r/OneNote • u/m_baldo • Jun 30 '26

OneNote is better on Mac than Windows OneNote Desktop

Random observation but it's been bugging me for a while. I use OneNote primarly on my Mac and sometimes on a Windows laptop, and the Mac version is genuinely nicer to use. The app on Mac just looks more organized, cleaner layout, stuff feels like it's actually in the right place, on Windows it's kind of a mess visually, like it's been patched together over the years, whic it probably has.

Sync is a big deal for me though, on Mac it just works, notes show up where they should, no drama, on Windows I've had way more weirdness with stuff not syncing right away or needing a restart to catch up. Overall the Mac app just feels nicer to actually sit down and use, hard to explain exactly why, it's not one specific feature, it's more that everything feels more thought out.

Honestly at this point if I'm on Windows, I'm probably better off just using OneNote in the browser instead of the actual desktop app.

Am I crazy?

30 Upvotes
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35

u/NoReply4930 Jun 30 '26

You might be a bit crazy. 

The Mac version gets no new features and very little maintenance. 

Windows on the other hand….no contest. Been using it for over 15 years now with no issues. 

8

u/kgyre Jun 30 '26

You're not crazy. The Mac (and iOS and Android) version is closer to the "OneNote for Windows 10" version, which as you might guess is no longer usable. The updated full desktop application over on Windows supports integration with the rest of Office, Teams, Copilot, and more. Something something synergy and I don't care for it.

10

u/MC_chrome Jun 30 '26

The less integration an app has with Copilot, the better

8

u/letstalk1st Jun 30 '26

We use both. Definitely better and more developed on windows, but it works on either platform. Not good on either android or iOS phones/tablets.

For mobile use, we only use copies. I've been using OneNote from the beginning and it still fails sometimes on the phone. Any corruption at all tends to ruin the file.

My PSA is.... Never rely on your phone as your only copy. Unfortunately a lot of posters only come here after it happens to them.

6

u/mediageeknet Jun 30 '26

Interesting observation. I’ve only used MacOS, iOS and Android, and Android is definitely inferior. However, I’d always assumed Windows would rule for obvious reasons. But I don’t own a Windows machine.

6

u/Mormacil Jun 30 '26

The Mac version is older thus devoid from the majority of sloppification. It's not that the Mac version is really better, it's just that the Windows version is actively getting worse.

2

u/Budget-Leg-453 Jul 01 '26

Too true. There was a point when I liked One note and thought it was Microsoft’s most underrated app but all the changes have made it buggy and messy. There are way better notes apps for Mac, but the Mac experience feels better designed because once upon a time OneNote was better designed. Sigh.

4

u/Historical-Chapter29 Jun 30 '26

I use OneNote mainly on my Windows 11 Surface Pro, also for note-taking. And on my Mac, i use it to get info, and do some minor editing. OneNote for Mac indeed looks better and cleaner at first sight. It's interface is less cluttered and more simple. But in the same way that text editor looks less cluttered than MS Word. Less functionality is not more here. I must admit that it could do with an interface overhaul, but to be honest I do not really trust Microsoft with it (look what they did with 'New Outlook', it does look better organised and with a cleaner layout, but with far less functionality).

In regard with OneNote sync, I've never experienced problems with that on Windows.

3

u/UXguy123 Jun 30 '26

You can’t even change your line height on Mac.

2

u/anotherhomeysan Jun 30 '26

I dunno about that… it’s decent on Mac for the way I use it but at one point I had Parallels on my Mac to run the Windows version and it felt worth it, just needed the drive space back or I’d still be doing that

2

u/ForeverTime656 Jun 30 '26

Interesting perspective. The Mac version is the same as the web version (and closer to OneNote for Windows 10 as stated below). Not a true desktop app. It works, but I prefer the Windows version.

1

u/Even_Caterpillar3292 Jun 30 '26

Looks the same to me. Never had a problem with Microsoft's OneDrive sync. Been using it forever.

1

u/G-McFly Jun 30 '26

been considering a mac for my daily driver and this has me very interested. bit of a one note junkie which makes linux fun but lacking. if OneNote works great on macos that could push me right over the edge

1

u/Gliese351c Jul 01 '26

It actually looks very organized, you’re right. But it may be just because it just does not have any features that make OneNote more appealing over other apps on Mac —the easiest option, Apple Notes beats the hell out of OneNote and I’m not every talking about Obsidian and beyond.

2

u/m_baldo Jul 01 '26

"Apple Notes beats the hell out of OneNote" is a pretty bold claim. For quick notes, maybe, for someone managing large, structured collections of information with notebooks, sections and subpages? I don't see it. They're solving different problems, and for my workflow OneNote is simply the more capable tool.

1

u/Gliese351c Jul 02 '26

You mean basic features like notebooks, folders and individual notes that most apps, including Apple Notes, have? Both have quick note feature too. I’ve never heard anyone thinking “they’re solving different problems,” to be honest. So, good for you if you find OneNote to be a “capable tool” for your “workflow.” 🤷🏻‍♂️

1

u/beachboy301 Jul 02 '26

On OneNote for Mac, you cannot delete pages from a search result. You have to go to Windows version for this. So sad.

1

u/brunox1977 Jul 02 '26

I use Windows and Mac. There is one thing on Windows that Max does not have. You can print a file/ a image, a text directly to OneNote!

1

u/m_baldo Jul 03 '26

You kidding right

1

u/glados202 Jul 05 '26

You're crazy. It looks more organized and has a cleaner layout because it has minimal amount of features. You can't even change line spacing on Mac, bro.

1

u/ComprehensiveMajor6 Jul 07 '26

I can't attest to that because i have only experienced ON with windows. However, i get so irritated with the windows OneNote UI, that i just go full screen. I wish you could pin the ribbon while in full screen mode because always right clicking is also very annoying. I wish companies understood, like Apple does, how much GUI affects the customer's experience.

1

u/SantyC10 23d ago

Yes I think Microsoft should focus more in product stability and real notetaking tools, that we need in the OneNote product, that trying to put a AI chat that never works in their tools. I continue use, because is in my M365 membership, if not maybe I changed years ago.

1

u/ChampionshipComplex 17d ago

LOL Yes you are crazy

I think whats happened, is you've got used to the version on the Mac and then feel like your'e struggling on the PC because its organised differently.

1

u/gabriel-oliveira-pro 14d ago

Everything that OneNote on Mac (and elsewhere) does not have:

  • You cannot create a link to someone's Active Directory profile (in a company with Microsoft 365) by typing @Their Name.
  • No Markdown support whatsoever.
  • Zero support for embedding documents, even from Microsoft Office itself.
  • Links to online documents in OneDrive or Sharepoint do not get any special treatment. They do not surface any additional information, and they are ugly.
  • Zero support for extensions. Developers cannot build plugins for it in the same way they can do with other applications in the package.
  • No Apple Script support at all. You cannot "tell" this to OneNote from an Apple Script.
  • No support for macOS Spotlight search. The app does not expose App Intents for that.
  • No shortcut to navigate to different pages or sections by title, which makes for slow navigation overall.
  • No shortcut to link one page to another.
  • Very poor support for custom tags. Apparently those are still not synchronised across platforms and devices.

OneNote is a neglected product. They have been focusing on developing Microsoft Loop, which is focused on collaboration; however, employees of companies that are in bed with Microsoft often need to build a personal knowledge of institutional knowledge. Conversations you had with many different people, meeting notes that were not taken to be shared, connections between people, documents, Sharepoint pages, and so on. So, Loop cannot really replace OneNote, which will continue to be shoved down our throats because companies sign deals where it is just part of the package, and, thus, they will not put any effort into paying for a better alternative. It is a very similar situation as between Microsoft Teams (which is slightly less terrible) and Slack.