Where's the CTRL+E search in OneNote for mac?

This article explains how to search through all of your workbooks in OneNote for Mac OS. The same thing you can do with CTRL+E on Windows - that is. Because for whatever reason, in OneNote for Mac, it's hidden.

Background (and problem)

Oh, OneNote for Mac, my dearest... Why must you be the neglected sibling of the Windows version? It’s like Microsoft gave it a pat on the head and said, “You’ll get there someday, champ.” But someday never comes. And that's rare! As most Microsoft tools seem to be superior on a Mac. It's just Visual Studio and OneNote that I've found so far to be lacking in comparison (or missing altogether - but luckily JetBrains Rider exists...)

The CTRL+E search in Windows? Works like a dream. A beacon of uncompromising efficiency. A shortcut that Just Works©.

Meanwhile, Mac users are stuck fumbling through a clunky, less intuitive search experience.

Why? Why would something like this just randomly be missing from otherwise equivalent (or better!) office suite?

Yet I come to you bearing good news: there IS such search experience available on OneNote for Mac.

Solution

It's quite simple, really. There's a similar search functionality using Command + F (although it's on the left, not on the right), and while by default it searches for the minimal scope possible, you can expand it by hitting the following shortcut:

Command + Option + F

The problem is, if you've searched for something and moved the focus away, this shortcut stops working. You can't search again until the left-hand sidebar has been used for something else. The shortcut requires you to not have searched, otherwise it won't take you to the search field.

The good thing is, there are plenty of harmless shortcuts to choose from to "reset" the "sidebar".

My favorite would be CTRL+G for listing your Workbooks, because it doesn't really do anything.

You could also try hitting SHIFT+TAB a few times, as that MIGHT bring your focus to the search box. It feels weirdly inconsistent - so I'll just CTRL+G instead.

But really, that's it. Happy OneNoting!