Templates in OneNote give every new page the same layout, such as meeting notes, to-do lists or lecture notes. Whether you can create one depends on which OneNote you have. The OneNote desktop app (part of Microsoft 365, and free to download) has full page templates, including your own. OneNote for Windows 10, the older Store app, never had a template feature, and Microsoft ended its support on October 14, 2025. This guide shows how to make and use templates in the desktop app, workarounds for OneNote for Windows 10, and how to tell which version you have.
Quick Answer
In the OneNote desktop app, design a page, then go to Insert > Page Templates and click Save current page as a template at the bottom of the Templates pane. Name it, optionally set it as the default for the section, and click Save.
Which OneNote Do You Have?
- OneNote (desktop app): has a File tab and a full ribbon with Insert > Page Templates. This is the version to use.
- OneNote for Windows 10: has a simplified ribbon, no File tab, and settings under the three-dot menu. It has no Page Templates command.
If you have OneNote for Windows 10, Microsoft recommends moving to the desktop app, which opens the same cloud notebooks. It’s included with Windows in some installs, or you can get it free from Microsoft’s OneNote site or the Microsoft Store.
Create a Template in the OneNote Desktop App
- Create a new page and set it up the way you want every page to start: title, headings, tables, tags, a background color or rule lines (View > Page Color and Rule Lines).
- Go to Insert > Page Templates. The Templates pane opens on the right.
- At the bottom, click Save current page as a template.
- Type a name. Check Set as default template for new pages in the current section if you want it used automatically.
- Click Save. Your template appears under My Templates.
The page’s title is saved as part of the template, so leave it blank if you want to type a new title each time. Dates and times aren’t updated automatically; add them with Insert > Date on each new page.
Use a Template
- Go to Insert > Page Templates.
- Expand a category or My Templates and click a template. A new page is created from it.
To use a template automatically, choose it under Always use a specific template in the Templates pane. It applies to the current section only.
Edit or Delete a Custom Template
- Edit: create a page from the template, change it, and save it as a template again with the same name, then remove the old one.
- Delete: in the Templates pane, point to the template under My Templates, click the arrow, and choose Delete.
Workarounds in OneNote for Windows 10
- Copy a page: build a master page, then right-click it in the page list and choose Copy and paste it, or use Move/Copy, each time you need a new page.
- Template section: keep a section named “Templates” with your master pages to copy from.
- Switch apps: open the same notebook in the desktop app, create the template there, and use it from the desktop app going forward.
Template Ideas
| Template | Include |
|---|---|
| Meeting notes | Attendees, agenda with to-do tags, decisions, action items with owners |
| Daily planner | Top three priorities, schedule table, notes |
| Lecture notes | Course, topic, key terms, summary box |
| Project status | Goals, progress table, risks, next steps |
Want more room while you work on a page?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a custom template with others?
Templates are stored with your OneNote install, not the notebook. Share a page from the notebook and have others save it as their own template.
Does OneNote on the web or Mac have templates?
OneNote on the web and on Mac don’t offer the Page Templates feature as of this writing. Pages created from templates on Windows still display correctly there.
Will my notes be lost when moving from OneNote for Windows 10?
Notebooks synced to OneDrive open in the desktop app. Make sure everything has finished syncing before you uninstall the older app.
Summary
- Use the OneNote desktop app; OneNote for Windows 10 has no templates.
- Design a page, then Insert > Page Templates > Save current page as a template.
- Set it as the section default if you like.
- In OneNote for Windows 10, copy a master page instead.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.