Use a screen reader to search for and open notebooks, sections, and pages in OneNote for iOS.
Applies ToOneNote for iOS

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and  Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use OneNote for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to quickly find and open notebooks, sections, and pages.

Notes: 

In this topic

Open a notebook in OneNote

  1. Open OneNote. For instructions on how to open OneNote, refer to Basic tasks using a screen reader with OneNote.

  2. Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear "Notebooks, tab," and double-tap the screen. The Notebooks tab opens listing your notebooks.

  3. On the Notebooks tab, swipe left or right until you hear the name of the notebook you want to open, and then double-tap the screen.

Tips: 

  • To create a new notebook, on the Notebooks tab, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear: "New notebook button." Then double-tap the screen. Type the name of the new notebook, and then swipe right until you hear "Done," and double-tap the screen.

  • If you're working on a notebook in OneNote for the web in your browser, you can quickly open the notebook in the OneNote for iOS app instead. In OneNote for the web, swipe left or right until you hear: "Edit in OneNote button." Then double-tap the screen and follow the on-screen instructions.

Switch between content blocks, notebooks, pages, and sections

Each OneNote notebook is divided into sections, which are further divided into pages. Each page contains the title and date of the page as well as one or more note containers where you add the page content. VoiceOver announces the note containers as “Content blocks.”

For instructions on how to navigate in OneNote for iOS, refer to the section "Switch between views" in Use a screen reader to explore and navigate OneNote.

Work with Recent Notes

To find your most recent pages quickly, use the Recent Notes list.

  1. Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear "Notebooks, tab," and double-tap the screen. The Notebooks tab opens listing your notebooks.

  2. Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Recent notes button," and then double-tap the screen. If VoiceOver doesn't announce the button, you need to activate the feature first. For instructions, go to Turn on Recent Notes.

  3. Swipe left until you hear the name of the page you want to open, and then double-tap the screen.

Turn on Recent Notes

If VoiceOver doesn't announce the Recent Notes button, you need to activate the feature in the OneNote for iOS app settings.

  1. On the Notebooks tab, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers. You hear your username, followed by "Open your account settings." Double-tap the screen.

  2. Swipe right until you hear "Settings button," and double-tap the screen.

  3. Swipe right until you hear "Quick notes button," and then double-tap the screen.

  4. Swipe right until you hear: "Show Recent Notes switch button, off." Double-tap the screen. You hear: "On."

  5. To return to the Notebooks tab, swipe left until you hear "Settings, Back button," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear "Close button," and double-tap the screen.

Use search

You can use search to quickly locate a piece of info in your notebooks, section, or pages. You can find the search function on the Notebooks tab, and in the Sections and Pages views.

  1. Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left or right until you hear "Search tab," and double-tap the screen.

  2. Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Search, search field," and double-tap the screen.

  3. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your search words. The search starts automatically. VoiceOver announces "Search completed," followed by the number of matching search results.

  4. To browse the results, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear the search result you want, and then double-tap the screen. The selected item opens.

    Tip: To search within a page for a word or a line in a content block, for example, turn the VoiceOver rotor to Words or Lines. Then swipe up or down to navigate through the content word by word or line by line.

See also

Use a screen reader to read pages in OneNote

Use a screen reader to insert content to notebooks in OneNote

Basic tasks using a screen reader with OneNote

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate OneNote

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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