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How to Select Text by Language Using Tags in OneNote

Adam Davis Oct 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know if there is a way to automatically select all text written in a specific language using tags for bulk copying or deletion.

How to Select Text by Language Using Tags in OneNote

Product: OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing bilingual or multilingual content (like English and French) on the same page and needing to extract or delete content in one specific language.
Observed behavior: OneNote allows searching for tagged notes, but it lacks a built-in feature to automatically select or bulk-manage text based purely on its assigned language.

Before you start

Before trying to organize your multilingual notes, decide whether you want to group them using custom tags on a single page or separate them entirely into distinct pages for easier management.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Language-Specific Tags and the Summary Pane

Since OneNote does not support direct bulk selection by language, you can create custom language tags to group your notes manually.

This workaround requires you to actively tag text blocks as you write them. Once tagged, you can use the built-in Find Tags feature to compile a summary page of all text in a specific language.

Create custom tags

Go to the 'Home' tab, open the Tags dropdown, and select 'Customize Tags'. Create new tags for each language, such as 'French Text' or 'English Text'.

Apply tags to your text

Highlight the specific paragraphs or lines of text in your notes and apply the corresponding language tag from the Home tab.

Search for tagged content

Click 'Find Tags' in the Home tab. In the Tags Summary pane that appears, group the tags by 'Tag Name' to see all your French or English content grouped together.

Create a summary page

At the bottom of the Tags Summary pane, click 'Create Summary Page'. This will generate a new page containing all the tagged text, which you can now easily bulk copy or delete.

Use Language-Specific Tags and the Summary Pane

Manual Effort Required: Any changes made on the summary page will not automatically update or delete the original source text. You will still need to delete the original text manually if your goal was complete removal.

Solution 2

Maintain Separate Pages by Language

The most efficient way to manage bulk text by language moving forward is to separate the content structurally.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the proofing language for specific text in OneNote?

Yes. Select the text you want to adjust, go to the 'Review' tab, click on 'Language', and choose 'Set Proofing Language'. This stops OneNote from marking foreign words as misspelled.

Does OneNote have a built-in translation tool?

Yes, OneNote includes a translation feature. Highlight the text you want to translate, go to the 'Review' tab, and click 'Translate'. You can choose to translate the selected text or the entire page.

Will Microsoft add a feature to select text by language?

Microsoft prioritizes software updates based on user demand. If you want this feature added, you can submit a request or vote for existing requests on the official Microsoft Feedback Portal.

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