OneNote for Mac Note Syncing

Question

Greetings: I have a Mac laptop running Sequoia 15.7.1. I've had Microsoft 365 for years (and OneNote specifically) with no issues. However, recently, OneNote on my Mac stopped syncing -- the version on my iPhone had more up-to-date notes that never appeared on my Mac. Here's what I've tried:

1. Checked OneNote on the web to make sure my files were there and up-to-date. They were and are.
2. Uninstalled OneNote and reinstalled it. No dice.
3. Uninstalled Microsoft Office 365, including OneNote. No dice.
4. Updated all my Microsoft Office 365 apps. OneNote version is now 16.102.2 (25102623). No dice.
5. My internet connection is great; I've also verified that I'm signed in to Office 365 under the same ID as I am on the web and my iPhone. I am.
6. Looked to "force sync" or the like -- those commands are grayed-out. There are zero notebooks in my Onenote on my laptop, so there's nothing to sync there.
7. Waited to see if OneNote would sync anything from the web to my laptop. No dice. Time doesn't seem to make any difference, and there's no indication it's working away in the background.

How the heck to I get my notebooks from the web to sync to my laptop? Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Again, thank you for your detailed response. I'm continuing to have (lots of) trouble, even with the web version of OneNote, never mind getting it to sync with OneNote app on my Mac.

A) Create a proper target notebook from OneNote (web)

• In OneNote for the web, click Notebooks ▸ Add notebook.
• Name it something unmistakable, e.g., Benjamin‑NEW.

Done. Named it "BC Nov 14 Test 2"

B) Open the old (source) notebook Open your existing notebook (Benjamin’s Notebook) in OneNote for the web (your first screenshot). Verify pages render.

I did this, though I could not do it from within the web app's folder list; I had to go here:

OneNote for the web doesn’t always offer section‑level Move/Copy across notebooks, but page Move/Copy is reliable.

• In the middle page list, Shift‑click to select a range of pages in a section (or use ⌘‑click to multi‑select).
• Right‑click (or click the ellipsis •••) → Move/Copy.
• In the picker, choose Benjamin‑NEW ▸ target section (create a new section if needed) → Move (or Copy if you want to keep a backup).
• Repeat per section (select all pages from each section, move them in one go).

When I chose pages in Benjamin's Notebook to move/copy to the new notebook (BC Nov 14 Test 2), it would not chose the Move/Copy option when I shift-clicked to selected multiple pages:

When I choose just one page, the Move/Copy command is accessible ... but I can only move/copy the page within this notebook, not to any others:

If the web app still misbehaves Occasionally the OneNote web shell half‑loads (like the font switch you noticed). Do a clean browser reset for Microsoft domains:

• Sign out of Office/OneNote.

Done.

• In your browser, clear site data (cookies/storage) for office.com, onenote.com, live.com, and your *.sharepoint.com domain.

I don't use sharepoint, so I don't think I have a domain for it -- didn't have any cookies for it.

• Disable extensions (especially content blockers/password managers) → try an InPrivate/Incognito window or a different browser.
• Re‑sign in and try the steps above again.

Usually, I use Firefox as my browser, but for this purpose I used Safari, after disabling the single extension for a password manager. I signed back in to Microsoft Office 365 and OneNote, created a new folder called BC Nov 14 Test 3, opened my original notebook, Benjamin's Notebook to verify pages rendered (they did) ... and then ran into the same problems as above when attempting to copy pages from it to any other notebook. (I.e., shift-clicking multiple pages disabled the Move/Copy command; selecting a single would only let me Move/Copy within **Benjamin's Notebook.)

**So ... what next?

Answer 2

Thanks a ton for your detailed response. I've been slow to try out the steps you recommended because I'm in the middle of moving. I did try them and even tried the "If the web app still misbehaves" steps, all to no avail. I will try the solution again and document any issues in a few days, when I get some time.

Just wanted you to know that your reply was appreciated and I'm still working on it.

Answer 3

Hi, BC

Thanks for getting back.

Your screenshots show “Benjamin 2” appears in the OneNote web notebook list with an external‑link icon and when clicked, OneNote sends you to OneDrive Files view (your third screenshot). Inside that folder you see .one files and a .onetoc2 file.

That combination usually means the “notebook” was created as a plain folder in OneDrive, not from the OneNote app’s Add notebook flow. When a folder is created outside OneNote, the web app often treats it like a regular OneDrive folder. It will still contain valid OneNote section files (*.one), but the web UI won’t present it as a proper notebook container until it’s “claimed” by OneNote. This is why you can’t Move/Copy sections between notebooks in the web UI and why navigation looks odd.

Here are some ways you can fix it:

A) Create a proper target notebook from OneNote (web)

• In OneNote for the web, click Notebooks ▸ Add notebook.
• Name it something unmistakable, e.g., Benjamin‑NEW.

This ensures the destination is a first‑class OneNote notebook recognized by all clients.

B) Open the old (source) notebook

Open your existing notebook (Benjamin’s Notebook) in OneNote for the web (your first screenshot). Verify pages render.

C) Move content by pages

OneNote for the web doesn’t always offer section‑level Move/Copy across notebooks, but page Move/Copy is reliable.

• In the middle page list, Shift‑click to select a range of pages in a section (or use ⌘‑click to multi‑select).
• Right‑click (or click the ellipsis •••) → Move/Copy.
• In the picker, choose Benjamin‑NEW ▸ target section (create a new section if needed) → Move (or Copy if you want to keep a backup).
• Repeat per section (select all pages from each section, move them in one go).

If you have many sections, this is still pretty fast because you’re moving pages in bulk per section. This technique is the standard workaround in the web app.

D) (Optional) Promote whole sections using the Mac app

If/when the Mac app opens notebooks again: open both the source notebook and Benjamin‑NEW, then drag an entire section tab from source to destination. Desktop supports section‑level moves even when the web doesn’t.

E) Retire the mis‑created “Benjamin 2” folder

Once you’ve moved content into Benjamin‑NEW and confirmed everything is present:

In OneDrive, either rename the old “Benjamin 2” folder to Benjamin 2 (old) or Move to ▸ Archive/OldNotebooks`. Don’t delete immediately; keep it as a safety net.

If the web app still misbehaves

Occasionally the OneNote web shell half‑loads (like the font switch you noticed). Do a clean browser reset for Microsoft domains:

• Sign out of Office/OneNote.
• In your browser, clear site data (cookies/storage) for office.com, onenote.com, live.com, and your *.sharepoint.com domain.
• Disable extensions (especially content blockers/password managers) → try an InPrivate/Incognito window or a different browser.
• Re‑sign in and try the steps above again.

This “site data reset” is a common fix for odd OneNote‑web UI states.

Get the Mac app to see the notebooks again

Once Benjamin‑NEW exists and has content:

• Launch OneNote (Mac) → Open Notebook → More Notebooks… → pick Benjamin‑NEW.
• If notebooks still don’t appear, use the Open in app button from the web (top right) while the target notebook is open. This deep‑links the Mac app and often kick‑starts sync after a cache reset.

Tip: If you still see an empty list on the Mac, repeat the container move once more (you already did this correctly), then sign in and immediately use Open in app from the web.

Don't hesitate to get back if you need more help.

Best regards.

Answer 4

Thanks a million for the detailed response. I followed the instructions as best I could, but had some deviations and then ran into more serious trouble with step 7. Now the web-based OneNote app is malfunctioning, though I can still access my data there (sort of).

First, here's a listing of the deviations I encountered when following your instructions. If these aren't that important, please feel free to skip down to step 7.

2) Sign out and remove stale credentials

• Open Keychain Access → search Microsoft, OneNote, Office.
• Delete entries related to Microsoft account/Office/OneNote (these are cached tokens; they’ll be recreated at next sign‑in).

There weren't any listed.

3) Clear the OneNote cache If the folder path above doesn’t exist on your machine, use the broader cache paths below.

It did not exist, so I went to step 4.

4) Reset broader cache/data folders (thorough)

• Go to: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Caches/
• Delete the OneNote folder.

As I recall, this didn't exist, but I could be misremembering.

• Then go to: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/
• Rename the OneNote folder to OneNote.old (safer than deleting). This forces OneNote to build a fresh data set on next launch.

I had trouble finding the OneNote folder. It showed me the interior of it (a sub folder called "Data"), but not how to get to the folder itself. Clicking the back arrow took me to what was presumably the parent folder, but the OneNote folder was not visible. So I went to the address above (where I could see inside the OneNote folder) right-clicked on the folder title in the Finder window, and navigated up one folder level.

• Some cases require clearing the entire OneNote container. If the above still doesn’t work, move the folder below to the Desktop as backup: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac
• Then launch OneNote. macOS will recreate the container.

I did this okay.

5) Reset OneNote preferences

• Go to: ~/Library/Preferences
• Delete com.microsoft.onenote.mac.plist. This resets app preferences only. [

This didn't exist.

6) Relaunch OneNote and sign in

• Open OneNote → Preferences > Accounts → Sign in with the same account you used on web/iPhone.
• The app should now list your cloud notebooks and begin syncing. If notebooks don’t appear immediately, choose Open Notebook → OneDrive and pick the notebook(s).

I don't know if this is worth mentioning, but when I go to OneNote → Preferences, there is no "Accounts" option. I can sign-out at OneNote → Sign Out ... , so I doubt this is significant.

7) If a specific notebook still won’t open or sync In OneNote for the web, create a new notebook, then copy sections from the old notebook into the new one (you can do this per section). This “rebinds” content to a clean notebook and often clears invisible sync faults. Try opening the new notebook in the Mac app.

Here's what happens -- I sign into Microsoft Office 365 and navigate to a notebook (see below.)

If I right-click on a section, there's no option to move or copy it. (There's a Move/Copy command for pages, but I can only move/copy them within the same notebook.) I can choose "copy link to section" or copy the text from a page, but if I try to navigate to my new notebook (which I've dubbed "Benjamin 2") the navigation page in OneNote has switched font -- see below --

Clicking on "Benjamin 2", the new notebook I created in the OneNote for the web, I'm taken to OneDrive. See below.

From there, I have no idea what to do. Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Answer 5

Hi, BC

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Sorry for this frustrating experience regarding OneNote syncing issue. Here are some workarounds you can try to resolve it:

Step‑by‑step clean reset for OneNote on macOS

These steps affect only local app data on the Mac. Your notes in OneDrive/SharePoint stay untouched.

1) Quit OneNote completely

• OneNote > Quit OneNote
• In Activity Monitor, ensure OneNote is not running.

2) Sign out and remove stale credentials

• Open Keychain Access → search Microsoft, OneNote, Office.
• Delete entries related to Microsoft account/Office/OneNote (these are cached tokens; they’ll be recreated at next sign‑in).

3) Clear the OneNote cache

• In Finder → Go → Go to Folder… (⌘⇧G) and paste: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/User Data/OneNote/
• Delete everything inside this OneNote folder. (It’s cache only; it does not delete your cloud notes.)

If the folder path above doesn’t exist on your machine, use the broader cache paths below.

4) Reset broader cache/data folders (thorough)

• Go to: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Caches/
• Delete the OneNote folder.
• Then go to: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/
• Rename the OneNote folder to OneNote.old (safer than deleting). This forces OneNote to build a fresh data set on next launch.
• Some cases require clearing the entire OneNote container. If the above still doesn’t work, move the folder below to the Desktop as backup: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac
• Then launch OneNote. macOS will recreate the container.

5) Reset OneNote preferences

• Go to: ~/Library/Preferences
• Delete com.microsoft.onenote.mac.plist. This resets app preferences only. [

6) Relaunch OneNote and sign in

• Open OneNote → Preferences > Accounts → Sign in with the same account you used on web/iPhone.
• The app should now list your cloud notebooks and begin syncing. If notebooks don’t appear immediately, choose Open Notebook → OneDrive and pick the notebook(s).

7) If a specific notebook still won’t open or sync

In OneNote for the web, create a new notebook, then copy sections from the old notebook into the new one (you can do this per section). This “rebinds” content to a clean notebook and often clears invisible sync faults. Try opening the new notebook in the Mac app.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please 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.