Deployment guide for OneNote
Important
OneNote for Windows 10 will reach end of support in October 2025. It's recommended that all enterprise customers switch from OneNote for Windows 10 to OneNote on Windows, which is available from the Microsoft Store and with a Microsoft 365 subscription. OneNote on Windows offers new features and updates and allows you to customize user settings through Group Policy.
OneNote is included with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint when you deploy Microsoft 365 Apps, Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) 2024, Office LTSC 2021, or Office 2019. There are no other steps you need to take to include OneNote with new installations of Office. But, always be sure to check the deployment settings before you deploy, for example when using the wizards in Configuration Manager (current branch) or Microsoft Intune.
Use the Office Deployment Tool or enterprise deployment software like Microsoft Configuration Manager to include or exclude OneNote when you deploy Office in your organization.
To add OneNote to an existing installation of Office
If you install Office on your device but OneNote is missing, use the Office Deployment Tool and the following configuration.xml file to add OneNote.
<Configuration>
<Add>
<Product ID="OneNoteFreeRetail">
<Language ID="MatchInstalled"/>
</Product>
</Add>
</Configuration>
When you deploy the free version of OneNote, the license updates automatically to match the Office version already installed on the device once the user opens OneNote for the first time.
Note
- Using OneNoteFreeRetail isn't supported with volume licensed versions of Office, such as Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021 or Office Standard 2019. To add OneNote back to those versions of Office, you can run an Online Repair.
- If you deploy the freemium version of OneNote, when you go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, OneNote will appear as a standalone entry named Microsoft OneNote Home and Student 2016.
To exclude OneNote from being installed
There are different ways to exclude OneNote from being installed with Office, depending on which deployment method you're using, as shown in the following table.
| Method | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Office Deployment Tool | You can use the ExcludeApp element in your configuration.xml file. We recommend that you use the Office Customization Tool to help you create your configuration.xml file. |
| Microsoft Configuration Manager (current branch) | In the Office 365 Client Installation wizard, you can set OneNote to the Off position when you configure the Office settings. |
| Microsoft Intune | On the Configure app suite page, you can clear the check box for OneNote in the Select Office apps drop-down list. |
If you're allowing your users to install Office for themselves from the Microsoft 365 portal, there's no way to exclude OneNote from being installed.
Additional information about deploying OneNote
OneNote training resources
We're providing free and shareable eBooks to help your users transition to the user interface and functionalities in OneNote.
Configure OneNote settings
You can use Group Policy to configure certain OneNote settings for your users. To use Group Policy, download the latest Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) for Office from the Microsoft Download Center and implement the policy settings by using Active Directory Domain Services.
Note
- Group Policy requires the devices with OneNote to be joined to an Active Directory domain.
- Most of these same policy settings can be applied by using Cloud Policy, which doesn't require the device to be joined to a domain.
- Group Policy can't be used with Microsoft 365 Apps for business or with OneNote for Windows 10.
- Cloud Policy can only be used with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
Supported languages
While both OneNote and OneNote for Windows 10 are available in most of the same languages, there are a few differences. The lists of the supported languages are available here: OneNote, OneNote for Windows 10
Other platforms
There are also versions of OneNote for Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, and for web browsers. For more information, see What's the difference between the OneNote versions?