OneNote NEW VERSION - how do I change section tabs to vertical positioning like before?

Hazel Turner 0 Reputation points
2025-11-26T16:51:23.0866667+00:00

I hate the new OneNote layout. I find it much harder to read section tabs in the new horizontal format, plus you can't see many at once. How can I adjust the settings to change the layout so they show up vertically again?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For business | Windows
0 comments No comments
{count} votes

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Ruby-N 6,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-11-26T19:25:03.82+00:00

    Dear @Hazel Turner

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

    I understand how inconvenient it must be to adjust to the new horizontal layout, especially when it limits visibility and makes navigation harder compared to the previous vertical tabs. 

    Microsoft OneNote for Windows (desktop) allows you to switch section tabs to a vertical layout, which can make navigation easier and more organized. To do this: 

    Ensure your operating system and OneNote app are up to date. 

    Go to the View tab on the ribbon. 

    Click Tabs Layout, then select Vertical Tabs. 

    User's image

     

    Your notebook sections and pages will now appear along the left edge. 

    User's image

     

    • If you don’t see the option to change the layout: 

    You can use the workaround by clicking on the notebook tab and selecting Pin Notebook Pane to Side. 

    User's image

    User's image

     

    Additionally, you can adjust some display settings under File > Options > Display for better visibility. 

    User's image

     

    Additional information is available in the following resources: 
    Introducing new layout options in OneNote on Windows - Microsoft Support 

    New layout options in OneNote on Windows (Tech Community) 

    As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

    I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, please share your Windows and OneNote version details so we can work together to resolve this.  

    Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you. 


    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 


Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.