OneNote on Windows now has improved pen and ink gestures for drawing and writing

Microsoft is adding new gestures to the OneNote Windows app to improve the text and inking experience. If you have a device with a stylus, like Microsoft’s Surface tablets, you can now use more gestures to manipulate your digital handwriting. Microsoft has added the ability to strike-through text, delete it by scribbling over it, and even quickly insert a new paragraph.

All of these new gestures are starting to roll out in the main OneNote desktop app, which is part of Microsoft’s work to unify its OneNote and OneNote for Windows 10 apps in a single app with a variety of features for mouse and keyboard users, stylus, and touch.

Image: Microsoft

If you were a fan of the vertical tabs found on OneNote for Windows 10, the web, Mac, and iPad, then Microsoft is now bringing these to the main Windows app. “Using the new Vertical Tabs layout option under the View menu, you can use a navigation experience similar to other Microsoft 365 apps and services, such as Outlook and Teams,” explains Greg MacEachern, a product manager at Microsoft.

If you’re a Microsoft 365 business or enterprise user, then OneNote is also part of today’s Copilot launch. Copilot in OneNote can summarize pages, sections of notes, or even the text you select. Copilot can also help you plan events and meetings using your notes, create to-do lists, and even appear at the side of the app as a chatbot.