Cannot export OneNote notebook

Question

When I try to export a OneNote notebook on the web version, it gives an error. From the "My Notebooks" section, I right click on the name of the notebook, and choose "export notebook." A new window opens that says "Something went wrong. Refresh this page, or try again later. If this error persists, report this issue." This has been happening for days, so it's a recurring issue.

I would like to export my whole notebook as a PDF to keep as a back-up. How can I do this?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi! A BXY,    

I apologize for the inconvenience and I totally understand your frustration, and at this time it appears that there may be a fluctuation in the network link between the OneNote servers and your region. We are currently unable to use the OneNote app on Mac devices to export entire notes to PDF.But I noticed that you seem to have a working PC, if the OS installed on your PC is Windows and you have the OneNote app installed on your Windows device, you can use the OneNote app on your Windows device to open your OneNote notebooks and export the whole note as a PDF file. are the detailed steps:

1. Please follow the previous steps to open the notes you need to export in OneNote for web > Click File at the top of the notes page > Click Edit in Desktop App in Info.  

2. After you open your notes in your Windows device, please click File in OneNote application > click export on the left side of the page > click NoteBook > select PDF format to export the whole notes to PDF format.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.   Thank you for your understanding and patience and I look forward to hearing from you. Best Regards Eddy | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I am still unable to export the notebooks.

To answer your questions:

1. I can open the notes themselves both on the web and in the app. I don't want to just save a single page, though. I am trying to export the whole notebook.
2. I've tried Chrome, Safari, and Edge.
3. I do not have an anti-virus software running.

In terms of the Mac settings, I've tried all 3 of your suggestions to no avail. I've also tried logging into a PC (instead of my Mac), but was still not able to export the notebooks.

Is there a work-around I can do to download my notebooks as a PDF?

Thank you!

Answer 3

Hi! A BXY,   

Welcome to the Microsoft Community! I realize that you've encountered a problem with unable to export notes in OneNote's web side and I understand how you feel. I just tested accordingly based on your description and found that I can export and download the notes file normally. Therefore your issue should be caused by a specific device, and in general, this issue may be related to your network environment, browser settings and other factors. In order to be able to investigate your issue further and provide you with a more relevant solution, I sincerely invite you to share the following information with me:

1. Can you open your notes in the web page normally at the moment?
2. Which browser are you using to download the notes? (If you are not using Edge browser, we suggest you try to download in Edge browser)
3. Do you have some anti-virus software or firewall turned on in your device?

For now I suggest you try changing your browser to download first, if the problem still exists after changing your browser, please try the following methods to change your Mac settings:

1. Please try to open the mobile hotspot on your cell phone and connect your Mac device to the mobile hotspot, and then open the OneNote export interface to see if it works.
2. If the network change is still not effective, please try to modify your DNS settings, set your DNS service to 8.8.8.8 or 114.114.114.114. To change these settings, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Network in the sidebar, click a network service on the right, click Details, then click DNS. (You may need to scroll down.) For detailed information about how to modify DNS for Mac devices, please refer to Apple's official support link: Change DNS settings on Mac - Apple Support (SG)

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

3. If you have some third-party anti-virus software or network monitoring software on your Mac device, please disable them before downloading notes to see if they work.

Disclaimer: Temporarily turn off antivirus protection. However, keep in mind that if you do so, your device may be vulnerable to threats. So please turn it on immediately once issue fixed. Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.Thank you for your understanding and patience and I look forward to hearing from you. Best Regards Eddy | Microsoft Community Support Specialist