One note login issues

Question

i am able to log into onenote via google search with my school email on my macbook, when i try to log into onenote on the app on my mac it says that i cant log in via my school account. how do i resolve this issue?

Answer 1

Hi Davis, Felicity

Please refer to AI's recommenations and try the suggested troubleshooting steps, particularly signing out/in again, updating OneNote, and clearing any cached Office credentials on macOS.

Since you are able to sign in to OneNote on the web using the same school account, this indicates that the account itself is recognized by Microsoft 365 and has access to OneNote services. This may suggest that the issue is specific to the OneNote desktop application on macOS or to how your organization's environment handles authentication for desktop apps.

After completing the AI's recommended steps, if the issue continues, I recommend contacting your school's Microsoft 365 administrator. They can verify whether:

• The account has the appropriate Microsoft 365 Education license assigned.
• Desktop app usage is included with the assigned license.
• There are any Conditional Access or security policies preventing sign-in from desktop applications.
• Device compliance requirements must be met before accessing Microsoft 365 apps on macOS.

In some cases, users may be able to access OneNote through a web browser but encounter issues with the desktop app if the assigned license or organizational policies only permit web access. Your administrator will be able to confirm whether this applies to your account.

I hope this information helps.

Answer 2

Use the same school account in the Mac app that opens the notebook on the web, then reset the app sign-in state if the Mac app keeps rejecting it.

1. In OneNote for Mac, sign out of the current account:
   • Menu bar: OneNote > Sign Out.
2. Sign back in with the school account that can open the notebook in the browser:
   • Menu bar: OneNote > Sign In.
3. If the notebook is tied to a different account than the one currently active, switch accounts and sign in with the account that actually contains the notebook.
4. Verify access in the browser:
   • Sign in to OneNote for the web with the same school account.
   • If the notebook opens there, go to OneDrive with that same account, open the notebook in the browser, then click Open In OneNote. If prompted, sign in in the Mac app with that same account.
5. If the Mac app still repeatedly asks for sign-in or rejects the school account:
   • Update OneNote for Mac to the latest version.
   • Sign out of all accounts associated with OneNote, then sign in again.
6. If repeated sign-in prompts continue on macOS, clear the stored Office credentials:
   • Quit all Mac Office apps except OneNote.
   • In OneNote, sign out.
   • Quit OneNote.
   • Open Keychain Access and search for items containing Office15.
   • Delete the items whose kind starts with MicrosoftOffice15.
   • Open OneNote and sign in again.

Notes:

• OneNote for Mac requires signing in with a Microsoft account or the work or school account provided by the organization.
• If the school notebook opens on the web but not in the app, the issue is commonly the saved account/credential state in the Mac app.
• Clearing credentials removes authentication data only. Office apps that share those credentials may require sign-in again.

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References:

• Sign in to OneNote for Mac
• Fix issues when you can't sync OneNote
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in OneNote for Mac, iPhone, and iPad
• Navigate your notes with OneNote