture tab that appears when you select an image.
The new cropping tool lets you click and drag handles to get the image looking exactly how you want. For a more precise method, you can even opt for “Crop With Keyboard” and use the Arrow keys to adjust the cropping area. You can also hold Ctrl to crop two opposite sides equally, or all sides simultaneously if you use the corner handles. Once you’re happy, you just press Enter or click outside the picture. It’s a simple change that makes a night and day difference to anyone who works with images in OneNote.
Both the new automatic touch keyboard and the picture cropping tool are really cool updates that make OneNote a much more capable and efficient tool. Since this is mostly for insiders, make sure to give feedback so it works well when it goes to everyone. You can do this by going to Help > Feedback in OneNote.
The new automatic keyboard is rolling out to Microsoft 365 Insiders first. If you’re running Version 2510 or later of OneNote on Windows, you should be able to see it. If you don’t have it yet, don’t worry, it’s probably not you! Microsoft often rolls out features in stages to make sure everything’s working smoothly and may tweak things based on the early feedback before a wider release.
The good news is that this feature is expected to reach general availability by the end of November 2025.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android
- Brand
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Microsoft
- Price
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$100/year
- Developer(s)
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Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
