Update for Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA)

About this update

In September 2016, Windows Journal was removed from supported versions of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and all versions of Windows 10. As a more secure alternative to Windows Journal, we recommend that users download, install, and use Microsoft OneNote. More information about the Windows Journal removal is available at KB3161102.

To help customers migrating to Microsoft OneNote, the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) tool is now available. This tool will convert Journal Note (.JNT) and Journal Template (.JTP) files into OneNote section (.ONE) files.  

Note The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) tool collects usage data that's sent to Microsoft to improve future versions of the tool. All data is collected and handled according to Microsoft Privacy standards – for more information, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

How to get this update

How to use the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA)

When you start the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA), you're presented with the following user interface:



Directly under the title bar and standard window management controls is the Menu with a single item. Clicking the question mark ("?") will open a shortcut menu with About and Help options. The Help menu item displays this KB article in your default browser (KB3194053). The About menu item displays an About dialog box with the current tool version. 

Under the Menu, the File List shows the files that will be converted. There are two ways to add files to this list:

• Click the Add Files button to add small numbers of files from a single folder.

• Click the Add Folder button to add the contents of a whole folder, including all subfolders.

As soon as files are added to the File List, you can press the CTRL key while clicking to select multiple individual files, and the SHIFT key while clicking to select a block of files. When files are selected, you can click Remove Files to remove them from the list.



As soon as the list of files is complete, click Convert All to begin the conversion process. The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) will first ask for a confirmation that you trust the content of the files that you want to convert. Click Yes to continue converting files, or click No to return to the application without converting.



Note The trusted notification message box resembles one that's presented in the Windows Journal application (KB3162655). We strongly recommend that you don't convert files from unknown or untrusted sources.

You will be asked to specify an output OneNote section file for the converted Journal data. All Journal files that are listed will be converted into this single OneNote section. As Journal files are successfully converted, they are removed from the File List. 

When conversion is complete, the following conversion summary dialog box is shown: 

Requirements

• The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) tool requires Microsoft OneNote 2013 or later versions to be installed on the system. Visit Microsoft OneNote site for information about downloading and installing OneNote.

• Microsoft OneNote must have been run once before you run the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA). If not, the converter will fail.

• The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) requires .NET 4.5 or later versions to be installed. You can download the latest version of .NET at Download Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Web Installer).

Known Issues in this update

• The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) is available only in US English.

• The Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) isn't supported on Windows Vista.

• During conversion, users may see a dialog box from OneNote that reads "We're sorry. OneNote is cleaning up from the last time it was open. Please wait."
  
  The appearance of this dialog box won't affect the success or failure of conversion, but may affect the time that's required for conversion.

  • Users should wait for the dialog box to clear if it appears.

  • Keeping Microsoft OneNote open while the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) is running may result in fewer conversion failures.

• Windows Journal should be closed during conversion. If Journal files being converted are used, the Windows Journal to Microsoft OneNote Converter (BETA) will display a warning dialog box that asks the user to first close Windows Journal. Failure to do this will result in conversion failures for any Journal files that still open.

• Highlighting in Journal files is converted, but at a lower resolution than ink.

• Certain Journal template files (.JTP) can't be converted. Examples include the "Dotted Line", "Music", and "Genko" templates that are provided with Journal. User-created .JTP files may also fail to convert.

• Rich-text formatting (.RTF) in Journal files isn't converted. The text content is converted, but formatting will be altered to match OneNote defaults.

References

Learn about the terminology that Microsoft uses to describe software updates.