OneNote Issue

Question

I cannot open the folders in my OneNote to see my pages, and in addition, the tabs on the menu ribbon do not work either. I am not sure what is going on, but I need to recover those notes.

Answer 1

Hi, are you using the desktop OneNote app or the Windows 10 app version?

Open OneNote in safe mode to isolate add-ins, press Windows key + R, type onenote /safe, then press Enter. If it works, go to File, Options, Add-ins, then disable all add-ins and restart normally. If the issue remains, repair the app by going to Settings, Apps, Installed apps, select OneNote or Office, choose Modify, then run Quick Repair followed by Online Repair if needed. This resets app components and restores normal navigation and ribbon behavior.

Answer 2

Use OneNote’s built‑in search and recovery features to get to the notes even if the UI (folders/sections and ribbon tabs) is not responding.

1. Search across all notebooks (Windows desktop)
   1. In OneNote, go to the search box in the upper‑right corner.
   2. Select the arrow next to the magnifying glass and choose All notebooks.
   3. Type a keyword or phrase from the missing notes.
   4. Select a result to open the page that contains the notes.
   Keyboard shortcut: press Ctrl+E to search across all notebooks.
2. Re‑open closed notebooks If the notebook or section was closed (and that’s why folders/pages seem missing):
   1. Choose File > Open.
   2. Under Recent Notebooks, select the notebook to reopen.
   3. Browse its sections/pages or run another search as above.
3. Check OneDrive for notebook copies If the notebook is stored in OneDrive and OneNote’s UI is not working properly:
   1. Sign in to OneDrive from the OneDrive home page.
   2. Browse folders such as Documents or Notebooks to find the notebook.
   3. Open it in OneNote for the web.
   4. From OneNote for the web, select Open in OneNote (if available) to reopen it in the desktop app.
4. Check Notebook Recycle Bin / Deleted Notes If pages or sections were deleted (possibly causing what looks like an empty folder/section): • OneNote for Windows (desktop):
   1. Open the shared notebook where the notes should be.
   2. Select History > Notebook Recycle Bin > Notebook Recycle Bin.
   3. If the missing pages appear, right‑click the page tab and choose Move or Copy.
   4. In Move or Copy Pages, select the target section and choose Move.
   • OneNote for Windows 10 app:
   1. Open the notebook where the notes should be.
   2. Select View > Deleted Notes.
   3. Tap and hold or right‑click the page name and choose Restore To.
   4. Choose the notebook section and select Restore.
5. If the app UI remains unusable If ribbon tabs and navigation still do not respond, open the notebook in OneNote for the web via OneDrive (step 3) to access and copy critical notes while troubleshooting or reinstalling the desktop app separately.

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References:

• Find OneNote notes, pages or tabs