OneNote Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete List for Windows, Mac & Web
The most useful OneNote shortcuts are Ctrl + 1 (To-Do tag), Ctrl + Shift + H or Ctrl + Alt + H (highlight text), Ctrl + Hyphen (strikethrough), and Ctrl + K (insert link). On Mac, swap Ctrl for ⌘ (Cmd) and Alt for Option. This guide lists every verified OneNote keyboard shortcut for Windows, Mac, and the web, organized by task.
OneNote keyboard shortcuts are key combinations that perform an action formatting text, tagging notes, switching pages, creating tasks without reaching for the mouse. Learning even ten of them noticeably speeds up note-taking, and for users with mobility or vision needs they’re an essential alternative to the touchscreen.
This list is verified against Microsoft’s official documentation and organized so you can scan straight to the task you need. You can also download the full OneNote Shortcuts PDF at the bottom for offline reference.
Most-Used OneNote Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | ⌘ + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | ⌘ + Y |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | ⌘ + X |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | ⌘ + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | ⌘ + V |
| Paste without formatting | Ctrl + Shift + V | — |
| Open a notebook | Ctrl + O | |
| New page | Ctrl + N | |
| Open new OneNote window | Ctrl + M | — |
| Create a Quick Note | Ctrl + Shift + M or Win + Alt + N | — |
| Sync this notebook | Ctrl + S | ⌘ + S |
| Sync all notebooks | F9 | ⌘ + Shift + S |
| Full-page / full-screen view | F11 | ⌘ + Ctrl + F |
| Check spelling | F7 | — |
Formatting Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl + B | ⌘ + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + I | ⌘ + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + U | ⌘ + U |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + Hyphen (Alt + Hyphen on classic desktop) | — |
| Highlight selected text | Ctrl + Alt + H (or Ctrl + Shift + H) | — |
| Superscript | Ctrl + Shift + Plus (+) | ⌘ + Shift + Option + = |
| Subscript | Ctrl + Shift + Minus (-) | ⌘ + Ctrl + Option + = |
| Bulleted list | Ctrl + Period (.) | — |
| Numbered list | Ctrl + Forward slash (/) | ⌘ + / |
| Apply Heading 1–6 | Ctrl + Alt + 1 … 6 | — |
| Clear formatting (Normal style) | Ctrl + Shift + N | — |
| Increase font size | Ctrl + Shift + > | — |
| Decrease font size | Ctrl + Shift + < | — |
| Align left | Ctrl + L | — |
| Align right | Ctrl + R | — |
| Increase indent | Alt + Shift + Right (or Tab at line start) | Tab or ⌘ + ] |
| Decrease indent | Alt + Shift + Left (or Shift + Tab) | Shift + Tab or ⌘ + [ |
| Insert hyperlink | Ctrl + K | ⌘ + K (via Edit) |
| Format Painter (copy / paste) | Ctrl + Alt + C / Ctrl + Alt + V | ⌘ + Option + C / ⌘ + Option + V |
| Show/hide rule lines | Ctrl + Shift + R | — |
| Insert line break | Shift + Enter | Shift + Return |
How to strikethrough text in OneNote
To strikethrough text in OneNote, select the text and press Ctrl + Hyphen (Ctrl + -) in the current OneNote app, or Alt + Hyphen in classic OneNote for Windows desktop. Press the same combination again to remove it. Use the hyphen on the main keyboard, not the numeric keypad the numpad version won’t trigger the shortcut.
How to highlight text in OneNote
To highlight selected text, press Ctrl + Alt + H (or Ctrl + Shift + H in the OneNote for Windows 10 app). This applies the default yellow highlight. To change the highlight color, use the Text Highlight Color button on the Home tab.
Insert Items Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert current date | Alt + Shift + D | ⌘ + D |
| Insert current time | Alt + Shift + T | — |
| Insert date + time | Alt + Shift + F | ⌘ + Shift + D |
| Insert picture from file | Alt + N, then P | — |
| Insert a sticker | Alt + N, then S | — |
| Insert a file/document | Alt + N, then F | — |
| Insert file as printout | Alt + N, then O | — |
| Screen clipping | Win + Shift + S, then Ctrl + V | — |
| Start a math equation | Alt + Equals (=) | Ctrl + = |
| Insert emoji | — | ⌘ + Ctrl + Space |
Tag Notes Shortcuts
| Tag | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| To-Do | Ctrl + 1 | Ctrl + 1 |
| Important | Ctrl + 2 | Ctrl + 2 |
| Question | Ctrl + 3 | Ctrl + 3 |
| Remember for later | Ctrl + 4 | Ctrl + 4 |
| Definition | Ctrl + 5 | Ctrl + 5 |
| Highlight | Ctrl + 6 | Ctrl + 6 |
| Contact | Ctrl + 7 | Ctrl + 7 |
| Address | Ctrl + 8 | Ctrl + 8 |
| Phone number | Ctrl + 9 | Ctrl + 9 |
| Remove all tags | Ctrl + 0 | Ctrl + 0 |
Select Text & Objects Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select all on page | Ctrl + A (press again to expand) | ⌘ + A |
| Select to end of line | Shift + End | — |
| Select whole line | Shift + Down (cursor at line start) | — |
| Select page title | Ctrl + Shift + T | ⌘ + Shift + T |
| Move paragraph up | Alt + Shift + Up | ⌘ + Option + Up |
| Move paragraph down | Alt + Shift + Down | ⌘ + Option + Down |
| Select paragraph + sub-paragraphs | Ctrl + Shift + Hyphen | — |
| Delete selected note/object | Delete | Delete |
| Cancel selection | Esc | — |
Navigation Shortcuts (within a page)
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of line | Home | ⌘ + Left |
| End of line | End | ⌘ + Right |
| One word left | Ctrl + Left | Option + Left |
| One word right | Ctrl + Right | Option + Right |
| Next / previous paragraph | Ctrl + Down / Ctrl + Up | ⌘ or Option + Down / Up |
| Top of page | Ctrl + Home | — |
| Bottom of page | Ctrl + End | — |
| Delete word left | Ctrl + Backspace | Option + Delete |
| Delete word right | Ctrl + Delete | Fn + Option + Delete |
| Zoom in | Ctrl + Plus | ⌘ + Plus |
| Zoom out | Ctrl + Minus | ⌘ + Minus |
| Reset zoom | — | ⌘ + 0 |
Pages, Sections & Notebooks Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New section | Ctrl + T | — |
| New subpage | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N | — |
| Next page in section | Ctrl + Page Down | ⌘ + Page Down |
| Previous page in section | Ctrl + Page Up | ⌘ + Page Up |
| First page in section | Alt + Home | — |
| Last page in section | Alt + End | — |
| Next section | Ctrl + Tab | ⌘ + Shift + } |
| Previous section | Ctrl + Shift + Tab | ⌘ + Shift + { |
| Move/copy current page | Ctrl + Alt + M | Move ⌘ + Shift + M / Copy ⌘ + Shift + C |
| Go back to last page | Alt + Left | — |
| Go forward | Alt + Right | — |
| Open OneNote | Win + Shift + N | — |
| Print current page | Ctrl + P | — |
| App preferences | — | ⌘ + Comma |
Outline Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Show Level 1 … expand to 9 | Alt + Shift + 1 … 9 | — |
| Expand all levels | Alt + Shift + 0 | — |
| Expand collapsed outline | Alt + Shift + Plus | Ctrl + Shift + Minus |
| Collapse expanded outline | Alt + Shift + Minus | Ctrl + Shift + Plus |
| Increase indent one level | Tab | Tab |
| Decrease indent one level | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
Search Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Search all notebooks | Ctrl + E | ⌘ + Option + F |
| Search current page | Ctrl + F | ⌘ + F |
| Next result (current page) | Enter or F3 | — |
| Previous result | Shift + F3 | — |
| Dismiss search | Esc | — |
Outlook Integration & Sharing Shortcuts (Windows)
| Action | Windows |
|---|---|
| Email selected pages | Ctrl + Shift + E |
| Outlook task — Today | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Outlook task — Tomorrow | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Outlook task — This Week | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Outlook task — Next Week | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Outlook task — No Date | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Open selected Outlook task | Ctrl + Shift + K |
| Mark task complete | Ctrl + Shift + 9 |
| Delete Outlook task | Ctrl + Shift + 0 |
| Sync current shared notebook | Shift + F9 |
| Mark page as unread | Ctrl + Q |
Audio, Video & Protect Shortcuts (Windows)
| Action | Windows |
|---|---|
| Create audio recording | Ctrl + Alt + A |
| Play recording | Ctrl + Alt + P |
| Stop playback | Ctrl + Alt + S |
| Rewind 10 sec | Ctrl + Alt + Y |
| Forward 10 sec | Ctrl + Alt + U |
| Lock all password-protected sections | Ctrl + Alt + L |
OneNote Drawing & Eraser Shortcuts
OneNote does not provide dedicated keyboard shortcuts for the pen or eraser. Inking is designed for pen and touch input. To draw with the keyboard’s help, press Alt + D to open the Draw tab, then select a pen, highlighter, or the eraser from the ribbon. To convert handwriting to text, use Ink to Text on the Draw tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the shortcut to highlight text in OneNote?
Press Ctrl + Alt + H in classic OneNote for Windows, or Ctrl + Shift + H in the OneNote for Windows 10 app. Both apply the default highlight color to selected text.
What is the strikethrough shortcut in OneNote?
Press Ctrl + Hyphen in the current OneNote app, or Alt + Hyphen in classic OneNote for Windows desktop. Press again to remove the strikethrough.
What does Ctrl + Q do in OneNote?
Ctrl + Q marks the current page as read or unread. It’s useful for tracking which pages in a shared notebook you’ve already reviewed.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for the eraser in OneNote?
No. OneNote has no dedicated eraser shortcut. Open the Draw tab with Alt + D and select the eraser from the ribbon.
How do I create a new page in OneNote with the keyboard?
Press Ctrl + N on Windows or ⌘ + N on Mac to add a new page at the end of the current section. Use Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N for a subpage.
Do OneNote shortcuts work on Mac?
Yes, but most replace Ctrl with ⌘ (Command) and Alt with Option. Tag shortcuts (Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 0) use the same combination on both platforms.
How do I insert the date and time in OneNote?
Press Alt + Shift + D for the date, Alt + Shift + T for the time, or Alt + Shift + F for both. On Mac, use ⌘ + D for the date and ⌘ + Shift + D for date and time.
Why don’t some shortcuts work in my version of OneNote?
OneNote has several versions the current OneNote app, the retired OneNote for Windows 10, OneNote for Mac, and OneNote for the web. A few shortcuts (strikethrough, highlight, zoom) differ between them. Confirm which version you’re running under File or the About screen.
Download the OneNote Shortcuts PDF
Want an offline cheat sheet? Download the Microsoft OneNote Shortcuts PDF and keep it next to your keyboard.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to memorize all 100+ OneNote shortcuts at once. Start with the ten you’ll use daily Ctrl + 1 to tag a to-do, Ctrl + K to link, Ctrl + Shift + H to highlight, and Ctrl + E to search every notebook and let the rest become muscle memory over time. If you switch between a Windows PC and a Mac, the one rule to remember is simple: Ctrl becomes ⌘, and Alt becomes Option.
Bookmark this page or grab the PDF above so the full list is always one click away. And if a shortcut behaves differently on your machine, check which OneNote version you’re running that’s almost always the reason.
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