Document Editing Problems

How to Copy Sections and Pages Between OneNote Notebooks

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs instructions on how to copy or move multiple pages, sections, and section groups from one OneNote notebook to another.

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Reorganizing contents, notes, and structures across multiple OneNote notebooks.
Observed behavior: While multiple individual pages can be bulk-selected, OneNote restricts the bulk selection of sections and section groups, requiring them to be processed individually.

Before you start

Ensure that both your source notebook and destination notebook are fully opened and synced in your OneNote application before transferring files to prevent synchronization errors.

Solution 1Recommended

Copy or Move Multiple Pages

Use keyboard shortcuts to select multiple pages at once and quickly transfer them to a new destination notebook.

While OneNote restricts moving bulk sections, managing multiple pages is straightforward using standard multi-select keyboard combinations.

Select Multiple Pages

Hold down the 'Ctrl' key on your keyboard and click on the individual page tabs you want to copy or move to highlight them.

Initiate the Action

Right-click on any of the highlighted pages and choose 'Copy' or 'Cut' (Move) from the context menu.

Paste in Destination

Navigate to the section in your destination notebook, right-click in the page list area, and select 'Paste'.

Solution 2

Copy or Move Sections and Section Groups

Transfer entire sections or section groups individually using the built-in Move or Copy dialogue box.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I select multiple sections in OneNote using the Ctrl key?

Microsoft OneNote's interface only supports multi-selection for individual pages. Sections and section groups are treated as structural containers, meaning the software requires them to be moved or copied one at a time.

Is it possible to copy an entire notebook at once?

You cannot copy an entire notebook directly from within the OneNote application interface. To duplicate a whole notebook, you must locate its source file in OneDrive or your local file explorer and create a copy there.

Will my formatting be lost when moving pages between notebooks?

No. When you copy or move pages to a new notebook, OneNote preserves all text formatting, embedded files, drawings, and images exactly as they appeared in the original notebook.

Document & File Issues