Why is Office so bad on MacOS?

[TinaBelcher]

I’ve always wanted to use OneNote but on the Mac it looks so bad. It looks identical to the iPad version which is a tragedy! All my sections and pages are located on the left and the text is scaled up. On Windows you have sections above the page and the list of pages is written with a smaller font therefore giving you room to view more with scrolling so much.

What bugs me the most is the Mac version does not have one of the most important features such as setting the page to a4 in portrait model.

I tried out windows 10 through parallel desktop and I was so impressed with OneNote and the rest of the office programs. This makes me want to buy a surface pro just so I can enjoy the “real” OneNote. Isn’t that sad?

Look how visually pleasing the windows version is compare to the lackluster cartoonish Mac version. Notice how narrow your pages section is. It cuts off your headline. On windows it’s wider and the font is smaller, giving you more room to read your headline before opening the page.

Mac:

Windows:

 

[Gregg2]

Don't use it, but in most other apps, it's possible to make the columns wider.
You see the smaller font on the Windows version as a plus, many would not. I can't read the "fine print" on the back of my 1099s for example. But, have you explored whether or not that also is adjustable.
Do you want solutions, or just want to "vent"?

 

[Plett]

I may be the odd one out but I like the iPad version and was happy to see the Mac version duplicate the look. I also use Onenote at work on a PC and have configured it to put the pages on the left side. Perhaps because I am left handed I find that configuration ideal. Long story short I had left Onenote last summer for anything but work, but now am back and really like it. Admittedly it is not as robust, but the one thing that brought me back was the Onenote clipper that was really a deal breaker and frustrating ( I am aware of the Mac way to do it) but like an inline solution. The clipper in the browser is close enough for me.

Long winded apologetics aside I get your frustration, particularly annoying because Microsoft has been vocal about getting the Office line on par for Mac.

I am also glad to see that it wasn't just me with the line paper and color not appearing. Drives me nuts.

 

[martin2345uk]

I also use Onenote at work on a PC and have configured it to put the pages on the left side.

How do you do that??

 

[TinaBelcher]

I may be the odd one out but I like the iPad version and was happy to see the Mac version duplicate the look. I also use Onenote at work on a PC and have configured it to put the pages on the left side. Perhaps because I am left handed I find that configuration ideal. Long story short I had left Onenote last summer for anything but work, but now am back and really like it. Admittedly it is not as robust, but the one thing that brought me back was the Onenote clipper that was really a deal breaker and frustrating ( I am aware of the Mac way to do it) but like an inline solution. The clipper in the browser is close enough for me.

Long winded apologetics aside I get your frustration, particularly annoying because Microsoft has been vocal about getting the Office line on par for Mac.

I am also glad to see that it wasn't just me with the line paper and color not appearing. Drives me nuts.

Ipad is way more limited

 

[Plett]

How do you do that??

Go to File > Options > Display section, check the checkbox labelled "Page tabs appear on the left" and click OK.

 

[TinaBelcher]

I just found out that if I make a pdf in the Mac version it slices the pdf instead of expanding the width, but if send a page as PDF from my IPad Pro to google drive is keeps the pdf intact and expand to fit everything into it.

Aother thing or two... OneNote cannot record and let me take notes at the same time and I cannot add figures! So no, the iPad is not superior to Mac version.. only with one feature: pdf