I have a OneNote sync problem across Windows 11 Laptop, Android phone and tablet?

Hi, John Monks

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thanks for your question. What you’re describing usually happens when OneNote’s cloud “source of truth” (OneDrive permissions) and each device’s local sign-in or cache get out of alignment, so one device can edit while another shows “access denied” or stays stuck on an older copy.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Confirm the notebook is reachable in OneNote on the web first

Open the affected notebook in OneNote for the web (via OneDrive). If it opens there and shows the latest content, the notebook itself is fine and the problem is local to the device or app. If it fails on the web too, it points to a permission or service-side issue.

Fix permissions from OneDrive, even if you are the owner

In OneDrive, locate the notebook, select Share then Manage access, and confirm your account has Can edit or is listed as owner. If it looks wrong, re-grant yourself access (remove and re-add). This forces OneDrive to rebuild the permission link that OneNote depends on.

Update OneNote everywhere, especially on the tablet

Access problems can happen when a device is on an older OneNote build that cannot read certain notebook features. Updating to a supported version is often enough to restore access and syncing consistency.

On Windows 11, clear OneNote’s cache (safe reset of local sync state)

Cache corruption can keep a notebook “stuck” or produce permission-style sync errors. Back up first if you have unsynced notes, then close OneNote and clear/rename the local OneNote cache so it rebuilds cleanly on next launch.

Refresh OneDrive sync on the laptop

If Windows is relying on stale OneDrive sync metadata, pausing and resuming OneDrive sync can refresh the connection and help OneNote re-resolve notebook locations.

If the issue persists, use Microsoft’s OneNote diagnostics and check service status

Microsoft documents a OneNote Diagnostics Tool and recommends checking for OneDrive/OneNote service interruptions when notebooks won’t open or sync reliably.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

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