The Windows desktop program will be merged with the main OneNote codebase for Windows app, Apple and Android. Merging code basesĪt the Ignite conference, Microsoft announced that the OneNote desktop and Windows app versions would be retooled to work from a common codebase. It’s a shame OneNote fans can’t get a firm commitment from Microsoft to provide a full featured OneNote program that runs on Microsoft’s own operating system. Instead of admitting what’s obvious to their customers, Redmond pretends the apps are OK while taking another development path. Most likely Microsoft is unwilling to publicly admit that their Modern app strategy has failed. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean Windows desktop program will be the main OneNote platform.Ī Microsoft Product Manager says “ There will still be a Desktop and separate Windows 10 app”. Why have two different programs for the same platform? It’s in keeping with last year’s decision by Microsoft to sideline Word, Excel and PowerPoint UWP apps in favour of the full featured Office desktop programs we’ve been using for years. From March 2020, it will be included in downloads of desktop programs for Office 365 and Office 2019. More importantly, OneNote 2016 is back in the mainstream product bundles. Microsoft says this aligns with Office 2019 support dates, but doesn’t mention that Office 2019 support was deliberately shortened to 7 years from the supposedly ‘fixed’ 10 year support policy. Extended support continues for another two years. Mainstream support is now available until 10 October 2023.

The program would get no new features, only security fixes OneNote for Windows until 2023īack in April 2018 Microsoft announced the end of OneNote 2016 for Windows, the desktop app. The future of OneNote for Windows still isn’t entirely clear, but it seems that the full featured desktop version is back! It’s even got a new feature, albeit just the Dark Mode already in other Office programs. Shouldn’t all businesses be focused on customers? Microsoft is putting a gloss over it, boasting “On being customer obsessed’ as if that’s something new or worthy of praise. These recent changes are very welcome, but should not have been necessary.

The announcements amount to a 180° reversal of past poor, short-sighted management decisions. We’ll also explain the strange case of two OneNote for Windows. The desktop and app versions merging into a single codebase.

OneNote desktop program gets extended life and a promotion. OneNote for Windows has a better future after some reverse-course announcements from Microsoft.

Star in microsoft onenote 2016