OneNote sync problem

Hello LEricG,

I hope you are doing great.Here are the most likely causes of your sync problem and the exact steps you can take to fix the issue, based on the patterns seen in official Microsoft guidance and documented OneNote sync failures.

1. Confirm all devices use the same Microsoft account

This is the #1 cause of notebooks appearing on one device and not another.
OneNote will happily show notebooks from multiple accounts, but it never syncs across accounts.

On Windows:

• Open OneNote
• Go to File → Account
• Check the email under User Information

On Android:

• Open OneNote → Settings → Accounts

If any device uses a different account, notebooks won't sync.

2. Make sure ALL notebooks are stored in OneDrive (not local)

You mentioned everything is visible on OneNote online, which is great — but your Windows laptop/desktop may still be opening local copies.

On both Windows PCs:

1. Open OneNote
2. Go to File → Info
3. Under each notebook name, check the storage location
   • It must be something like:
     https://d.docs.live.net/… or OneDrive – Personal

If it says "This PC…" or a folder path like C:\Users\…, then that notebook will never sync unless it's moved.

3. Open the notebook from OneNote Online to re‑establish sync

This is one of the most reliable fixes when a device refuses to sync notebooks that do exist online.

Do this on both the laptop and desktop:

1. Go to https://www.onenote.com
2. Open the notebook online
3. Click Open in Desktop App

4. Clear OneNote’s local cache (commonly fixes "one device missing notebooks")

Cache corruption often leads to notebooks showing as “synced” but actually empty.

Windows desktop and laptop

Microsoft-supported approach:

• Go to File → Options → Save & Backup
• Copy the cache location
• Open that folder in File Explorer
• Delete the cache folder inside
  (OneNote will rebuild it automatically.)

On Android

• Settings → Apps → OneNote → Storage
• Tap Clear Cache
  
  

5. Force a full manual sync

On Windows:

• Press Shift + F9 to sync the current notebook
• Press F9 to sync ALL notebooks
  
  

On Android:

• Open OneNote
• Tap ⋮ → Sync Now

6. Check for sync errors in OneNote

On Windows:

• Go to File → Info → View Sync Status

If there is a red exclamation mark, open the error code.

7. Fix authentication issues

Sometimes devices get “signed in but not really authorized.”

Try this on both laptop and desktop:

1. Sign out of OneNote
2. Sign out of all Office apps
3. Unlink OneDrive
4. Restart
5. Sign back in

8. Additional note about Windows 11 S Mode

Your laptop is in Windows 11 S mode, which:

• Only allows Microsoft Store apps
• Restricts certain background services and drivers
• Can sometimes interfere with desktop OneNote authentication

If the laptop is the only device not pulling notebooks from OneDrive, this is a likely factor.