What you need to know
- Microsoft is unifying the two OneNote apps on Windows into a single application.
- As part of the process, the company has removed the older OneNote for Windows 10 app from the Microsoft Store.
- OneNote for Windows 10 will continue to work for several years, but it won't receive any new features going forward.
- Microsoft has shifted its focus to the OneNote app on Windows, which will incorporate some features from OneNote for Windows 10.
Microsoft is in the process of unifying its OneNote experience on Windows. In August of 2021, the company announced that it would bring together its multiple OneNote apps on Windows into a single application. The merger took a step forward this week, as Microsoft removed the old OneNote from the Microsoft Store and added the new OneNote.
Up to this point, Microsoft has had two versions of OneNote on Windows, three if you count the web. It's a bit confusing, and the naming structure of the apps hasn't helped. Prior to the merge, there was one app simply called "OneNote" and another called "OneNote for Windows 10," which, just to add to confusion, was also available on Windows 11.
To make things simpler, Microsoft is merging the OneNote experience into a single app. Rather than creating a third OneNote app, the company is bringing features from both apps into the OneNote app on Windows. While OneNote on Windows will gain some of the features of OneNote for Windows 10, it's important to note that it will not gain everything from the older app.
Microsoft outlines its plans and answers questions about the switch in a recent Tech Community post.
With the introduction of the OneNote app on Windows to the Microsoft Store, the OneNote for Windows 10 app has been removed from the Microsoft Store, or at least hidden. The old app will continue to work, but it won't get any new features going ahead. It will reach end of support in October 2025, giving holdovers a while to migrate.
Of course, you may already have the OneNote app on Windows. It's been available for free for quite some time. Today's news is simply that the app is available through the Microsoft Store and that the older OneNote app's listing is hidden.
If you don't want to move away from the OneNote for Windows 10 app, you can still download it through this link. That version of the app won't appear if you search for "OneNote" in the Microsoft Store, but if you use the direct link, you'll be able to grab the older version (via The Verge).
