Applies ToOneNote for Microsoft 365 OneNote 2024 OneNote 2021 OneNote 2016

When you create a new page in OneNote it has a plain white background, but you can change that. Color-coding pages with specific background colors is a good way to organize your notebook. For example, you could use one color for notes about a home improvement project and another color for presentation notes.

  1. Click View > Page Color.

  2. Pick the color you want.

    Screenshot of the Page Color button in OneNote 2016.

Tip:  You can also add lines or grids to your page. Click View > Rule Lines and choose a style.

If you want fancier designs and layouts, you can apply a template to a page or create or customize a page template so you can use it again and again.

Change the tab colors in your notebook

Notebook sections are divided by tabs. Changing the color of a page doesn’t change the tab color. To change the color of an entire section, right-click the tab at the top of the page and choose Section Color.

Screenshot of how to change a section color in OneNote 2016.

Note:  Changing the section color changes the color of the tab at the top of your pages and the page tabs on the right. Your page color doesn’t change though.

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