If you want to share your OneNote notes with someone who doesn’t have OneNote, or if you want to avoid accidentally editing your notes, convert them to a PDF file. Here’s how it’s done.
Contents
- PDF saving behavior varies by platform
- How to Convert OneNote Notes to PDF on Windows 10
- How to Convert OneNote Notes to PDF on Mac
PDF saving behavior varies by platform
OneNote notebooks contain one or more sections, and each section contains one or more pages. To illustrate what this means, here is a graphic to show the structure of a OneNote notebook:
What you can save as a PDF in OneNote depends on the operating system you’re using. OneNote for Windows 10 lets you save a page, section, or the entire notebook as a PDF. However, OneNote for Mac only lets you save the single page you’re currently on as a PDF.
The instructions to convert OneNote notes to PDF are also different between Windows 10 and Mac. We’ll show you how to do both.
Soon: The Beginner’s Guide to OneNote in Windows 10
How to Convert OneNote Notes to PDF on Windows 10
To get started, launch OneNote for Windows. Open the OneNote notebook you want to convert to PDF. Once loaded, click on the “File” tab of the ribbon.
In the left menu, click on “Export”.
Next, select the part of the notebook you want to export from the “1. Export Current group”. You can choose between the “Page”, “Section” or “Notebook” in which you are currently working.
In the “2. Select Format group”, select “PDF” from the list of file types, and then click “Export”.
File Explorer will open. Choose the location where you want to save your file, name it, then click “Save”.
Your PDF file is now ready. You can open it using a web browser or your favorite PDF viewer.
How to Convert OneNote Notes to PDF on Mac
Exporting OneNote notes on a Mac is quite simple, but as mentioned above, Mac only allows you to save the page you are currently on. You cannot save a section or the entire notebook.
First, open the OneNote app, then load the notebook containing the page you want to convert to PDF. Then click “File” in the menu bar.
Click “Save as PDF” from the drop-down menu.
The “Save As” window will appear. Name your file, choose the location where you want to save it and click “Save”.
Your PDF file is now ready for further viewing. Repeat this as often as you want to export more OneNote pages to PDF files.
