Templates may be one of the most overlooked features of OneNote. That’s partially due to Microsoft’s slow pace updating the default templates library on OneNote. However, that shouldn’t discourage you from exploring some of the built-in as well as third-party OneNote templates on your laptop. Whether you want to create a weekly plan, jot down meeting notes, create a journal, or draft a customer service survey form, these OneNote templates should help you design a page in no time.
The default template library is available to use from the Insert > Page Templates menu.
14 Detailed lecture notes
OneNote is quite popular in the education sector. Students use the built-in math equations, stylus support, and different page styles with grid lines, audio recording, and others to take class notes with ease. If you want to take your lecture notes in a more organized manner, check out this built-in template.
The Detailed Lecture Notes template offers a nice background image and lets you add relevant details with homework, today’s main topics, important points, notes about each lecture topic, and summary section. You will find the template under the Academic section in the templates library.
13 Project overview
As the name suggests, it’s another built-in template where you can lay out your upcoming project details efficiently. You can enter project name, company info, presenter name, description, project goals, team details, schedule, and current status. You can also insert related documents such as a budget, marketing plan, and more at the bottom.
It's simply a project overview page and doesn’t aim to replace your standard project management tool. Once your OneNote page is ready, invite your team members for live collaboration. You can find it under the Business section in the templates library.
12 Detailed meeting notes
This is another must-have OneNote template that I frequently use during meetings and seminars. It comes with a professional decorative design and lets you add meeting details, attendees, announcements, the status of pending items, a summary, action items, and the next meeting plans. Head to the Business section in the templates library to find the template.
11 Project to-do list
Project To-Do List template can come in handy when managing your small projects on the go. It’s a basic template aimed at personal use and lets you add tasks and notes for a specific project. Microsoft also offers a Prioritized To-Do List template to break down your tasks into high, medium, and low priority. Check out both of these templates under the Planners category in the templates library.
10 Weekly planner
So far we have talked about built-in templates only. As mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of third-party OneNote templates on the web. Notegram is one such solid source to find OneNote templates.
The company’s weekly planner is a must-have template for people who plan their weeks in advance. Unlike other sources, you can simply sign in with a Microsoft account at the top and click Save beside a template to add it to the Quick Notes section in OneNote. Find your weekly planner page, pick up a stylus, and start adding your appointments.
9 Monthly calendar
I use the monthly calendar template all the time. Whenever the current month completes, I head to Notegram and copy the next month’s template to my OneNote account. You can select month and year, even keep Sunday first if you prefer, then hit Save. Your monthly calendar should then be ready to use in the Quick Notes section.
8 Kanban board
While I recommend using dedicated project management software like Trello or Notion for Kanban boards, you can replicate the same in your OneNote notebook if you'd like. Kanban board template from Auscomp should help you efficiently visualize your workflow.
You can modify board columns, add tasks, explore supplied icons, and manage your projects like a pro. This one is a paid template though. You need to pay $15 to download and add the template to the OneNote account.
7 Customer service survey form
If you work in marketing or a sales team and frequently create surveys for customers, use this survey form by Notegram. Head to Notegram, sign in with your Microsoft account details, and select Save beside the Customer Service Survey Form. Now, head to OneNote, make the required changes, then share the survey form with your customers. The template is free to download and use.
6 Productivity maximizer
Productivity maximizer carries a bunch of OneNote templates in a single bundle. It offers templates for new year's resolutions, brainstorming worksheet, goal tracker, long-term planner, ideas planner, financial goal planner, and more GTD (Get Things Done) templates. Overall, you will be getting 12 awesome OneNote templates to utilize. It’s a paid bundle, which costs $30 as a one-time purchase.
5 Four quadrants of time management
Do you prefer Eisenhower Matrix to get work done? It’s a popular productivity method to get back on track with the right priorities. The free template lets you divide your tasks into Crisis, Productivity, Distraction, and Waste. You can head to OneNotegem and download the template file under Four Quadrants of Time Management. Then, find and double-click the .one extension file to open it in OneNote and make the updates you'll need.