Microsoft OneNote Sync Error - notebooks not refreshing for syncing

Question

Hello,I have been unable to sync my notebooks on OneNote between my laptop and my phone. When I made changes on my laptop they would not sync to my phone. In an attempt to resolve the problem, I logged out of OneNote and back in again on my laptop. Unfortunately, I can now no longer see the contents of my notebooks. The notebooks appear in the list, but for each one there is a message saying Sync Error Please refresh this notebook to continue syncing. When I click Refresh Now, a large cross appears in the centre of the screen with a message below saying 'We couldn't open this section'. I have a reliable internet connect and an active 365 personal subscription. I am logged in on the same account of both devices. I can still view my notebooks on my phone. How can I regain access to my notebooks and ensure reliable syncing between my devices?Thank you for your time.

Martin

Answer 1

Currently, none of my notebooks appear under my Recent list due to the sync error. I cannot see an option to delete notebooks on OneDrive. If I click on the three dots next to each note book the only options I have are to Open or to Share. I am not sure where to go from here.

Answer 2

I'm sorry that Refresh didn't "just work" - it's supposed to. One of the sections is probably failing to sync and blocking the operation. We can do better here.

Please use caution clearing the notebook cache: if notes from your Macbook are not making it to OneDrive and your phone, this implies they only exist in the local cache. Clearing the cache could result in data loss. Misplaced Sections (sections that failed to sync) only exist in the local cache. I would suggest going to OneNote --> Preferences --> Backup --> Back Up All Notebooks Now to be safe. If needed, you can later File --> Open Backup.

At this point, I would recommend manually Closing the notebook in question. Any local unsynced changes will go to Misplaced Sections. Then re-open the notebook: it should open on the newer sync stack, which is what Refresh is trying to do. Ideally it will auto-recover anything from Misplaced Sections, but if it doesn't depending on the state of the notebook, you can manually Copy content from Misplaced Sections into the re-opened notebook. This should be minimal whatever recent local changes never made it to OneDrive.

Again, I apologize for the poor experience as Refresh is supposed to be an automatic and seamless operation.

Answer 3

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the update. Before clearing the cache, try signing out and back into OneNote to refresh permissions. Check if your unsynced pages are in the “Misplaced Sections” and move them back to a notebook. Also, try opening notebooks directly from OneDrive via File > Open instead of the recent list. If that doesn’t work, clearing the cache is safe but back up any local files first to avoid losing changes.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 4

Hi Martin,

I'm Cherrelyn and I'm here to help.

Please try these suggestion:

1. n OneNote on your laptop, go to File > Info > View Sync Status and check if any notebooks are marked with an error.
2. Close the affected notebooks (right-click > Close This Notebook) and then reopen them from OneDrive via File > Open to force a fresh sync.
3. If it still fails, clear OneNote’s local cache: close OneNote, delete the cache folder under C:\Users<YourName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote, then reopen and sign in again.

This usually fixes stuck syncs and restores full access.

I hope this will help and if you have any question please feel free to ask.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 5

Hi @Martin Evans,

Thank you for reaching out and providing a detailed explanation of the issue you're experiencing with OneNote. I'm sorry to hear about the trouble syncing your notebooks between your laptop and phone.

Based on your description, it sounds like the sync error may be related to a corrupted cache or a temporary issue with the notebook's connection to the cloud. Here are a few steps you can try to regain access and restore syncing:

1. OneNote for Mac doesn’t offer a direct way to clear cache like Windows, but you can try:
   • Quit OneNote completely.
   • Go to ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac and delete or move this folder.
   • Restart OneNote and sign back in.
2. Open Notebooks from OneDrive
   • Visit https://onedrive.live.com in your browser.
   • Locate your notebooks and open them in OneNote Online.
   • If they open successfully, use the “Open in OneNote” option to reconnect them to your desktop app.
3. Check for Updates
   • Open the App Store on your Mac.
   • Go to the Updates tab and install any available updates for OneNote or Microsoft 365.
4. Re-sync from Phone
   • Since your phone still has access, open the notebook and force a sync:
   • Tap the notebook name > tap the three dots (…) > choose Sync Now.
   • This may push the latest version to the cloud and help your Mac reconnect.

I hope this helps you get the thing sorted out quickly!

Best regards,

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