Microsoft OneNote has been repeated many times. However, users complain that they often lose notebooks, sections, and individual notes. Some users have reported that their notes have been lost or their entire notebook has disappeared on their Windows PC. Learn what to do if your OneNote notebook is gone on your Windows PC.

It might be a minor sync error or the notebook in question is locked down and unusable. Part of the problem is that Microsoft has multiple versions of OneNote, which makes it difficult to track things or even troubleshoot problems like these.

Let’s get started.

1. OPEN CLOSED NOTEBOOK

You can close the notebook in OneNote and clear the interface. Closed notebooks disappear and disappear. This is probably the reason why it cannot be displayed.

Step 1: Click the down arrow in the left part of the window to see a list of currently open notebooks.

Step 2: Click on More Notebooks to find the ones that are closed.

Step 3: Select the notebook that you want to open and then click on the Open button at the bottom.

Downloading and syncing your data can take a few minutes, but if you can view your notebook, you won’t lose any data. It’s for the OneNote for Windows version, but the user interface is a bit different from OneNote (formerly known as OneNote 2016).

2. SYNC ERROR

You use Microsoft OneDrive to store and sync OneNote notebooks, sections, and notes between devices. Close the application and reopen it. OneNote starts syncing every time you open the app.

You can sync manually by clicking on the cloud icon. A checkmark indicates that synchronization is complete.

For OneNote (2016), click the built-in sync icon inside the notebook button to show a popup. Here you have more control and can sync individual notebooks. You can also find it at File> Sync Status.

3. ONENOTE BACKUP ON COMPUTER

There is still no way to save notes locally in OneNote for Windows. OneDrive is used to store notes. However, OneNote allows you to save your notes locally and in the cloud. If you delete the note, there is a way to restore it.

Step 1:  Open File> Info and click Open Backup. This will open a local folder on your computer, showing a separate folder for each notebook you create.

Step 2: Select a Notebook and click on Open or you can drill further to find sections inside a notebook.

4. OPEN VIA ONEDRIVE

You may notice that your notes are showing up in OneDrive on the web, but not in the OneNote app on your Windows PC, due to a sync error. If this happens, open your OneDrive account in your favorite browser, find the missing OneNote notebook, right-click it, and select Open in OneNote to open it in the OneNote desktop app on your computer.

Another option is called Open in OneNote Online, which opens the OneNote app in a new tab on the web. Opening a notebook/note in the installed app will sync it and you can open it directly from there later.

5. CHECK ONEDRIVE

When you open the OneDrive home page, you’ll find OneNote notebooks, sections, and notes in your Documents or Notebooks folder. Deleted notes and notebooks may still be in the Recycle Bin folder. Please check that as well. Right-click on the notebook to restore the deleted items.