Permission & Access Issues

How to Create a Shared OneNote Notebook in SharePoint with Permissions

WPS Editor Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

Organizations need a reliable method to host a shared OneNote notebook with role-based permissions that does not rely on a single employee's personal account.

How to Create a Shared OneNote Notebook in SharePoint with Permissions

Product: Microsoft OneNote, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up a centralized team notebook for organizational collaboration with continuous access.
Observed behavior: Users require a workflow to ensure notebooks remain accessible and correctly permissioned through SharePoint groups, avoiding the pitfalls of individual OneDrive storage limits or account deactivations.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary administrative or owner rights to the target SharePoint site and document library before attempting to manage notebook permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a New OneNote Notebook Directly in a SharePoint Document Library

The most robust method is to create the notebook directly within SharePoint to automatically inherit the site's organizational permission structures.

By creating the notebook directly in SharePoint rather than personal storage, ownership belongs to the site. This guarantees that if an employee leaves the company, the team notebook remains securely in place and accessible to the rest of the group.

Navigate to SharePoint

Open your web browser and log in to your organization's Microsoft 365 portal, then navigate to your target SharePoint site.

Access the Document Library

Click on 'Documents' in the site navigation menu, or open the specific document library where you want the shared notebook to reside.

Create the Notebook

Click the 'New' dropdown button in the top library toolbar and select 'OneNote notebook' from the list of file types.

Name and Save

Enter a descriptive name for your organizational notebook and click 'Create'. The notebook will instantly inherit the library's existing access controls and group permissions.

Create a New OneNote Notebook Directly in a SharePoint Document Library

Inherited Permissions: Notebooks created here automatically grant access to anyone in the SharePoint group assigned to this library, simplifying ongoing permission management.

Solution 2

Move an Existing OneDrive Notebook to SharePoint

Use this method if the notebook was already created in an individual's OneDrive and needs to be transferred to shared SharePoint ownership.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I create a SharePoint notebook using OneNote for Windows 10?

OneNote for Windows 10 is designed to default to personal storage and does not have a direct menu option for creating a SharePoint-hosted notebook. To host it on SharePoint, you must either create it via the SharePoint web interface first, or create it in your OneDrive and use the web-based 'Move to' feature.

How do I assign different permission levels to a SharePoint notebook?

Instead of managing permissions inside the OneNote app, navigate to the notebook file within the SharePoint Document Library online. Click the three dots next to the notebook, select 'Manage Access', and assign specific Read or Edit permissions to SharePoint groups, roles, or individual users.

What happens to the shared notebook if the original creator leaves the company?

Because the notebook was created in or moved to a SharePoint Document Library, it is owned by the organization rather than the individual's personal OneDrive. It will remain fully accessible to the team according to the library's permissions, even after the original creator's account is deactivated.

Document & File Issues