How to password protect your OneNote notebooks

Why should you protect your OneNote notebooks?

OneNote uses encryption to provide a high level of protection to your notebook sections. Like with any files you keep in your email inbox or on your computer, there are benefits to protecting sections of your notebooks in OneNote. Some of these benefits are:

Safeguard your sensitive information

If you use your digital notebooks to record or manage your personal, financial, or confidential details, you don’t want these files falling into the wrong hands. Protecting your OneNote notebook sections helps ensure that only you and the people you authorize can access and view your files.

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Preserve your intellectual property

When you use OneNote to brainstorm new ideas, creative projects, and work-related tasks, you should protect your ideas until you’re ready to reveal them to the public. By password protecting your OneNote notebook sections, you reduce the risk of unauthorized people seeing and stealing your unique thoughts and ideas.

Maintain your privacy

You can create, edit, and access your OneNote notebooks across multiple devices. If your device is lost, stolen, or accessed by someone without your permission, others may look through your digital notebooks. Using encryption adds an extra layer of security and gives you peace of mind because you know your privacy remains intact no matter where your device is.

How to enable password protection in sections of your OneNote notebook

Adding password protection to your OneNote notebook sections is easy with just a few simple steps. To enable password protection in one or more sections of your notebook:

1. Open the OneNote app on your device.
2. Create a new notebook or open an existing on that you want to protect with a password.
3. Right-click on the tab(s) you want to protect, and select Password Protect this Section.
4. Select Set Password.
5. Choose a strong password and type it in the Enter Password field. Check your Caps Lock key before you enter the password because it is case-sensitive.
6. Type the password again in the Confirm Password field.
7. Select OK to save the changes.

How to manually lock your OneNote notebook

After you’ve set a password for your notebook sections, manually lock them at any time, or set that they automatically lock after a specific time period. To manually lock your notebook section(s):

1. Right-click on any of your protected tabs.
2. Select Password Protect this Section.
3. Choose Lock All in the Password Protection pane.

How to customize your password settings in OneNote

You can work in your OneNote notebook while using other apps too. If you want to ensure you won’t have to repeatedly enter the password, customize how soon the password is requested. To adjust these settings:

1. Select File > Options.
2. Choose Advanced in the OneNote Options box.
3. Check the box for Lock password-protected sections after I have not worked in them for the following amount of time, and select the amount of time if you want your notebook sections to automatically lock after a certain time period.
4. Check the box for Lock password-protected sections as soon as I navigate away from them if you want your notebook sections to lock as soon as you’re done working in them.
5. Check the box for Enable add-on programs to access password-protected sections when they are unlocked to make your protected notebook sections available in other compatible apps and programs.
6. After you’ve checked the preferred boxes, select OK to save the changes.

Take control of your data security and enjoy peace of mind while you use OneNote to capture and organize your thoughts and ideas. By following these steps, you can easily enable password protection in your notebook sections to keep your information away from unwanted eyes. Explore more ways to maintain your digital privacy and safety.