Thanks to its cross-platform availability, a long list of features, integration with OneDrive, drawing tools, and handy web extension, Microsoft OneNote is easily one of the best note-taking apps out there. While you can’t lock OneNote files with Windows Hello, Face ID, or Touch ID on a laptop or mobile device, the software giant does offer an option to password-protect specific sections in order to hide your private notes from others.
Whether you use OneNote on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Android, the ability to password-protect a section is quite straightforward. In this guide, we will show you how to lock and encrypt your OneNote sections on any platform.
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A few things to consider when getting started
Before you go ahead and lock a particular section in OneNote, keep the things below in mind to avoid running into any issues.
- You can’t lock an entire notebook in OneNote. You can only password-protect sections within a notebook.
- OneNote passwords are case-sensitive, so check your keyboard’s Caps Lock key before you enter a password.
- Your password-protected sections in OneNote are secured by encryption, and if you forget your password, there would be absolutely no way to recover it. Even Microsoft’s technical support team won’t be able to assist you in recovering a password, and the information will be lost. We strongly recommend using a password manager to keep your credentials safe.
- OneNote doesn’t include password-protected sections in notebook searches. You need to unlock a section first.
Password-protecting a OneNote section on Windows
Let’s start with Windows. Microsoft has announced plans to retire the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) OneNote version on Windows. So we will use the Microsoft 365 OneNote app as our example in the screenshots below.
- Launch OneNote and open a notebook.
- Expand a notebook and right-click on a section you want to lock.
- Select Password Protect This Section from the context menu.
- Select Set Password.
- Enter a password and confirm it. Click OK.
Any backup copies of the section won’t be password-protected (if you’ve saved something locally). You can delete existing backups or keep them as you prefer. From now on, whenever you try to access this section within a notebook, OneNote will ask for a password to unlock it.
Lock a OneNote section on macOS
Microsoft offers a feature-rich OneNote app on Mac, too. Here’s how to keep your information in OneNote safe on a Mac.
- Launch OneNote, open a notebook, and select a section.
- Right-click on a section, expand Password Protection and select Protect This Section.
- Enter a password, verify it, and click Set Password.
- A lock icon should appear beside the section.
When you try to access a OneNote section, you also have an option to unlock it with a fingerprint (if your Mac supports this).
Password-protect a OneNote section on Android
You can lock a OneNote section on Android as well. Here’s how.
- Open OneNote, select a notebook, and long-tap on a section.
- Tap the three-dot menu at the top and select Protect section.
- Enter a password, confirm it, and tap OK.
Lock a OneNote section on iOS via iPhone or iPad
The steps to lock a notebook section are slightly different on OneNote for iPhone and iPad.
- Launch OneNote and head to a section you want to lock.
- Long-tap on it and select the lock icon at the bottom. Tap Protect This Section.
- Enter a password, verify it, and tap Done.
Manage your passwords in OneNote
Ensure your password activates when you want it to
By default, OneNote locks your section after five minutes of inactivity. Or you can press Ctrl + Alt + L on Windows or Option + Command + L on Mac to lock all sections immediately.
You can change your mind anytime
At any point, you can change or remove a password from a OneNote section. You can simply unlock a section, right-click on it, and select Password Protection to open a side menu.
You can now change or remove the password from the current section.
Lately, hackers have been using OneNote documents to deliver malware . Last year, Microsoft changed the default behavior to auto-block embedded files with harmful extensions. It was possible to open such files by ignoring the dialog warning. But now, the software displays Your administrator has blocked your ability to open this file type in OneNote message when you try to open such files.
Prevent unauthorized access to your OneNote
Keeping your OneNote file sections safe only takes a few simple steps. Just make sure to save your section passwords somewhere safe. If you are a OneNote power user, explore the default templates library. You can use these templates as well as third-party ones from the web to create OneNote pages in seconds.
If you are looking to transfer your OneNote notes, explore the top alternatives from our dedicated post.