Setting Up a OneNote on SharePoint Drive

Terminology

SharePoint may also be referred to as OneDrive for Business or SkyDrive Pro.

I’ve tried to keep this tutorial as generic as possible; however, it was written with my school in mind. I’m always open to suggestions for improvement, so please contact me with any concerns.

Requirements

  • Windows 7 or above
  • OneNote 2013
  • SharePoint 2013 or SharePoint Online account

If you go to Coomera Anglican College, your eMind laptop fulfils these requirements.

Introduction

Your personal SharePoint documents library allows for 25GB of any file type to be stored; however, it is particularly suited to Microsoft Office documents, with Office 2013 in particular being well-integrated into the cloud and SharePoint. I recommend storing any school-related OneNote books on SharePoint, whether you’re working with others or on your own. OneNote books stored on SharePoint can be accessed online from most browsers, and also from mobile apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. When collaborating with others, all changes are synched to everyone’s devices as soon as an internet connection is available.

Despite this, OneNote books are typically still synched with the desktop version of Office, allowing access and note taking even without an internet connection, in addition to the full range of OneNote functionality. Even when working on your own, even with only one device, setting up your OneNote on SharePoint takes just a minute, and working with it is no different to any other OneNote book; the advantage of doing so is constant backup of your work.

All SharePoint documents need an “owner”. When working on your own, this will be you, or, when working in a group, one member should be responsible for the initial set-up and sharing of the OneNote.

Instructions for OneNote Owners
Instructions for Group Members

OneNote Owners

Creating a New Notebook

After opening OneNote, you’ll need to click File and then New. In the list of locations you’ll be looking to select your organisation’s SharePoint. If this doesn’t appear in the list, you may need to Add a Place.

In this tutorial I’ll assume that you’re saving to your personal SharePoint site. You’ll want to select Browse and then, in the file chooser, double-click on Documents.

You’ll then want to navigate through your SharePoint’s well-organised file structure to find a place to create your OneNote. In a high school setting, I generally recommend the folder structure Year > Subject > Topic, and would then create the OneNote “Subject Year” in the Subject folder.

Click Create, and choose whether or not you’d like to share this notebook with others. If you’re working on your own, this is the final step in setting up your OneNote. For those working a group, please proceed to the next section.

Sharing the Notebook

Immediately after creating a new notebook, you’ll be given the option to invite people. Selecting this will take you to the sharing screen which can be accessed from the File menu (File > Share).

Type in the names of everyone in your group and click Share. Everything’s finished on your end; however, your group members will need to follow the instructions for accessing your shared OneNote.

Group Members

After your group’s owner has set up the OneNote, you should receive an email with a link to access the notebook.

Click this link and login to your organisational account. Once logged in, you’ll be taken straight to the web-based version of OneNote. To open and sync the notebook with your computer, please click on Open with OneNote, around the top-left section of your screen.

You should click Allow or Yes on warnings you receive about opening files from the internet.

Your OneNote book should now be stored locally on your computer with all changes constantly being synched to the cloud and your other group members.

 

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