# Microsoft OneNote

Application: Microsoft Corporation

Also called onenote, one note, onenote 2016

Microsoft Corporation, Productivity

The Microsoft notebook app that syncs sections to OneDrive or SharePoint. Desktop OneNote is ONENOTE.EXE. A Store build can appear as OneNoteM.exe. It is not Notepad.

## What you need to know

OneNote stores notebooks in sections. Notepad stores a single text file.

Desktop OneNote is ONENOTE.EXE from Office16. Microsoft also shipped a Store OneNote that uses a different image. Neither one is notepad.exe.

- **What is it?**: A sectioned notebook app

  **Same as Notepad?**: No. Notepad is plain text

  **Two OneNote apps?**: Desktop and a Store build can both exist

Feex says

If two OneNote tiles open different windows, I would check ONENOTE.EXE versus OneNoteM.exe before I call it a broken Office install. I would not open Notepad expecting those sections.

## What is Microsoft OneNote?

Microsoft OneNote is a notebook with notebooks, sections, and pages. Desktop OneNote is ONENOTE.EXE. It is not Word, not Notepad, and not OneNoteM.exe when that Store image is installed.

## If you have never used it

If you want a notebook that syncs pages and ink, this is OneNote, not Notepad. Notepad is a single .txt file with no sections. Install desktop OneNote from Microsoft 365 or from Microsoft's OneNote download. A second "OneNote for Windows 10" tile is a different build. Pick one in Default apps.

## What is it used for?

**Notebooks and sections**

Class notes, meeting notes, and clipped pages that sync as a notebook, not as a Word file.

**Ink and clippings**

Pen input and Send to OneNote. Notepad has neither.

**Shared notebooks**

OneDrive or SharePoint notebooks. Sync problems are OneNote plus the cloud, not WINWORD.

## Who is it for?

- Students and meeting note takers
- People who saw two OneNote apps after an Office update
- Anyone who should not treat this as Notepad with extra fonts

## Current status

Actively developed. Microsoft has been consolidating toward desktop OneNote. Store OneNote for Windows 10 may still be present on older images.

## How old is it?

OneNote launched in 2003 as part of Office. It is newer than Word and older than Microsoft 365. The Windows 10 Store OneNote was a later split. This article is the notebook app, not the 1980s Notepad line.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Desktop OneNote (ONENOTE.EXE)

OneNote for Windows 10 (OneNoteM)

OneNote on the web

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| CPU              | 1.6 GHz or faster, 2-core, per Microsoft for Microsoft 365 Apps  |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | 4 GB for 64-bit, per Microsoft. Large files want more            |
| Storage          | 4 GB class install plus your documents                           |
| Operating system | A current Windows release Microsoft lists for Microsoft 365 Apps |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Sync and ink

  **RAM demand**: Large notebooks and ink cache

  **Network demand**: OneDrive and SharePoint notebooks

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| ONENOTE.EXE  | Desktop OneNote                                  |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| OneNoteM.exe | Store OneNote image when that build is installed |

## Startup components

OneNote starts when you open a notebook. Send to OneNote can start it from a shortcut.

## File locations

| Typical Click-to-Run | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\ONENOTE.EXE |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |

## File formats

ONE, ONETOC2, PDF

## Common problems

### Two OneNote tiles

Desktop and Store builds can both register. Set a default. Do not delete ONENOTE.EXE by hand.

### Notebook will not sync

Check OneDrive or SharePoint access. Ending WINWORD does not fix OneNote sync.

## Getting unstuck

### Open file location to see which OneNote you launched

Office16\ONENOTE.EXE is this article. OneNoteM.exe is the Store sibling. notepad.exe is not a notebook.

### Sign in and check notebook location

A local-only notebook will not appear on another PC. That is OneNote storage, not a Word path.

### Repair Microsoft 365 Apps if desktop OneNote is missing

Do not download ONENOTE.EXE from a filename site.

## Alternatives

Notion, Evernote, Joplin, and Notepad overlap for notes. Notepad cannot sync sections. Notion is a different vendor and a different file model.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Product page     | [www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onenote ](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onenote)What Microsoft ships as OneNote |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| OneNote help     | [support.microsoft.com/onenote ](https://support.microsoft.com/onenote)Sync, ink, and crash help                           |
| Learn: OneNote   | [learn.microsoft.com/onenote ](https://learn.microsoft.com/onenote)Client differences                                      |
| Download OneNote | [www.onenote.com/download ](https://www.onenote.com/download)Desktop OneNote when it is not in your Office SKU             |

## Related hardware

A pen-capable display helps ink. Sync still wants a working network and enough disk for the local cache.

## Technical details

Technical details

OneNote client names have shifted. This article describes desktop ONENOTE.EXE and mentions the Store image when both exist.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[ONENOTE.EXE: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/onenote.exe)[Windows Notepad: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/windows-notepad)[Microsoft 365: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-365)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Microsoft OneNote product page ](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onenote)· Official OneNote product
- [Microsoft Support: OneNote ](https://support.microsoft.com/onenote)· Notebooks, sync, and print help
- [Microsoft Learn: OneNote ](https://learn.microsoft.com/onenote)· Clients and sync behavior
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Microsoft Corporation

  **Category**: Notebook

  **Process**: [ONENOTE.EXE](https://feex.it/wiki/process/onenote.exe)

  **License**: Free desktop OneNote, or the build that ships with Microsoft 365

  **First released**: 2003

  **Official site**: [microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onenote](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onenote)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-onenote/)

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