OneNote is not syncing

Question

I don’t know what has changed but my notes on my Mac are unaligned with notes on my phone. I’ve not been able to sync for weeks now.

why?

Answer 1

Hi, Kwadwo Addo

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Sorry for this frustrating situation that you're facing. When OneNote stops syncing for weeks, it is usually because the Mac app is stuck on an upload or sign-in token, or its local cache has gone out of step with what is stored in OneDrive, so each device shows a different “latest” copy.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Check what the cloud version looks like first

Open the notebook in OneNote for the web at www.onenote.com. If the web version is also missing recent changes, treat your Mac as the only place that still has those edits and avoid reinstalling OneNote until you have copied anything important to a safe page or a new section.

Force a manual sync on the Mac

In OneNote for Mac, open the sync window and trigger a sync for the affected notebook (File > View Sync Status, then Sync Now or Sync All). If you see an error code in the sync status, note it because it points to the specific cause (permissions, network, quota, or service).

Update OneNote (and Office if you have it)

Install any available Office/OneNote updates on the Mac, then restart OneNote and try syncing again. Sync problems on macOS are often fixed by an update that refreshes the auth components.

Refresh the notebook connection (quick reset without deleting anything)

Close the problem notebook and open it again from OneDrive or from OneNote for the web. This forces OneNote to rebuild the connection and often clears a “stuck” sync state.

Look for Misplaced Sections or sync conflicts

If OneNote shows Misplaced Sections or conflict messages, move or copy those pages back into the correct notebook/section, then run Sync Now again. These “stranded” sections are a common reason one device does not match another.

Confirm OneDrive storage is not blocking sync

If OneDrive is full, OneNote may stop uploading quietly or show “not enough space” style errors. Free up space, then retry sync and re-check the notebook in the browser.

Refresh your sign-in (very effective when sync “looks normal” but does nothing)

Go to OneNote > Preferences > Accounts, sign out, quit OneNote, reopen it, then sign back in with the same Microsoft account used on your phone. After that, run manual sync again.

If it still will not sync, clear the OneNote cache (do this carefully)

Only do this after you have verified your important notes exist in OneNote for the web, or you have copied any unsynced pages somewhere safe. Then quit OneNote and remove the OneNote cache folder under:

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Caches/

Restart the Mac and open OneNote again so it rebuilds a fresh cache.

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

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