My documents don’t show up

Kim Carlson 20 Reputation points
2026-04-20T12:46:31.31+00:00

I’ve been using One Note for many years, yet when I went into my OneNote app on my iPad recently, some of the documents I don’t use all of the time give a message, section not found, which at one time were all there. How do I get these back?

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

    2026-04-20T12:46:45.37+00:00

    On iPad, “Section not found” usually means the section is in a notebook that isn’t currently open or hasn’t fully synced to the device.

    Try these steps on the iPad:

    1. Re-open closed notebooks
      1. In the Notebooks list, tap More Notebooks.
      2. Tap to open any notebooks that contain the missing sections.
      3. To see additional notebooks, tap Open more from OneDrive.
    2. Search for the missing notes
      1. On any page, tap Search on the bottom menu.
      2. Type a keyword or phrase that appears in the missing section, then tap Search.
      3. In the results, tap a page to open it. This can reveal if the content is in another section or notebook.
    3. Manually sync shared notebooks If the notebook is stored on OneDrive, force a sync:
      1. On any page, tap the Show Notebooks button.
      2. In the pane that appears, press and pull down on the notebooks list to sync all.
        • To sync a single section, go to that section and pull down on the page list.
        • To sync a single notebook, go to any section in that notebook and pull down the section list.
    4. Check OneDrive directly
      1. Sign in to OneDrive from the OneDrive home page or the OneDrive app for iOS.
      2. Browse folders such as Documents or Notebooks for the notebook that should contain the missing sections.
      3. When found, open it in OneNote.

    If the sections still do not appear after opening all notebooks and syncing, report the issue in the OneNote forums on Microsoft Community for further investigation.

    References:

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

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  2. Katerina-N 9,290 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-20T19:12:19.8433333+00:00

    Hello Kim Carlson,

    Based on your description, you're seeing OneNote shows "Section not found” on iPad. This usually means the section still exists somewhere, but the iPad app can no longer sync or locate it correctly. I suggest you try these steps:

    1. Force OneNote to sync again on your iPad

    Sync errors are the most common cause of “Section not found.”

    • Open OneNote on your iPad
    • Open any notebook
    • Tap Show Notebooks
    • Pull down on the notebook list until syncing starts
    • Go back to the affected section and check again
    • Re‑open closed notebooks
    1. Sometimes older notebooks were closed and no longer load on iPad.
    • In OneNote, tap Notebooks
    • Tap More Notebooks
    • Open every notebook listed
    • Also tap Open more from OneDrive
    • Check whether the missing sections appear
    • Find the notes using Search (even if sections look broken)
    1. Sections may not load, but pages can still be found via search.
    • Tap Search in OneNote
    • Search for a word you remember from those notes
    • Open any result that appears

    Note: Password‑protected sections will not appear until unlocked

    1. Check OneDrive directly (very important)

    Your notebooks may still be intact in OneDrive even if iPad can’t open them.

    1. If a section was deleted, OneNote keeps it temporarily. This step must be done on Mac or Windows, not iPad.
    • Open OneNote on Mac or Windows
    • Open the affected notebook
    • Go to Deleted Notes
    • Restore any missing section or page

    Deleted notes are kept for up to 60 days

    1. Check sync errors on another device

    If OneNote can’t sync on any device, the content will not load on iPad.

    • OneNote for Windows/Mac: look for a sync warning icon
    • Fix sync errors first, then reopen OneNote on iPad

    I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to reach back if you have further update or more questions.

    Best Regards,

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