Office Settings & Configuration

How to Preview OneNote Page Templates Visually

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users want to view visual previews or thumbnails of page templates before applying them, rather than just seeing a list of template names.

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Adding a new page template from the available templates list in Microsoft OneNote.
Observed behavior: OneNote displays only template names in the application pane, lacking built-in visual previews or thumbnails.

Before you start

Ensure you have access to Windows File Explorer and know your Microsoft Office language code (e.g., 1033 for US English) to locate the correct installation folder.

Solution 1Recommended

Access the Local Stationery Folder on Windows

Navigate to the physical directory where OneNote templates are stored on your Windows system to visually inspect the template layouts.

Since the OneNote application does not natively support thumbnail previews for page templates within its interface, you can bypass this limitation by viewing the raw template files directly through Windows File Explorer.

Open Windows File Explorer

Press the Windows Key + E on your keyboard to launch File Explorer.

Navigate to the Office Templates path

In the address bar, type or paste the following path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Templates\<language code>\ONENOTE\16\Stationery. Replace <language code> with your specific localized ID (like 1033).

Inspect the template files

In the Stationery folder, you will see the physical OneNote template files. You can open these files to visually preview the sections and page layouts before deciding which one to use in your main notebook.

Language Code Identifier: The <language code> folder name uses Microsoft's Locale ID (LCID). For example, US English is typically 1033, and UK English is 2057. If you cannot find the path in Program Files (x86), check standard Program Files.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't OneNote show template previews by default?

OneNote's template pane is optimized for speed and simplicity. It uses a text-based list to load quickly and save screen space, rather than rendering visual thumbnails for each template.

Can I add custom templates to the Stationery folder?

Yes. You can design a custom page in OneNote, save it as a template via the 'Save current page as a template' option, and it will be stored locally to use for future pages.

What if my Office installation path is different?

Depending on your Office version (e.g., Office 365, Office 2019) and system architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit), the root folder might be located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ instead of the x86 directory.

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