Office Settings & Configuration

How to Find Bold and Italic Formatting in OneNote for iPhone

Nimra Malik Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is unable to locate basic text formatting controls such as bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough while editing notes on an iPhone.

How to Find Bold and Italic Formatting in OneNote for iPhone

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: iPhone (iOS)
Scenario: Editing notes and attempting to apply rich text formatting on a mobile device.
Observed behavior: The bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough options appear to be missing or invisible in the mobile app interface, despite being available on the desktop versions.

Before you start

Ensure you have the OneNote app open on your iPhone and are actively typing inside a note so that your on-screen keyboard is visible.

Solution 1Recommended

Scroll the Formatting Toolbar Above the Keyboard

The most common reason these formatting tools seem missing is that they are hidden off-screen in the scrollable menu above the iOS keyboard.

OneNote for iPhone fully supports bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough formatting. However, due to the limited screen width on mobile devices, not all tools can be displayed at once.

Open a note

Launch the OneNote app on your iPhone and tap inside any note to start editing.

Locate the toolbar

Look at the grey formatting toolbar situated directly above your iPhone's on-screen keyboard.

Swipe to reveal tools

Place your finger on this toolbar and swipe to the left to scroll through the hidden options.

Apply formatting

Locate the bold (B), italic (I), underline (U), and strikethrough (ab) icons located further to the right and tap them to format your selected text.

Scroll the Formatting Toolbar Above the Keyboard

Feature Availability: This scrollable toolbar also contains other useful tools such as checklists, bullet points, and the camera insert function.

Solution 2

Update the OneNote App

If scrolling the toolbar does not reveal the formatting controls, your app may be experiencing a visual glitch that can be resolved by updating to the latest version.

Create and Format Notes Easily with WPS Office

If you find Microsoft OneNote's mobile interface confusing or hard to navigate, WPS Office provides a highly intuitive mobile experience. All essential text formatting tools are clearly organized and accessible, making note-taking on your iPhone seamless.

1. Open WPS Office: Launch the WPS Office app on your iPhone and tap the '+' icon to create a new Document.
2. Type Your Notes: Tap on the blank document to bring up your keyboard and start typing your notes.
3. Access Formatting Tools: Tap the 'Tools' icon (four squares) in the bottom left corner to expand the formatting panel.
4. Apply Bold or Italic: Select your text and tap the 'B' (Bold) or 'I' (Italic) icons directly from the Home tab without needing to swipe through hidden menus.

Highly intuitive mobile interface with clearly visible formatting controls.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) and standard text formats.Lightweight app for iPhone and iPad, saving valuable device storage space.Seamless cloud synchronization across your mobile and desktop devices.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I see the bold and italic icons on my iPhone keyboard in OneNote?

In the OneNote mobile app, formatting tools are placed in a scrollable toolbar above the keyboard. Because of limited screen space, they are often hidden to the right. Simply swipe left on the toolbar above the keyboard to reveal them.

Can I use keyboard shortcuts for bold and italic on OneNote for iPhone?

Yes, if you are using a physical Bluetooth keyboard connected to your iPhone, you can use standard Mac keyboard shortcuts like Command+B for bold and Command+I for italics.

Are there other formatting options hidden in the OneNote iOS toolbar?

Yes, besides bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough, you can access highlight colors, font colors, numbered lists, bulleted lists, and indentation tools by scrolling through the same toolbar above your keyboard.

Does OneNote on iPad have the same hidden toolbar issue?

Typically, no. On the iPad, OneNote uses a larger ribbon interface similar to the desktop version. Formatting controls are usually fully visible at the top of the screen rather than hidden in a scrollable keyboard toolbar.

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