OneNote is not synching on any of my devices.

NigelGB 35 Reputation points
2026-02-17T05:31:37.1633333+00:00

I want to switch from Evernote to OneNote because I have a Microsoft 365 Subscription.

Apart from a brief test about 5 years ago I haven't used OneNote.

Sadly I can't seem to Sync anything across my devices.

To get started, in the online OneNote page in the Edge Browser on my Macbook Pro

  • I opened my old notebook
  • I deleted an old section
  • Then I added a new section and a page.

The OneDrive App on my Macbook Pro just shows an empty Notebooks folder. If I try to add a New Notebook it tells me I have to sign in with a valid OneDrive account. If I try to open my existing notebook it shows a dialog with the Notebook name but I can't just select the notebook and open it. I have to select a section in the backup then it just opens that section not the whole notebook. It doesn't show the new section I added in the Browser in the list.

The OneDrive App on my Samsung phone shows the unchanged Notebook from years ago with sections I deleted still there and the new sections missing.

I am signed in with the same email address in the browser, the Android OneNote app and the OSX OneNote app.

I have tried signing out then signing back into the account on all devices.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-02-17T05:31:49.4966667+00:00

    It seems you are experiencing synchronization issues with OneNote across your devices. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem:

    1. Check Your Internet Connection: Ensure that all devices are connected to the internet, as OneNote requires an active connection to sync.
    2. Sign In with the Same Account: Verify that you are signed in with the same Microsoft account on all devices. It appears you have done this, but double-checking can help.
    3. Use the OneNote Application: Instead of relying solely on the browser, try using the OneNote desktop application on your MacBook Pro. Sometimes, the desktop app can handle syncing better than the web version.
    4. Clear Cache and Data: On your devices, try clearing the cache and data for the OneNote app. This can sometimes resolve sync issues.
    5. Check for Updates: Ensure that all your OneNote applications are updated to the latest version. Outdated versions may have bugs that affect syncing.
    6. Remove Special Characters: If you have any special characters in your notebook or section names, try removing them. This has been known to cause sync issues.
    7. Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant: If the issue persists, consider using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to diagnose and fix OneNote sync issues. You can download it from the Microsoft website.
    8. Reset OneDrive: If you are still having trouble, you might want to reset OneDrive. This can help resolve syncing issues related to OneDrive itself.

    By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the sync issues with OneNote across your devices. If the problem continues, further investigation may be needed to identify specific errors or conflicts.

    References:

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  2. Kai-H 26,760 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-18T10:24:15.6633333+00:00

    Hi, NigelGB

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Sorry for this unwanted experience that you're facing. What you’re seeing is almost always an account or “connection state” mismatch between devices, or a local app cache/index that’s out of date, so each device is effectively looking at a different snapshot of the notebook.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    Use OneNote for the web as the source of truth

    Open the notebook at www.onenote.com and check whether your new section/page is visible there. If it is, the issue is on one or more devices, not your notebook itself.

    Reset the Mac app’s connection to the notebook (often fixes “stuck in the past”)

    In OneNote on macOS, close the affected notebook, then reopen it from OneNote for the web using Open in OneNote. This forces the desktop app to rebuild its link to the notebook’s correct cloud location.

    Force a manual sync on each device

    This pushes pending changes and refreshes the notebook index.

    • Mac: Control-click the notebook name > Sync This Notebook
    • Android: Tap and hold the notebook name > Sync Notebook

    Update OneNote everywhere (Mac, Android)

    Older builds can silently fail to sync against current services, so updating removes a very common cause.

    Check OneDrive storage and Microsoft service health

    If OneDrive is full or there’s a service interruption, notebooks may stop updating across devices.

    Clear the OneNote cache on Mac (do this only after step 1 confirms notes are safe online)

    A corrupted cache can block new sections from appearing. After verifying everything shows on OneNote for the web, quit OneNote and remove the cache folder under ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote…/Data/Library/Caches/, then reopen OneNote.

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

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

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