It is not necessary to start OneNote each time you want to take notes or otherwise store information. You can quickly activate an input interface by clicking the OneNote icon that appears in the notification area of the Windows taskbar. Clicking the icon opens a Side Note into which you can immediately type or paste information.
You can also open a Side Note from within the OneNote program window by clicking New Side Note Window on the Window menu, or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+M.
The toolbar at the top of the Side Note window is the same toolbar that appears when you display a page in Full Page view in the OneNote program window. You work with content in a Side Note in the same way you work with it in the OneNote program window—because, in fact, that is precisely what you are doing. If you click the Full Page View button in the Side Note window (and then enlarge the window to provide perspective), you will find yourself working in a page in the Unfiled Notes section.
The purpose of the Side Note window is to provide a small and easily accessible interface to OneNote. Because of the small size of the Side Note window, only a few commands are accessible at a time. You can choose a command that is not visible by clicking the Toolbar Options button and then clicking the button you want.
Note
Troubleshooting The Full Page View toolbar changes to display the commands you use most often. The commands shown on your toolbar will not necessarily match those shown in this book.
Note
See Also For more information about the Full Page View toolbar, see Giving Commands and Using Built-In Resources in Chapter 13, Chapter 13.
When the Keep Window On Top button is active, you can position the Side Note in a convenient location on your screen, changing its size as necessary, and enter information as you want to. When the Side Note window is on top, it can get in the way of other windows, information, or commands that you might want to access, so you will want to choose a location that doesn't interfere with your work. You can change the height or width of the window by dragging any side or corner of it.
Right-clicking the OneNote icon displays a list of options for collecting information.
You can change the action that occurs when you click the OneNote icon to suit your needs. For example, if you frequently record audio, you might make that the default action. The available actions are Open New Side Note (the default), Open OneNote, Start Recording Audio, and Create Screen Clipping.
To change what happens when you click the OneNote icon:
Right-click the OneNote icon, point to Options, point to OneNote Icon Defaults, and then click the action you want.