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In OneNote, a section groups related pages; a page is where you write or add the actual notes. Use a page for a separate note within the same topic, and a section when you need a separate category for several related notes.
Notebook → Section → Page → Subpage
Sections and pages at a glance
| OneNote item | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Notebook | Holds sections and their pages. | Work |
| Section | Groups pages about a subject, project, or other category. Think of it as a tab in a binder, not a conventional computer folder. | Marketing |
| Page | Holds the content of one note, event, or task. | January campaign meeting |
| Subpage | Nests a closely related page under a main page. | Action items beneath meeting notes |
Microsoft describes sections as collections of related pages and pages as the place where notes live. A new section generally starts with a blank page, so the writing area you see is the page inside the section—not the section itself. Microsoft’s OneNote creation guide
What is a section in OneNote?
A section is an organizational layer within a notebook. It groups pages that belong together, much like a tab separates topics in a paper binder. Sections work well for durable categories you expect to add notes to over time: a course, client, department, project, meeting type, or research topic.
A section is not the note itself. If you create a section called “Product launch,” for instance, its pages might hold the launch plan, meeting notes, timeline, and risks. Name sections for the category, rather than for a single note; a category that contains only one page may not need its own section.
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What is a page in OneNote?
A page is an individual note-taking canvas inside a section. A page might be one meeting, lesson, recipe, journal entry, task list, research topic, or project plan. It can hold text, handwriting or ink, images, tables, links, and other OneNote content. The canvas is flexible rather than limited to a fixed sheet of paper, and can be extended as you add material. Microsoft’s OneNote organization guide
Give pages clear titles that identify their subject or event. That makes the page list easier to scan and gives you a useful search term if you need to find a note later.
How do notebooks, subpages, and section groups fit in?
Notebooks
A notebook is the broadest container. You might keep “Work” as one notebook, with sections for “Marketing” and “Meetings,” or use separate notebooks for work and personal notes when there is a practical reason to keep them apart. Multiple notebooks can help separate areas such as home, work, and school, but too many can make navigation and search harder. Microsoft recommends cloud storage such as OneDrive when you want notebook access across devices; cloud storage does not by itself mean a notebook is shared. Microsoft’s notebook creation guide
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Subpages
A subpage is a page nested under another page in the same section. Use one when a supporting note belongs closely to a main note—for example, a “Timeline” subpage under “Launch plan.” The main page can provide the overview while the subpages hold details. A subpage is still a page; it is not a new section.
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Section groups
A section group contains sections, giving you another layer without creating a separate notebook. For example, a “2026 Projects” group could contain sections for a website redesign, product launch, and customer research. Consider one when a notebook has so many sections that its section list is difficult to navigate. Microsoft’s section group guide
Keep the terms distinct: a page contains notes, a section contains pages, and a section group contains sections. iPhone and iPad currently do not support creating subsections or grouped sections in the mobile app, according to Microsoft’s iPhone and iPad guide.
Should you create a new section or a new page?
Ask whether you have a different note or a different category. A different note in the same subject usually belongs on a new page. A category that will hold several related notes usually deserves a section. If the material belongs to a substantially different body of work or needs a separate sharing boundary, consider a notebook.
| Situation | Good starting choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Another meeting with the same team | New page | It is a new event, but the category remains the same. |
| A different department or long-running project | New section | It is a distinct category likely to collect several pages. |
| Another chapter in the same course | New page | The notes still belong to the same course. |
| A completely different course | New section | It is a separate subject. |
| A daily journal entry | New page | Each entry is a separate note in the journal category. |
| Several supporting notes for one main topic | Subpages | They are closely tied to one overview or parent note. |
| Too many sections to navigate | Section group | It organizes related sections without putting every note in a new notebook. |
| Personal notes that should stay apart from work notes | Possibly a new notebook | A notebook can separate a broader purpose or sharing context. |
Do not create a section for every individual note: that turns the section list into the same kind of clutter you were trying to avoid. Conversely, putting unrelated topics in one section makes its page list harder to scan. Start with the simplest structure that fits; split it when a real navigation or separation need appears.
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How to create a page or section
Controls and labels vary among OneNote for Microsoft 365 or OneNote 2024 on Windows, Mac, the web, iPhone or iPad, and Android. The paths below describe the documented controls for those experiences; a layout or app update may place a control differently. Microsoft says the older OneNote for Windows 10 app reached end of support in October 2025, so these Windows instructions refer to the current desktop OneNote experience, not that retired app. Microsoft’s OneNote versions guide
Windows desktop
- Open the section where the note belongs.
- Select Add Page above the page tabs.
- Enter a title, then add the note below it.
- To add a section, right-click an existing section tab, choose New Section, enter a name, and press Enter.
Microsoft’s organization guide documents these general controls.
Mac
- To make a page in the current section, use File > New Page, the Add page control, or Command-N.
- To make a section, use File > New Section, the Add section control, or Command-T.
A new Mac section starts with a blank page. Microsoft’s Mac guide
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- To create a page, return to the page list if you are editing a note, then tap + Page at the bottom.
- To create a section, open the section list. On iPad, tap + Section at the bottom; on iPhone, tap the plus icon.
- Name the section and tap Done.
Microsoft’s iPhone and iPad guide
Android
- Open the notebook and section, then tap Page+ to add a page.
- To add a section, open the notebook list, select the notebook, tap Section+, name it, and tap Create.
Some Android shortcuts for ink, voice, or image notes create pages in the default section unless you change that setting. Microsoft’s Android guide
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OneNote for the web
The web version works with notebooks stored on OneDrive. Open a notebook from the notebook list to reach its sections and pages; Microsoft’s web guide describes its basic creation and editing tasks. OneNote for the web basics
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to reorganize notes when the structure changes
Move or copy a page
If a note is in the wrong section, move it rather than recreating it. The command varies by platform: Windows uses the Move or Copy Pages dialog; on Mac, Control-click a page tab and choose the move or copy command; on Android, press and hold the page name, tap the move icon, choose a destination, optionally select Create a copy, and tap Select. Microsoft’s Android move guide and Mac move and copy guide
Copying leaves a duplicate, so use it when you need both versions; if both remain active, it can become unclear which one is current. If a moved or copied page seems to have vanished, search for its title or distinctive text to locate it.
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Moving a section carries its pages with it. Copying a section duplicates the section and the pages it contains, which can be useful when reusing a project structure or preserving an archive. Check whether you need a duplicate before copying, especially in a shared notebook. Mac instructions are in Microsoft’s move and copy guide.
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Reorder tabs and make subpages
OneNote does not automatically alphabetize section or page tabs. In the Windows workflow, drag section tabs left or right and page tabs up or down; dragging a page tab to the right can indent it as a subpage. If you accidentally rearrange tabs, Ctrl+Z can undo the change in that workflow. Microsoft’s Windows tab-rearrangement guide
A practical starter structure
For a work notebook, you might begin with sections for Meetings, Projects, Reference, and Tasks. Each meeting, project plan, reference topic, or task list then gets its own page; a project page can have subpages for its timeline, budget, or risks. If projects multiply, group their sections in a section group rather than creating a section for every note.
Keep separate notebooks for areas such as personal and work notes when that separation serves a genuine purpose, such as keeping unrelated material apart or sharing one body of notes without exposing another. If the current structure is still easy to navigate, there is no need to add more layers.
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