Forum Discussion
OneNote missing files
I tried opening the OneNote app and none of my notes were there, I tried resyncing, I tried looking at the online OneNote website, neither fixed the issue. I contacted the OneNote team, who referred me to the OneDrive team who referred me back to the OneNote team with the following info:
"The OneNote notebook files remain present in OneDrive.
No OneDrive data-loss indicators or deletion events have been identified.
New pages can still be created and saved successfully.
The issue appears to involve existing notebook content not being displayed within OneNote.
The behavior is reproducible in both the OneNote app and OneNote Web.
Based on the information available, the concern appears to be related to the way OneNote is rendering, synchronizing, or accessing the notebook contents rather than a missing-file condition within OneDrive storage itself. "
The OneNote team told me to see if anyone on the forums could help me out, I would really appreciate the help since I have hundreds of files that I am now missing.
2 Replies
I’d first check OneNote on the web to see if the missing pages are still synced there. Also, make sure you’re signed into the correct Microsoft account and check the Notebook Recycle Bin for deleted pages. If the files are missing everywhere, checking the sync status and any available backups would be a good next step.
Because the content is also absent in OneNote for the web, this is not evidence of desktop-cache damage. OneDrive’s confirmation that notebook files exist does not, by itself, prove every section and page remains readable.
Before resetting, reinstalling, signing out, or closing notebooks, preserve any locally available unsynchronized notes and backups. Those actions can remove local cached content that has not reached the service.
Open the affected notebook directly from its OneDrive location, confirm the account and notebook identity, and record whether sections, pages, or only their contents are missing. Check OneNote’s notebook recycle bin and available backups without overwriting the current notebook.
Return the case to OneNote support with the OneDrive findings, notebook identifiers, affected section examples, app version, timestamps, and any sync error codes. Ask for investigation of the reproducible web-side problem rather than another desktop-only reset. Public responders cannot reconstruct or guarantee recovery of unavailable notebook content
