(Fixed) Collapsed Sections in OneNote Expand Again After Reopening – How to Keep Them Closed

Many users have noticed that when you collapse a paragraph or section in OneNote using the outline arrow, it works during your session—but once you close and reopen OneNote, everything expands again. That’s because Microsoft OneNote does not save collapse/expand actions on their own.

Here’s the workaround: After collapsing the sections you want hidden, make a small edit before closing OneNote. For example, type a letter (like “E”) and then delete it. This counts as an actual edit. Once you do that, OneNote will save both the edit and the collapsed state. When you reopen the app, your collapsed sections will remain collapsed.