Sync error: we couldn't open this section

Question

Dear Microsoft Team,

All the content in all my Notebooks has disappeared in OneNote. First, the following message appeared: "Sync Error: We need to refresh this notebook to continue syncing"

I pressed OK. And all the content disappeared in all my Notebooks, with the sign "We couldn't open this section"

Please help me retrieve the content of my Notebooks.

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

Dear TKVN,

Thank you for your update. I apologize for the delay in my response. The good news is that your notes still exist online and on OneDrive. This means the data is not lost, but rather your desktop application is having trouble accessing and syncing it. The error "We couldn't open that location. It might not exist or you might not have permission to open it" when trying to open from OneNote online to desktop, further confirms a local app or cache issue.

Let's work through this to get your notes back in your desktop app.

Immediate Confirmation & Safety Measures:

1. Confirm Online Access: Double-check right now that you can still fully view and edit all your content directly in OneNote Online (via your web browser at onenote.com). This is your current reliable source of truth.
2. Do NOT make significant changes in the desktop app: Until this is resolved, avoid making many new changes in your desktop app, as it might not be syncing correctly.

The core problem is your desktop app's connection to the cloud. We need to reset that connection.

1.Close and Reopen Notebooks in Desktop App:

Since you're getting "We couldn't open this section," your local OneNote app might be trying to access a corrupted local copy or a stale connection. The best way to refresh this is to completely close the notebooks from the desktop app and reopen them from the online source.

1. Close OneNote Application Completely: Ensure OneNote is not running. Go to the top menu bar, click OneNote > Quit OneNote. You can also right-click the OneNote icon in your dock and select "Quit."
2. Open OneNote Online: Go to your web browser and navigate to onenote.com. Log in with the same Microsoft account associated with your notebooks.
3. Open Notebooks from Online to Desktop:
   • Find one of your notebooks that disappeared (or all of them, one by one).
   • Click on the notebook name to open it in OneNote Online.
   • Once the notebook is open in the browser, look for the "Open in Desktop App" button (it's usually in the toolbar at the top). Click this button.
   • Your Mac should then prompt you to open the link in the OneNote desktop app. Allow it.
   • This process forces the desktop app to establish a fresh connection to the cloud version of your notebook. Repeat for all notebooks.

2.Clear OneNote Cache

• Corrupted cache files can definitely cause syncing and opening issues.
  1. Quit OneNote completely (as described in Step 1.1 above). This is vital.
  2. Open Finder.
  3. In the Finder menu bar, click "Go", then hold down the Option (Alt) key and select "Library". (The Library folder is hidden by default, so holding Option is necessary).
  4. Navigate to the Containers folder within the Library.
  5. Look for a folder named com.microsoft.OneNote.
  6. Drag this com.microsoft.OneNote folder to your Desktop. (Do NOT delete it immediately, just in case. This effectively clears the cache and preferences for OneNote).
  7. Now, try to open OneNote and follow Step 1.3 (Open Notebooks from Online to Desktop) again.

Additional Important Checks:

• Check OneNote Version: Ensure your OneNote desktop application on Mac is fully updated. Outdated versions can sometimes have sync bugs.
• Open OneNote > Click OneNote in the top menu bar > Check for Updates.
• Internet Connection: While seemingly obvious, ensure your Mac has a stable and strong internet connection when trying to open/sync. Briefly disconnecting and reconnecting your Wi-Fi can sometimes resolve minor network glitches.
• OneDrive/SharePoint Status: Check your OneDrive sync client on your Mac (the cloud icon in your menu bar). Ensure it's signed in correctly and reporting no sync errors for your files.

The "We couldn't open that location" error when trying to open from online to desktop on Mac is a strong indicator that clearing the local OneNote cache (com.microsoft.OneNote folder) and then re-adding the notebooks from OneNote Online is the most likely solution.

Please start by ensuring OneNote is fully quit, then try clearing the cache, and then reopen the notebooks from OneNote Online. Let me know how it goes! I hope this helps you retrieve your notes quickly!

Kind regards,

Kai-L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

TKVC,

I am having the same problem. It just started today. I hope someone answers your questions, because I am exactly where you are right now,

Answer 3

Thank you for providing this information.

My notes still exist online and on OneDrive. But when I try to open the Desktop App from OneNote online, it shows the following message: We couldn't open that location.  It might not exist or you might not have permission to open it. Please contact the owner of onenote.

I am the owner on OneNote. What should I do in this case?

Also, could you please explain how to proceed with the Steps 4 and 5 on Mac?

Thank you

Answer 4

Dear TKVN,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I understand how concerning it is to see your notes disappear with the message "Sync Error: We need to refresh this notebook to continue syncing" followed by "We couldn't open this section." This is a distressing situation, but often the content is still recoverable.

Here are steps to help you recover your OneNote content and resolve the sync issue:

1: Check OneNote Online (Most Important First Step)

The absolute first thing to do is to check if your notes exist on the web. If they do, then the issue is with your local application, not the data itself.

• Open OneNote Online: Go to onenote.com in your web browser.
• Sign in: Make sure you sign in with the exact Microsoft account (personal or work/school) that you use for your OneNote notebooks.
• Check your notebooks: See if your notebooks and all their content are present and accessible there.
  • If your notes are online: Great! This means your data is safe, and the issue is with your OneNote desktop app. You can usually recover by closing and reopening the notebooks in the app (see Step 3).
  • If your notes are NOT online: This is more serious, indicating a deeper sync problem or potential data loss. Proceed to Step 2.

2: Check OneDrive (If notes are not online)

OneNote notebooks are typically stored on OneDrive or SharePoint.

• Go to OneDrive: Sign in to your OneDrive account through your web browser (either onedrive.live for personal accounts or your organization's OneDrive portal for work/school accounts).
• Look for your Notebooks: Navigate to your "Documents" folder or wherever you typically save your OneNote notebooks. OneNote notebooks appear as folders with the OneNote icon.
• Try opening them from OneDrive: Click on a notebook folder. It should prompt you to open it in OneNote Online. See if the content is there.

3: Troubleshooting Your OneNote Desktop Application

If your notes are confirmed to be present in OneNote Online (Step 1), then the problem is with the desktop application's synchronization.

1. Close All Notebooks in OneNote Desktop App:
   • In your OneNote desktop application, right-click on the name of each affected notebook in the navigation pane and select "Close this Notebook." Do this for all notebooks you're having issues with. This ensures OneNote fully disconnects from them.
2. Restart OneNote Application: Completely close OneNote and then reopen it.
3. Reopen Notebooks from OneNote Online:
   • Go back to onenote.com in your browser.
   • Open one of your notebooks there.
   • Click the "Open in Desktop App" button (usually near the top of the screen). This forces your desktop app to open a fresh, properly linked version of the notebook from the cloud.
   • Repeat for all your notebooks.

4: Check OneNote Backups (If content is still missing or corrupted)

OneNote desktop applications also keep local backups.

1. Open OneNote Desktop App:
2. Go to File > Options > Save & Backup.
3. Click "Backup Folder" to see where your backups are stored.
4. To restore: Go to File > Info > Open Backups. OneNote will show you a list of your backed-up notebooks. You might find earlier versions of your sections or pages here. Open them and copy the content back into your main notebooks.

5: Clear OneNote Cache 

If the issue persists, a corrupted OneNote cache might be the culprit.

1. Close OneNote desktop application completely. Make sure it's not running in the background.
2. Navigate to the cache folder:
   • Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
   • Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneNote and press Enter.
   • You should see folders like 16.0 (for OneNote 2016/Microsoft 365) or other version numbers. Open the relevant version folder.
   • Inside, look for the cache folder.
   • Rename the cache folder to cache_old (e.g., C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\cache_old). Do NOT delete it immediately, just in case you need to revert.
3. Restart OneNote: OneNote will create a new cache folder and attempt to resync all your notebooks from scratch. This might take some time depending on the size of your notebooks.

Important Considerations:

• Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable and strong internet connection throughout this process, as synchronization is key.
• Account Used: Double-check that you are consistently logged into the correct Microsoft account across OneNote desktop, OneNote Online, and OneDrive. Sometimes users might have multiple personal or work accounts.

Please start with Step 1 (Check OneNote Online), as it's the fastest way to confirm if your data is safe. Let me know what you find, and we can proceed from there!Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Kind regards, 

Kai-L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist