OneNote does not sync

Anonymous
2016-08-11T10:45:46+00:00

Hi there,

This morning I started to have problems with OneNote 2013. First I got an error saying that one notebook (stored in OneDrive) could not sync: "We're sorry, something went wrong during sync. We'll try again later. (Error code: 0xE4020017)"

The errors were associated to a particular section. Following: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Fix-issues-when-you-can-t-sync-OneNote-299495ef-66d1-448f-90c1-b785a6968d45, I tried to open that notebook in OneNote online. That worked although I could not open the section. Then I copied all the pages in that section to a newly created section. This did not help either. now two sections could not sync. Then I decided so sort the pages in that section and distributed (moved) the pages among various notebooks and sections. Now several of my notebooks cannot sync..... :-(

Finally I decided to close the notebook but now I cannot re-open it. it looks like all the data is still in OneDrive but i cannot sync the notebook to my local OneNote 2013 (windows 8) and also not to my ipad. 

This is quite frustrating. anyone with a suggestion/solution to my problems?

Thanks,

Raul 

PS: after moving various pages around i ended up with several empty sections. I deleted these sections from various notebooks but these sections keep on re-appearing after a few secs.... :- S

EDIT: I just noticed that there is something wrong with several of my notebook files stored in OneDrive. I wanted to make a back up of my notebooks by copying them to another location in OneDrive but the problematic notebooks cannot be copied... I hope that I did not loose any important file. I would appreciate receiving help from the Microsoft community to fix my issues. Thanks!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-08-12T03:34:57+00:00

    Looks like they fixed it. My stuff is showing up in the cloud. 

    Remember to use the auto backup ability if you lost your stuff, here.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-08-12T04:11:45+00:00

    I think you're right. Looks like the affected pages can just be opened up and they work fine. No need to revert to backups.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-08-12T08:57:53+00:00

    Hi Guys,

    Syncing works fine now. For my PC that's still experiencing the error, I just closed and reopened the notebook.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-08-12T09:10:56+00:00

    Hi,

    It's indeed great if the problem has been fixed. I'm not risking it for the next few days, I've lost too much already (time and data) :-/

    Interestingly, I received an email about a month back from Microsoft that my OneDrive free storage limits were being reduced. Since I was received out of disk space / improper rights errors like HB_ZA here (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office\_2013\_release-onenote/onenote-notebook-sync-error/a8287cfb-871a-4de7-90f8-e6b77222e372), I was wondering if these two things are somehow related.

    However, I had several GB free even after the reduced, and the user at the link above has 60 GB free on OneDrive. Really curious as to what Microsoft will come up with as an explanation. Disappointing as it is, it must be even worse for the Business customers who are paying for it.

    --Kartik

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-08-12T12:44:10+00:00

    Hi Kartik and all,

    About the root cause: not clear yet. I've talked to 2 support staff from Microsoft on the phone and 4 chats. Thanks to all the Microsoft staff involved, especially Vikram and Terrence Y who have been very helpful.

    At the end all my OneNote files are syncing properly now, and I didn't have to restore a backup file, but no answer on the question what caused the issue, or how the issue was solved (by them). Maybe that will come.

    The only change that happend on my side, is an update of my OneNote office client to version 16.0.7167.2036.

    An updated summary of lessons learned:

    1. Use OneDrive for business if you can and put your OneNotes there. Although also on a regular OneDrive, files can be restored to a previous version.
    2. Backup your OneNotes frequently (every 12 hours?). See File > Settings > Backup.
    3. When you are in touch with a MSFT support person via chat, ask for a case number and an url to return to the chat when connection is lost. Happend to me 3 times...
    4. When your OneNote has sync issues, especially with error code 0xE4020017, do not panic and do not start with closing your local OneNotesfor instance. That way you will only loose your last edits.
    5. Only think about closing your local version when you've opened the online version and there all sections are accessible and in good condition.
    6. Online support via Twitter @microsofthelps did not give much results. Maybe I should have gone into DM with them?
    7. If the online version of your OneNote is broken, then COPY pages (or sections) from your local (also corrupt?) notebook into a new local OneNote. You can do this page by page and monitor synchronisation after each.

    That is a safety and rescue operation. You can do this also on other devices that have the same OneNote in local version. It might be good to cut their internet connection during that operation. 8. Check also this document "Troubleshoot synchronization errors in OneNote 2016 for Windows". 9. Keep enjoying the power of OneNote. It still is a great product.

    Best regards from Belgium.

    All's well that ends well...

    But I'm still curious about what caused all this...

    Bart

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