Need to get rid of ONE NOTE

Question

One Note has taken over and I cannot print or save new documents without it going to One Note.

How do I get rid of it and recoup my documents as regular .doc?

I have changed my default printer but it still wont work. I am 72 so be clear in directions please. TY

Answer 1

OneNote is not changing documents into a different file type. Word documents stay as .doc or .docx. What is happening is that printing or saving is being sent to OneNote instead of to the printer or to a normal file location. Fixing this requires changing the printer or removing OneNote if desired.

1. Check the printer selection when printing

• In Word (or other Office apps), choose File > Print.
• Look at the Printer drop-down.
• Make sure it is set to a real printer (for example, an HP, Canon, Epson printer), not:
  • “Send to OneNote”
  • “OneNote (Desktop)”
  • “OneNote (Desktop) – Protected”
  • “Microsoft Print to PDF”
• After selecting the real printer, try printing again.

2. If Windows protected print mode is enabled Windows protected print mode can remove the old “OneNote (Desktop)” printer and replace it with “OneNote (Desktop) – Protected.” If this is causing confusion and printing is going to OneNote:

• Select Start.
• Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & scanners.
• Scroll down to Printer Preferences.
• Under Windows protected print mode, either:
  • Use a hardware printer instead of the OneNote printers, or
  • Select Turn Off if the goal is to go back to the older print behavior.

3. Remove OneNote notebooks stored locally (optional) If the goal is to remove local OneNote content (not Word documents):

• Open File Explorer.
• Go to the Documents folder.
• Double-click OneNote Notebooks.
• Right-click each notebook that is no longer needed and click Delete.
• Empty the Recycle Bin if those notebooks should be permanently removed.

This does not delete Word documents; it only removes OneNote notebook files.

4. Remove OneNote app (optional, if using a Mac) If using a Mac and OneNote should be completely removed:

• In Finder, open the Applications folder.
• Drag Microsoft OneNote to the Trash.
• Open Library > Containers and drag all items starting with com.microsoft.onenote to the Trash.
• Restart the Mac.

Warning: This removes OneNote and all local notebook content from the Mac. Sync or back up any important notes first.

5. Word documents are still .doc/.docx If a document was created in Word, it remains a Word file (.doc or .docx) wherever it is saved (Documents, Desktop, OneDrive, etc.). OneNote does not convert Word files into OneNote format. To “recoup” them:

• Open File Explorer.
• Look in Documents, Desktop, or OneDrive folders for files ending in .doc or .docx.
• Double-click to open in Word and then print using a real printer as in step 1.

If OneNote virtual printers were uninstalled by Windows protected print mode and printing to OneNote is still desired later, the “OneNote (Desktop) – Protected” virtual printer is installed automatically on supported Windows and OneNote versions.

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References:

• Print documents and files to OneNote
• Overview of Windows protected print mode
• Delete OneNote notebook from your Windows computer
• Remove OneNote from your Mac