How to Share a OneNote Notebook on a SharePoint Site (Step-by-Step)

To share a OneNote notebook on a SharePoint site, open OneNote 2016 and go to File > New > SharePoint. Click Browse, navigate to your SharePoint site's document library, give the notebook a name, and click Create. OneNote stores the notebook in SharePoint and syncs changes automatically - multiple users can edit simultaneously, and all changes are logged. Team members need Read/Write permissions on the SharePoint site to collaborate. In the Microsoft 365 OneNote app, go to File > New and select your SharePoint or Teams location. You can also share the notebook link later via File > Share.

OneNote is fantastic in many ways. It is a strong platform that offers exceptional flexibility in taking notes for various requirements. The excellent collaboration support is something that makes OneNote even more potential. Multiple users can access and make changes to the same file and it will store a log of all those updates made to the OneNote Notebook. User-friendly interface, and multi-user functionality. OneNote can assure that organizations can use it to build a trustworthy knowledge base. Let’s give you some comprehensive information on how to share a OneNote Notebook on SharePoint Site.

How Do OneNote and SharePoint Work Together?

Every Microsoft SharePoint site is having a OneNote Notebook by default to make collaboration easier. A newsfeed, landing page, and document library are also part of a SharePoint Site by default. You can exploit a SharePoint Site as a central hub for all your OneNote Notebooks too. So that the entire team can access it with ease.

When a OneNote notebook is stored in a SharePoint document library:

• The notebook syncs automatically whenever any team member makes a change.
• Changes are logged with author and timestamp - creating a full version history.
• Users must have at least Read/Write (Contribute) permissions on the SharePoint site to edit the notebook; view-only permissions limit them to reading.
• The notebook can be accessed from any device with OneNote installed or through the OneNote web app via a browser - no local installation required for read access.
• Every SharePoint team site created in Microsoft 365 includes a OneNote notebook by default, accessible from the site's document library.

How are OneNote Notebooks  stored in SharePoint?

It is when someone in your team or company make changes to one of the OneNote Notebooks, the most impressive collaboration actions happen. At that point, OneNote automatically saves the changes and sync them with the notes on the SharePoint Site. In order to make changes to the Notebook, the user must have read/write permissions in the site. It can be allotted by the system administrator when needed.

OneNote notebooks stored in SharePoint are saved as a folder structure in the SharePoint document library. Each notebook section is stored as a separate .one file within the notebook folder. The notebook itself appears as a single item in the document library view but is a folder containing multiple section files. This means:

• Version history is maintained at the section file level in SharePoint's version history.
• Access control is governed by SharePoint permissions - the same permissions that apply to the document library.
• Search across notebook content is available through SharePoint Search, allowing organization-wide discovery of notebook content.
• Backup follows the same SharePoint backup and retention policies configured by your administrator.

How do you share a OneNote Notebook on a SharePoint Site?

Here are the steps that allow you to share a OneNote Notebook on a SharePoint Site.

From OneNote 2016, select File > New > SharePoint. Select Browse, situated near to the SharePoint section. You need to navigate to your SharePoint Site’s document library, where you wish to save the Team Notebook. Give a meaningful name to the Notebook which makes it easy to identify, in the Notebook Name box. Click Create. You can then invite users into it. You can also share the Notebook later from OneNote 2016 by going to File > New > Share. After taking these steps you can email the notebook link to teammates to let them view and edit notes as permitted. You can even set a notification alert to stay up to date about the changes made to the notebook.

Method 1: OneNote 2016 (Desktop App)

• Open OneNote 2016.
• Go to File > New > SharePoint.
• Click Browse (near the SharePoint section).
• Navigate to your SharePoint site's document library where you want to save the Team Notebook.
• In the Notebook Name box, enter a meaningful name that is easy for team members to identify.
• Click Create. OneNote creates the notebook in SharePoint and begins syncing.
• To invite teammates, go to File > Share. Copy the notebook link and email it to team members, or share via the SharePoint site directly.
• Set a notification alert (File > Info > Notebook Settings) to stay updated on changes made to the notebook by others.

Method 2: OneNote for Microsoft 365 (Web or Modern App)

• In the OneNote web app (via office.com) or the modern OneNote app for Windows/Mac, go to File > New.
• Choose SharePoint as the location, and browse to your SharePoint site.
• Select the document library where the notebook should be saved.
• Name and create the notebook.
• Share the notebook link with team members directly from OneNote's share options, or grant access at the SharePoint library level.

Alternative - Share an existing OneNote notebook to SharePoint:

If you have an existing OneNote notebook stored locally or in OneDrive personal that you want to move to a SharePoint site:

• Open the notebook in OneNote.
• Go to File > Share > Move Notebook.
• Select the SharePoint location as the destination.
• OneNote moves the notebook to SharePoint and updates the sync location.

What Permissions Do Users Need to Access a Shared OneNote Notebook on SharePoint?

SharePoint permissions govern who can view and edit a OneNote notebook stored in a SharePoint document library. Here is a summary of permission requirements:

To grant a user access to the notebook:

• A SharePoint site owner or administrator must add the user to the site or grant direct access to the document library.
• Users cannot be granted access to the notebook from within OneNote alone - the permission must be set in SharePoint.
• External users (outside your Microsoft 365 tenant) can access a shared notebook only if external sharing is enabled for the SharePoint site by your administrator.

Try these options and make collaboration within a team lot easier than before. We have created a SharePoint Intranet Portal to assure better collaboration and engagement within your internal and external teams.