Microsoft Teams Introduces Default Notes Tab Powered by OneNote in New Standard Channels

 Introduction:

Microsoft Teams is making significant updates to its note-taking capabilities by retiring the Wiki feature and replacing it with a default Notes tab powered by OneNote in new standard channels. This change aims to provide users with a more robust, feature-rich note-taking experience, as communicated in MC496248 (January '23) and updated on March 17, 2023. This blog post will discuss the timeline, impacts, and FAQs related to this change.

Timeline:

The rollout of the default Notes tab in new standard channels will start in late May and is expected to be completed by late June. Meanwhile, the Wiki feature will be retired in stages, starting from early March 2023 and ending in January 2024.

Impacts on Your Organization:

The introduction of the Notes tab powered by OneNote will bring several benefits, including:

1. Easy collaboration across the team
2. Organization of all channel notes in a single notebook
3. Rich editing features, such as typing, ink annotations, highlighting, and file attachments
4. Easy recall and search for channel notes within OneNote on any platform

The retirement of the Wiki feature will occur in three stages:

1. Stage 1 (early March 2023): Users can no longer create new wikis but can still access and edit existing wikis. They will also have the option to export their content to OneNote.
2. Stage 2 (Mid CY23): The Wiki tab in channels will no longer be supported, but users can still access their content in the Wiki app and export it to OneNote.
3. Stage 3 (January 2024): The Wiki tab and Wiki app will be inaccessible in Teams, and users will no longer be able to export their content. However, they can download their wiki files from SharePoint.

Preparing for the Change:

To prepare for this change, users are encouraged to export their channel wikis to OneNote once the feature becomes available. Organizations that have not yet enabled OneNote should review the Deployment guide for OneNote.

FAQs:

1. How can I access the content captured in the Notes tab for all channels? All team members can access the content captured in the Notes tab across all standard channels within that team by clicking on the Show navigation icon on the left.

2. How can I add back the Notes tab to a channel if it is accidentally removed? Follow these steps to add the Notes tab back to a standard channel: a. Go to the desired channel in Teams b. Select Add a tab in the tabs bar across the top c. Choose the OneNote tile and select the “Default team notebook” for your team, then click Save d. Rename the added tab to “Notes” e. Go to the Notes tab, create a new section with the same name as the Teams channel, and start taking notes

3. Why is Teams retiring the Wiki feature? The current capabilities and infrastructure of Wiki cannot cater to users' evolving note-taking needs. OneNote offers a more feature-rich, consistent experience across the Microsoft 365 platform.

4. Are there any known limitations? OneNote notes only display in Default (Light) and High contrast mode.

Conclusion:

The introduction of a default Notes tab powered by OneNote in new standard channels on Microsoft Teams aims to provide users with an enhanced note-taking experience. Organizations should prepare for this change by enabling OneNote and exporting their existing Wiki content to OneNote as soon as the feature becomes available

If you need more information about notes in meeting you can read my previous blog post from below:

https://kriszmicrosoftteams.blogspot.com/2023/04/microsoft-teams-collaborative-meeting-notes-enhancing-productivity.html