New OneNote on Windows app is getting ‘Vertical Tabs’ layout option in 2023

Microsoft announced that it would be rolling out a new improvement to OneNote on Windows in 2023, which would get a new option for a vertical tabs layout. The change might be insignificant news for some, but Microsoft says it is one of the most requested changes among educators and students using the app.

“The #1 request we’ve heard from educators and schools looking to move to the OneNote on Windows (Desktop) version is an option to allow the user interface to look similar to the OneNote for Windows 10 version of OneNote, with pages, sections and notebooks aligned on the left-hand side, and the horizontal tabs to disappear,” writes Mike Tholfsen, Principal Group Product Manager – Microsoft Education, in a blog post. “We always prioritize educator feedback, and so we’re excited to announce a new way to navigate your notebooks, sections, and pages in OneNote on Windows is coming in early 2023.”

The same vertical left-sided tabs layout is already available on OneNote for Windows 10, web, Mac, and iPad. However, after Microsoft removed OneNote for Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store and introduced the new OneNote on Windows version, some differences between the two can be noticed. This includes the layout of the older OneNote version, which many OneNote users find more ideal than the current horizontal tabs layout of the new app.

According to Tholfsen, the team is still making final touches to the experience, but once it is rolled out, the feature will come in a drop-down option located in the Tabs Layout under the View tab. Using this option, users can easily shift between using the vertical or horizontal layouts of the tabs, wherein choosing the former will make the Notebooks and pages appear on the left side of the screen.

While this upcoming improvement is good news for users of the new OneNote on Windows version, some still prefer the old OneNote for Windows 10, which is no longer available in Microsoft Store. With this, Microsoft is trying to bring some of the well-known and loved features and characteristics of the old version to the new unified OneNote on Windows app.