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White screen when returning to ONE Note on my IPAD

Quirino Lima 25 Reputation points
2026-04-15T04:44:02.7033333+00:00

In the last days i felt what i think might be a bug when using my one note on my iPad pro. It happens when I use another app and return to one note. I get the app screen completely white and i need to close the app and re-open again.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For business | iOS
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AI answer

2026-04-15T04:44:16.71+00:00

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the white screen issue when returning to OneNote on iPad:

  1. Make sure OneNote and other Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are fully updated from the App Store. Office apps share identity; outdated apps can cause issues when resuming.
  2. Reset OneNote’s credentials and local data on the iPad:
    1. If OneNote is running, force it to close by double‑tapping the Home button and swiping up on the OneNote preview. (See Apple’s guidance in Force an app to close in iOS if needed.)
    2. Open the iPad Settings app.
    3. Scroll down to the list of apps and tap OneNote.
    4. Under Reset, tap Reset OneNote.
    5. Turn on Delete All Notebooks and Delete Login Credentials.
      • Note: This removes only offline notebooks on the device. Any unsynced changes will be lost. Notebooks stored on OneDrive or SharePoint are not deleted.
    6. Start OneNote again and tap Sign In to log in with the account.
  3. If sync issues appear after the reset, sign out and back in from within OneNote:
    1. In OneNote for iOS, open OneNote.
    2. Tap the back < icon until the notebook list appears.
    3. Tap the gear icon next to the account name.
    4. Under Account, tap the account name, tap it again, then choose Remove Account and confirm.
    5. Force‑close OneNote, reopen it, and sign in again.

If the issue persists after these steps and updates, capture details (iPadOS version, OneNote version, and whether it happens with specific notebooks) and contact Microsoft support with that information.

References:

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Answer recommended by moderator

Quirino Lima 25 Reputation points
2026-04-16T06:16:22.6233333+00:00

The issue was fixed by updating ios to 26.4.1. Thankyou for your concern.

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  1. Kai-Ex 1,480 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-15T06:26:50.4533333+00:00

    Hello Quirino Lima,

    Regarding the issue you’re experiencing when switching between apps and returning to Microsoft OneNote, I’ve noticed that other users are reporting the same behavior. This suggests that the issue is not isolated. For reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5858954/onenote-goes-blank-on-ipad-ipados-26-4-1-%2823e254%29

    At this time, Microsoft has not released any official documentation or service health notification confirming this as a known issue.

    I recommend that your IT administrator report this through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Health > Service Health. This will help raise visibility with the backend team for further investigation.

    In the meantime, aside from checking for updates, please try the following:

    1. Check available storage

    Go to Settings > General > iPad Storage Ensure you have at least 5–10 GB of free space

    Low storage can lead to performance issues and may cause UI rendering problems such as a blank or white screen.

    1. Turn off background app refresh

    Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh Turn it off for OneNote (or disable it completely for testing)

    For reference steps: https://geekschalk.com/how-to-turn-off-background-app-refresh-on-iphone-or-ipad/

    Note: This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.

    1. Reinstall the app
    • Delete OneNote
    • Restart your iPad
    • Reinstall the app from the App Store

    To minimize disruption, you may also consider using the web version of OneNote, which does not appear to be affected by this issue.

    I hope the information above is helpful. If you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out.

    If this response resolves your issue, please click Accept Answer and consider upvoting it. If you have additional questions, kindly click Comment.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread

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