How to Automatically Send Outlook Emails Directly to OneNote for Archiving

Keeping your inbox at “Zero” is a common productivity goal, but it is often derailed by emails that require long-term archiving or reference, such as flight itineraries, project briefs, or detailed client feedback. Leaving them in your inbox creates clutter, but simply dragging them into a subfolder makes them difficult to find later when you are compiling notes for a project.

If you use Microsoft’s ecosystem, the most efficient way to handle reference emails is to send them directly into Microsoft OneNote. By integrating the two applications, you can instantly convert a cluttered email thread into a searchable, editable note page alongside your other project materials, allowing you to delete the original email from your inbox completely.

Using the “Send to OneNote” Add-in (Desktop)

If you use the classic Microsoft Outlook desktop application on Windows, Microsoft has built a dedicated button specifically for this task.

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook desktop application.
2. Click on the specific email you want to archive so that it appears in the reading pane.
3. Look at the ribbon menu at the very top of the screen on the Home tab. Towards the far right side, look for the Send to OneNote button (it features the purple OneNote logo).
4. Click the button. A popup window will appear displaying a list of all your active OneNote notebooks.
5. Click the small arrows next to your notebooks to expand them, and select the specific Section where you want the email to be saved.
6. Check the box that says Always send email notes to the selected location if you want to skip this popup in the future, or leave it unchecked if you want to choose a different folder every time.
7. Click OK.

The email’s subject line will become the title of the new OneNote page, and the entire body of the email (including timestamps and sender details) will be pasted as editable text. Any attachments in the email will also be embedded directly into the note.

Forwarding via the Secret OneNote Email Address

If you use Outlook on the web, the Outlook mobile app, or even a non-Microsoft email client like Gmail, you can still send emails to OneNote by forwarding them to a special, secret email address linked to your Microsoft account.

1. First, you must activate the feature. Open your web browser and navigate to www.onenote.com/EmailToOneNote.
2. Log in with the same Microsoft account you use for OneNote.
3. On the setup page, check the box next to the email address you want to use, and select the default notebook and section where forwarded emails should be saved. Click Save.
4. Now, open any email app (on your phone, tablet, or web browser).
5. Open the email you want to archive and click the Forward button.
6. In the “To:” field, type exactly: [email protected]
7. Click Send.

Microsoft’s servers will instantly recognise that the email is coming from your registered address and will automatically convert the email into a new page in your designated OneNote section.