What’s Changing
Microsoft has redesigned the Notebook Overview in OneNote. The updated layout presents a notebook’s contents more clearly, so users can scan structure at a glance and get to the page or item they need with less hunting. Functionally nothing is removed - the emphasis is on presentation and navigation rather than new capability.
Key Improvements
The redesign surfaces the actions people use most often directly on the Notebook Overview page, cutting down the number of clicks needed for routine tasks.
- Clearer visual representation of notebook structure and contents
- Create a new section without leaving the overview
- Add a note directly from the overview page
- View attachments in a single click
Why It Matters for Admins
This is a user-experience change rather than a configuration change, so there is no policy to set and no deployment work required. The main consideration is communication: users familiar with the previous layout may notice the new arrangement and wonder where things moved. A short note in your usual channels - service desk announcement, intranet post, or Teams message - is usually enough to head off support tickets.
What to Do Next
Take a look at the redesigned overview yourself so you can answer questions confidently, then update any internal documentation or training material that includes screenshots of the old Notebook Overview. If your organisation runs OneNote training for new starters, refresh those steps to match the new layout.
Source: Microsoft Learn. Summarised independently — check the source for the latest detail.