MS Onenote Transcribe Button is broken

Question

I open Onenote, click on a page in a notebook, click 'Transcribe' and I get this:

ERROR

This feature could not be started. Close this dialog to ignore the problem or click "Restart" to try again.

<Message>The specified blob does not exist. RequestId: [Moderator note: personal info removed]</Message>

</Error>

Close

Answer 1

Hi @Gemma Jones,

Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Your Transcribe feature in OneNote stops working and shows an error referring to a missing blob and you're seeing this error appears

“The specified blob does not exist”

In Microsoft OneNote (and other Microsoft 365 apps), the Transcribe feature uploads your audio to a temporary Azure storage blob so the service can process and convert it into text.

A blob is simply a file stored in Microsoft’s cloud storage.

This error means that OneNote tried to access the temporary audio file but could not find it.

Before proceeding, there is some basic checks you can try first:

1. Restart OneNote (close it completely, not just the window)
2. Sign out and sign back in to Office apps
3. Ensure your internet connection is stable
4. Test in another notebook or create a new blank page
5. Check that your OneDrive storage is not full

If the error persists after these steps, the issue is likely not local.

From here, there may be nothing more you can resolve on your own as an end user. Given the nature of the problem, the most effective next step is reaching out to your IT admin and ask them to use their admin credentials to submit a support request through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Microsoft also provides customer service phone numbers based on your region. You can find the appropriate contact number here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support .

This route ensures that a Microsoft support engineer can initiate a remote session to investigate backend configurations, run advanced diagnostic tools, and, if necessary, escalate the case to specialized teams with access to internal systems and logs. These backend resources are essential for resolving issues that go beyond what’s visible in the user interface.

As community moderators, we’re here to guide you, but due to privacy and security limitations, we don’t have access to the backend tools required for a full resolution. For this reason, contacting Microsoft Support via the Admin Center is the most secure and efficient way forward.

I hope this helps you resolve the issue quickly. I’m glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.  

If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as the accepted answer. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.  

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum. 

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