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One of the main advantages of OneNote over paper notebooks is how quickly you can search through all of your notes to find what you’re looking for. Simply enter a search word or a phrase to instantly find that information in any of your notebooks.

To search in OneNote for Mac, do the following:

  1. On the navigation bar on the left, click the Search button.

  2. To begin searching, start typing a word or a phrase into the Search box. As you type, OneNote displays a list of where the text you’ve typed has been found. The more you type, the more specific your search will become and the shorter your results list is likely to get.

    Tip: To search for an exact phrase, enclose the text in quotes.

  3. If necessary, click the Filter icon below the Search box and then select one of the following to adjust the search scope:

    • Click All Notebooks to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections in any of your open notebooks. To confirm which notebooks you have open, click the Show Navigation button Navigation button turned off in OneNote for Windows 10.

    • Click Current Notebook to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections in the notebook you’re currently working in.

    • Click Current Section Group to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections that are part of a section group you’re currently working in.

    • Click Current Section to find information on any of the pages in the current section.

    • Click Current Page to find information on the current page only.

  4. In the list of search results below the Search box, click any item to go to the matching note. Results on your pages will be highlighted in yellow, allowing you to quickly scan for the word or phrase on the page where it was found.

Tip: To go to another result, simply click it in the list and OneNote will display the matches found on that page or section. To start another search, click X, and then type a new search word or phrase. If necessary, return to Step 3 to adjust your search scope before searching your notes again.

Search for tags

You can search for tags that are used in your notebook.

  1. On the navigation bar on the left, click the Search button.

  2. Without typing a tag name in the Search box, at the bottom of the search list you can click one of the tags that are currently being used in your notebook.

    Click one of the currently used tags to see which pages use the tag. OneNote will open the page you select and then highlight all occurrences of your search on that page.

  3. If necessary, adjust the scope of the search by clicking the Filter icon below the Search box.

    • Click All Notebooks to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections in any of your open notebooks. To confirm which notebooks you have open, click the Show Navigation button Navigation button turned off in OneNote for Windows 10.

    • Click Current Notebook to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections in the notebook you’re currently working in.

    • Click Current Section Group to find information on any of the pages in any of the sections that are part of a section group you’re currently working in.

    • Click Current Section to find information on any of the pages in the current section.

    • Click Current Page to find information on the current page only.

  4. You can also search for tags by typing the tag's name in the Search box, and then clicking the Tags tab to see which pages use the tag. OneNote will open the page you select and then highlight all occurrences of your search on that page.

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