OneNote and Dropbox. Two good things...that go great together?
November 9, 2010 6:10 AM Subscribe
I want to create a OneNote notebook for personal use only (notes, to-do lists, account passwords—no collaboration) and be able to sync it between my work laptop and my home PC... using Dropbox. Am I a fool?
Assume throughout that I am a near-total OneNote noob. I haven't really got any notebook content yet that I have to transfer or rescue in any way.
So I'm at the step in the "New Notebook Wizard" where it asks me "Who will use this notebook?" My natural inclination (which I'm aware is not always the best route to take in Wizards) is to select the middle option, "I will use it on multiple computers"—but then it tells me my username and password on this computer must match my other computers, which is not the case. What would that mean for my ability to open my notebook freely on both machines? Would this aspect of the process be simpler if I just skipped Dropbox altogether and put my notebook on a flash drive instead?
Also, I'm concerned about OneNote's habit of saving basically all the time. With other apps, I save the document, and then my little Dropbox icon switches from green checkmark to whirly blue thing. I never see the whirly blue thing when working in a OneNote notebook, which concerns me.
Googling this topic has left me frustrated, frightened, and confused. It appears that OneNote has its own native syncing capability, and there seems to be disagreement about whether it's wise to use it or not when one is also using Dropbox. Certainly, my notebook will never be edited in two places at the same time, so maybe that point is moot.
But then there's the "in the event of catastrophic computer failure" concern: on the advice of some website, I attempted to modify the backup directory of my test notebook to a "My Dropbox" subfolder and OneNote wouldn't let me.
I hope to hear from MeFites who have used OneNote and Dropbox in this exact fashion and can tell me their results/special tricks/words of caution.
Assume throughout that I am a near-total OneNote noob. I haven't really got any notebook content yet that I have to transfer or rescue in any way.
So I'm at the step in the "New Notebook Wizard" where it asks me "Who will use this notebook?" My natural inclination (which I'm aware is not always the best route to take in Wizards) is to select the middle option, "I will use it on multiple computers"—but then it tells me my username and password on this computer must match my other computers, which is not the case. What would that mean for my ability to open my notebook freely on both machines? Would this aspect of the process be simpler if I just skipped Dropbox altogether and put my notebook on a flash drive instead?
Also, I'm concerned about OneNote's habit of saving basically all the time. With other apps, I save the document, and then my little Dropbox icon switches from green checkmark to whirly blue thing. I never see the whirly blue thing when working in a OneNote notebook, which concerns me.
Googling this topic has left me frustrated, frightened, and confused. It appears that OneNote has its own native syncing capability, and there seems to be disagreement about whether it's wise to use it or not when one is also using Dropbox. Certainly, my notebook will never be edited in two places at the same time, so maybe that point is moot.
But then there's the "in the event of catastrophic computer failure" concern: on the advice of some website, I attempted to modify the backup directory of my test notebook to a "My Dropbox" subfolder and OneNote wouldn't let me.
I hope to hear from MeFites who have used OneNote and Dropbox in this exact fashion and can tell me their results/special tricks/words of caution.
Or in the same vein, using something besides Dropbox that would let you pick which folders get synced? I use Syncplicty and haven't had any problems beyond someone else's computer having too old of a version of Flash installed.
Anyway, the way the OneNote notebooks are saved it's really a simple case of syncing the folder(s) that you want available on both computers. Say you'll only be using it on one computer when you set it up in the wizard. Then set it up the same way on your other computer.
The specifics of how to sync will vary based on what you use. But just for reference, and in contrast to what I wrote above, I just switched a notebook to use the Dropbox folder and there wasn't any sort of issue. So it might work better if you create the folder having it go to the default location and then switch it after the notebook is made.
posted by theichibun at 6:39 AM on November 9, 2010
Anyway, the way the OneNote notebooks are saved it's really a simple case of syncing the folder(s) that you want available on both computers. Say you'll only be using it on one computer when you set it up in the wizard. Then set it up the same way on your other computer.
The specifics of how to sync will vary based on what you use. But just for reference, and in contrast to what I wrote above, I just switched a notebook to use the Dropbox folder and there wasn't any sort of issue. So it might work better if you create the folder having it go to the default location and then switch it after the notebook is made.
posted by theichibun at 6:39 AM on November 9, 2010
Response by poster: Regarding Evernote: I could easily see myself eventually exceeding the free version's MB limitations, I'm not willing to pay for this capability, and OneNote costs me nothing b/c I get it (and limited tech support for it) through my employer.
posted by AugieAugustus at 6:41 AM on November 9, 2010
posted by AugieAugustus at 6:41 AM on November 9, 2010
Best answer: I use OneNote with Dropbox and it works great, although I've only been using it as backup and not to edit files between two computers. That said, when creating a new notebook, select "I will use it on this computer." The next screen will ask you to select a location for your Notebook, so select your Dropbox folder. You should be able to access the notebook from the other computer and edit away.
posted by asras at 7:37 AM on November 9, 2010
posted by asras at 7:37 AM on November 9, 2010
OneNote and Evernote are actually quite different, in that Onenote is fully integrated with Office.
As far as Dropbox goes, from my experience, files can only be synced with the cloud once they are closed and not in use, so I'm not sure what this means for Onenote, which is basically always on.
Another alternative that you may not have considered is syncing Onenote via Skydrive and your live.com/hotmail account.
All Office 2010 users have the ability to create and edit Office docs online, and SkyDrive provides you with 25GB of free online storage - you need a hotmail/live.com email address.
You should be able to save a Onenote notebook online here and access it anywhere (or edit it online) or share it with other people via a link.
The thing is, you are supposed to be able to do this and Onenote 2010 prompts you to do this, but I have never been able to get it to work. Onenote prompts me to create an online folder on Skydrive, I create the folder, the system dithers, and then says it can't be done.
Maybe you will have more luck than me!
posted by KokuRyu at 7:50 AM on November 9, 2010
As far as Dropbox goes, from my experience, files can only be synced with the cloud once they are closed and not in use, so I'm not sure what this means for Onenote, which is basically always on.
Another alternative that you may not have considered is syncing Onenote via Skydrive and your live.com/hotmail account.
All Office 2010 users have the ability to create and edit Office docs online, and SkyDrive provides you with 25GB of free online storage - you need a hotmail/live.com email address.
You should be able to save a Onenote notebook online here and access it anywhere (or edit it online) or share it with other people via a link.
The thing is, you are supposed to be able to do this and Onenote 2010 prompts you to do this, but I have never been able to get it to work. Onenote prompts me to create an online folder on Skydrive, I create the folder, the system dithers, and then says it can't be done.
Maybe you will have more luck than me!
posted by KokuRyu at 7:50 AM on November 9, 2010
I guess one alternative is to simply manually upload your Onenote file to Skydrive. I think it beats Dropbox in that you can edit online.
Still, I use Dropbox and rarely use Skydrive.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:52 AM on November 9, 2010
Still, I use Dropbox and rarely use Skydrive.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:52 AM on November 9, 2010
Response by poster: So far so good using the "I will use it on this computer (but not really, heh heh)" method. I suppose if my backups don't actually sync, that doesn't really matter; I could just resurrect my notebook from whichever computer I used last.
KokoRyu, I've just signed up for SkyDrive. 25GB free was what sold me ;)
posted by AugieAugustus at 12:07 PM on November 9, 2010
KokoRyu, I've just signed up for SkyDrive. 25GB free was what sold me ;)
posted by AugieAugustus at 12:07 PM on November 9, 2010
Let me know if you actually have any luck syncing your desktop version of OneNote 2010 with SkyDrive.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:54 PM on November 9, 2010
posted by KokuRyu at 12:54 PM on November 9, 2010
As Asras said, simply choosing your Dropbox folder for the location of your .ONE file should be the way to go.
That being said, it should be noted that Dropbox will not sync a file to its server until you close that file. If you keep the desired notebook open all the time, or accidentally leave it open on one computer, untoward results may occur.
My experience using another program, with similar goals, led me to create two separate files, one called Home and one called Away, both of which are located in the Dropbox. I freely transfer notes from one to the other, but the usual pattern is to use each one in their respective locations. That way, nothing is lost by being unintentionally overwritten.
posted by megatherium at 3:41 PM on November 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
That being said, it should be noted that Dropbox will not sync a file to its server until you close that file. If you keep the desired notebook open all the time, or accidentally leave it open on one computer, untoward results may occur.
My experience using another program, with similar goals, led me to create two separate files, one called Home and one called Away, both of which are located in the Dropbox. I freely transfer notes from one to the other, but the usual pattern is to use each one in their respective locations. That way, nothing is lost by being unintentionally overwritten.
posted by megatherium at 3:41 PM on November 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you have OneNote 2010, you could save the file to skydrive.live.com (free) and access it from both work/home. That's what I have been doing.
posted by bbyboi at 12:39 AM on November 11, 2010
posted by bbyboi at 12:39 AM on November 11, 2010
I use dropbox and onenote on four PCs and an iPhone.
1. Create new Onenote folders as you will and always choose 'use on this pc'; the other options are for live sharing of folders, which you are not/will not be doing.
2. Go to options in Onenote and set all of the 'save files' options to be within your dropbox folder; for example, mine is so;
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Dropbox\OneNote Notebooks
(All you have to do is go select the folder you want, it automatically creates the path for you)
3. Do the same on all PCs, so they all save to their dropbox folder.
Done!
So, when I change a file on the work PC, it autosaves to dropbox... dropbox auto updates... I get home and see the message saying dropbox has updated one file, etc etc.
I open Onenote and there ya go, work edited notes, updated!
Absolutely fantastic.
For the iPhone, you need something other than dropbox as you can't read the files in that - so $15 gets you 'Mobilenoter', a great great app, that allows you to sync via WiFi with PCs and so on. Edit and manage your notes on your iPhone too.
How good is that? I nearly wet myself I was so thrilled.
Have fun :)
posted by DrtyBlvd at 3:50 AM on November 12, 2010
1. Create new Onenote folders as you will and always choose 'use on this pc'; the other options are for live sharing of folders, which you are not/will not be doing.
2. Go to options in Onenote and set all of the 'save files' options to be within your dropbox folder; for example, mine is so;
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Dropbox\OneNote Notebooks
(All you have to do is go select the folder you want, it automatically creates the path for you)
3. Do the same on all PCs, so they all save to their dropbox folder.
Done!
So, when I change a file on the work PC, it autosaves to dropbox... dropbox auto updates... I get home and see the message saying dropbox has updated one file, etc etc.
I open Onenote and there ya go, work edited notes, updated!
Absolutely fantastic.
For the iPhone, you need something other than dropbox as you can't read the files in that - so $15 gets you 'Mobilenoter', a great great app, that allows you to sync via WiFi with PCs and so on. Edit and manage your notes on your iPhone too.
How good is that? I nearly wet myself I was so thrilled.
Have fun :)
posted by DrtyBlvd at 3:50 AM on November 12, 2010
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posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 6:23 AM on November 9, 2010