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Compact View for One Note

A R 10 Reputation points
2026-01-20T17:17:21.3433333+00:00

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5413554/compact-view-for-one-note

I have this exact question. How do I reduce the amount of white space/padding around the Notebook and sub page panel on the left specifically?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | Other | Windows
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  1. Xavier-D 7,500 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-21T06:46:22.3333333+00:00

    Hello A R,

    Thank you for posting on Microsoft Q&A forum

    I understand you want to reduce the amount of white space/padding around the Notebook and subpage panel on the left

    Unfortunately, you cannot currently reduce the white space/padding in the left Notebook + page panel or fully restore the old compact view in OneNote.

    The OneNote UI was changed for touch friendliness, accessibility (larger hit targets) and UI consistency with the rest of Microsoft 365.

    Although it can't be change, there is still workaround that you can try:

    Use “Vertical Tabs” instead of “Full Page List”

    • Open OneNote go to View > Tabs Layout > Vertical Tabs

    This doesn’t truly reduce padding, but it will give you more vertical space and makes section/page switching faster than the horizontal bar.

    Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help you.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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