How to Import a OneNote Template on Windows, Step by Step

To import a OneNote template on Windows, open its notebook package file (.onepkg) in the OneNote desktop app: double-click the file, or go to File > Open > Browse and select it. OneNote shows an Unpack Notebook box where you name the notebook and choose a folder, then you select Create. Once it opens, move the notebook to OneDrive so it syncs to your phone, tablet and other computers.

That is how to import a OneNote template when everything goes right. Below you’ll find which OneNote app you need, each step in detail, where to save the notebook, and what to do when the template won’t open.

Which OneNote App Can Open a Template

Only one version of OneNote can unpack a package file: OneNote on Windows, the desktop app included with Microsoft 365 and available from the Microsoft Store (older copies are labeled OneNote 2016). The quick test from Microsoft: open OneNote and look for a File menu at the top of the window. If it is there, you have the right app.

OneNote version	Opens a .onepkg file?	What to do instead
OneNote on Windows (Microsoft 365 desktop app)	Yes	Follow the steps below
OneNote for Windows 10	No	It reached end of support in October 2025 and is now read-only. Install OneNote on Windows.
OneNote for Mac	No	See our OneNote template Mac guide
OneNote for iPad, iPhone and Android	No	Import on a computer, then open it from OneDrive
OneNote on the web	No	Opens the notebook once it is on OneDrive

If you plan to use the notebook mostly on a tablet, the import still happens here on the computer. Our guide to setting up a OneNote digital planner on iPad picks up once the notebook is on OneDrive.

What a OneNote Package File Is

A OneNote package file (.onepkg) is a whole notebook packed into a single file: every section, section group and page, with the links between them. It is a convenient way to share a template because it downloads as one file instead of dozens.

You can’t write in a package directly. OneNote “unpacks” it into a normal notebook folder that holds one .one file per section plus a table of contents file ending in .onetoc2. From then on you work in the unpacked notebook, not in the package.

How to Import a OneNote Template, Step by Step

1. Extract the download. If your template arrived as a .zip file, right-click it in File Explorer and choose Extract All, then open the extracted folder. Opening the package from inside the ZIP preview window can fail.
2. Open the package. Double-click the .onepkg file. If Windows asks which app to use, pick OneNote (not OneNote for Windows 10).
3. Or open it from inside OneNote. Go to File > Open, select Browse, find the folder and select the .onepkg file, then select Open. If the file isn’t listed, change the file-type box next to the file name so it shows package files or all files.
4. Name the notebook. In the Unpack Notebook box, the Name field shows the template’s name. Change it to something short that you’ll recognize on every device.
5. Check the path. The Path field defaults to your Documents\OneNote Notebooks folder. Leave it there for now (the next section explains why).
6. Select Create. OneNote unpacks the notebook and opens it in your notebook list. A large template can take a minute.
7. Test the links. Open the first page, click a few index or menu links and make sure they land on the right pages.

This is how our OneNote digital planner is set up on a Windows PC: it is imported once on the computer, then synced to an iPad or phone.

Naming and Saving Location

Choosing a Name

The name you type becomes the notebook’s name in the notebook list and the folder name on OneDrive. A few rules of thumb:

• Keep it short so it isn’t cut off on a phone screen: “Planner” or “Home Planner” works better than a long product title.
• Avoid characters that OneDrive file names don’t allow, such as : * ? “ < > |
• Name it for its job if you run more than one planner, such as “Work Planner” and “Home Planner.”

Where to Save It

Leave the Path on the default local folder when you unpack, then move the notebook to OneDrive using OneNote’s own command. Don’t point the Path at the OneDrive folder in File Explorer, and don’t drag the notebook folder there later. Microsoft’s guidance is that notebooks should be moved and synced by OneNote itself: a notebook copied in by File Explorer can look like it is on OneDrive while OneNote still treats it as a local notebook, so it never syncs.

To move it properly:

1. With the notebook open, go to File > Share.
2. Because the notebook is on your computer, OneNote asks you to move it first. Pick your OneDrive (sign in with your Microsoft account if it isn’t listed).
3. Keep the name or change it, then select Move Notebook. OneNote confirms that the notebook is now syncing to the new location.

Some recent Microsoft 365 builds offer File > Save a Copy for this instead. If that’s what you see, save the copy to OneDrive, open that copy, then right-click the local notebook in the notebook list and choose Close This Notebook so you only ever write in one of them. For checking that a notebook really is on OneDrive and fixing sync errors, see our guide on how to sync OneNote across devices.

OneNote Template Not Opening: Fixes

What happens	Likely cause	Fix
Windows asks “How do you want to open this file?”	OneNote on Windows isn’t installed	Install OneNote from the Microsoft Store, then use File > Open > Browse
The file opens a read-only app with no File menu	It opened in OneNote for Windows 10	Open OneNote on Windows and use File > Open instead
You can’t find the file in the Open box	It’s still inside the ZIP, or the file-type filter hides it	Extract the ZIP first; switch the file-type box to show all files
Links show a security prompt when clicked	A default OneNote safety setting on Windows	See our guide on how to link pages in OneNote
The notebook isn’t on your phone or tablet	It is still stored only on the computer	Move it with File > Share as shown above
Links open pages in an older copy	Both the local and OneDrive copies are open	Close the local copy from the notebook list

If a package still refuses to open after these checks, download it again. A download that was interrupted can leave a file with the right name that OneNote can’t read.

After the Import

Before you start filling in pages, spend two minutes on setup:

• Move it up the list. Drag the notebook to the top of the notebook list so it is the first thing you see.
• Try the View tab. You can change page color, switch to a dark page background or move the section tabs, depending on your screen.
• Open it on a second device. Sign in to OneNote on your phone or tablet with the same Microsoft account and open the notebook, so you know sync works before you rely on it.

Once it is open everywhere, our guide on how to use OneNote as a planner covers a daily and weekly routine that makes the notebook part of your day. Your next step: import the template, click through five links, and move it to OneDrive before you write your first entry.