Others

How to Flag or Add Sticky-Note Comments in OneNote

Khadija Khan Oct 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to flag important content and add digital sticky notes or floating comments inside a OneNote notebook.

How to Flag or Add Sticky-Note Comments in OneNote

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: Windows and iPad
Scenario: Reviewing, organizing, and marking up digital notes for better tracking and collaboration.
Observed behavior: The user needs to visually highlight specific text sections and insert movable questions or comments, simulating the experience of physical sticky notes.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft OneNote installed on your Windows PC or iPad, and open the specific notebook page where you want to add flags or comments.

Solution 1Recommended

Use OneNote Tags to Flag Important Content

OneNote provides built-in tags to quickly mark specific text as Important, To-Do, or a Question for easy tracking.

Tags are the most efficient way to flag content in OneNote. They allow you to categorize your notes visually and make it much easier to search for specific action items later.

Select the content

Open your OneNote notebook, navigate to the desired page, and highlight the specific text or paragraph you wish to flag.

Apply a tag

Right-click the selected text (or access the Home tab on your iPad) and choose an appropriate tag from the menu, such as 'Important' (star icon), 'To Do' (checkbox), or 'Question' (question mark).

Use OneNote Tags to Flag Important Content

Custom Tags: If the default tags do not suit your workflow, you can create custom tags with unique icons and text colors by clicking 'Customize Tags' at the bottom of the tag gallery.

Solution 2

Add Virtual Sticky-Note Comments Using Text Containers

Although OneNote doesn't feature traditional sticky notes that overlay pages, you can create movable text containers that serve the same purpose.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Upgrade Your Document Workflow with WPS Office

While OneNote handles digital notebooks perfectly, managing your full suite of professional documents requires a powerful solution. WPS Office is a free, lightweight, and complete office suite that lets you effortlessly edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files all in one place.

1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and follow the quick installation process.
2. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Office and easily open any existing Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF files.
3. Annotate and Comment: Use the 'Insert' or 'Comment' tab to add sticky notes, text boxes, and highlights to your documents seamlessly.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.Powerful built-in PDF tools to add sticky notes, comments, and highlights directly onto documents.Lightweight software that runs smoothly on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.Familiar tabbed interface ensures a zero-learning-curve migration from Microsoft Office.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the Windows Sticky Notes app inside OneNote?

No, the standalone Windows Sticky Notes app operates separately from OneNote desktop pages. However, you can sync your Windows Sticky Notes to the OneNote mobile app feed, though they won't overlay directly onto your specific notebook pages.

How do I search for the tags I've flagged in OneNote?

You can easily find all your tagged notes by clicking on 'Find Tags' in the Home tab. This opens a Summary pane that compiles all your Important, Question, and To-Do tags across your current page, section, or entire notebook.

Can I change the background color of the virtual sticky note container in OneNote?

OneNote text containers are transparent by default and do not have a built-in feature to fill them with a solid background color like yellow sticky notes. To make them stand out, you can highlight the text within the container or change the font color.

Office Quick Solutions