OneNote not sycning across devices- repeatedly asks to sign in on desktop

Ashlyn Haines 0 Reputation points
2026-03-12T15:33:53.63+00:00

Hello community

I primarily use OneNote on my phone. I also also it on my desktop for drawing. For a long time the 2 devices havent been syncing. So both apps have different notes. On the desktop when i bring up the window to sync, it shows all these errors and asks me to sign it, but signing in does nothing, even if i do it 10 times nothing changes. please help. =]

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

    2026-03-12T15:34:10.9633333+00:00

    Follow these steps to get OneNote syncing again and stop the repeated sign‑in prompts on the desktop:

    1. Confirm connectivity and service health
      • Make sure the desktop has a stable internet connection.
      • If the notebook is on OneDrive, check the OneDrive Service Health page for outages. If OneDrive has issues, OneNote sync will be affected.
    2. Check which account the notebook uses
      • On the desktop app, open the notebook that is not syncing.
      • Select File > Info and confirm which account (Microsoft account or work/school account) is shown for that notebook.
      • Ensure the same account is used on the phone.
    3. Resolve account authentication errors in OneNote
      • In the desktop app, click the sync error message near the top of the window. This forces a session refresh.
      • When prompted, sign in with the same account the notebook is associated with.
      • If the password was recently changed, make sure the new password is used.
    4. Open the notebook in OneNote for the web
      • In the desktop app, select File.
      • On the Info tab, right‑click the notebook URL under the notebook name and select Copy.
      • Paste this URL into a browser and press Enter to open it in OneNote for the web.
      • If the notebook opens and shows current content, the account and permissions are correct and the problem is local to the desktop app.
    5. Clear stored Office credentials on Windows (for repeated sign‑in prompts)
      • Close OneNote and all Office apps, and close any open browser windows.
      • Select Start > Settings.
      • In Find a setting, type Credential Manager and open Credential Manager.
      • Select Windows Credentials.
      • Find entries starting with MicrosoftAccount and MicrosoftOffice.
      • Expand each and select Remove.
      • Restart the computer.
      • Open OneNote and sign in again with the correct account. OneNote should resume syncing.
    6. Avoid data loss while troubleshooting
      • Do not sign out of OneNote or remove/reinstall the app as a first step, because this can cause data loss if unsynced notes exist on the device.

    If, after these steps, the notebook still does not sync but opens correctly in the browser, continue working in OneNote for the web temporarily until the desktop app completes a successful sync.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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