One Note 2016 Back Up

Question

I recently cloned my jump drive and was locked out of my Windows account for 30 days. When I could get back in, I discovered that my One Note 2016 was missing. I did all the recommend things to recover it but all that comes up is older content from years ago and nothing from the last few years. I never did anything to set up alternate backup for what I had. I have very important data in there I need to retrieve. Any advice?

Answer 1

Hello Saidas, my name is Ilyas and I am very sorry to hear that this has happened to you. I will recommend you some actions which you can take in order to solve your issues.

1. Search for OneNote Files: Use the search functionality on your computer to look for OneNote files. Search for file types like .one or .onetoc2. Look in common locations like your Documents folder, OneDrive, or any specific folders where you might have saved OneNote notebooks.
2. Check OneDrive: If you were syncing your OneNote notebooks with OneDrive, check the online version of OneDrive. Your notebooks might be available there, and you can open them using the online version of OneNote.
3. Check Backup Locations: Check if you have any backup locations set up for your OneNote notebooks. OneNote allows you to set a backup location in the options. Open OneNote 2016 and go to File > Options > Save & Backup to check the backup location. If you had it configured, your notes might be there.
4. Search for . One or . Onetoc2 Files: Manually search for files with the extensions .one and .onetoc2. Sometimes, these files might not be located in the default OneNote folders.
5. Check Recycle Bin: If you accidentally deleted your OneNote notebooks, check the Recycle Bin on your computer. Restoring the deleted files from the Recycle Bin might recover your notes.
6. Use File Recovery Software: If the files were accidentally deleted or lost during the cloning process, consider using file recovery software. Tools like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, or Disk Drill might help recover lost files.
7. Windows File History: If you had File History enabled on your computer, you might be able to restore previous versions of your OneNote notebooks.
8. Recover Previous Versions: Right-click on the folder where your OneNote files were stored. Select "Restore previous versions" and check if there are any available versions that contain your recent notes.
9. Check OneNote Online: Log in to OneNote online (OneNote for the web) using your Microsoft account. Sometimes, notebooks might be available there.

I hope this helps,

Ilyas