How to restore One Note misplaced files on a Mac

Brett Greene 0 Reputation points
2026-05-05T20:34:31.7866667+00:00

One Note on my Mac desktop gives me an error message that "We couldn't sync some changes in this section because it was.." There is no way to see what other information comes after "..." When I try to move the files to antoher folder the error message says "OneNote couldn't copy this section to the notebook you selected because you have view only permissions."

I have not logged out because I'm afraid of losing the files which I use daily. All of the solutions I find in the Microsoft community and through AI chats has me looking for options that the menus don't offer. I've spent over two hours on this getting nowhere. Please share any helpful information.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For business | MacOS
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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-05T20:34:51.7333333+00:00

    On macOS, misplaced sections and sync errors in OneNote are handled with a few specific tools. The key points in this scenario are:

    • The section is not syncing.
    • It appears as misplaced and cannot be copied because the current account has view‑only permissions to the target notebook.

    Use the following steps to protect and restore as much content as possible.

    1. Manually sync and check for errors
    2. Open the shared notebook where the misplaced section belongs.
    3. On the menu bar, select File > Sync This Notebook (or Sync All Notebooks).
    4. If an error code appears for that notebook, note it and resolve it first. Unless sync errors are resolved, changes (including recovery attempts) may not propagate correctly.
    5. Try to move or delete the misplaced section Misplaced sections appear when OneNote cannot find the section file during sync.

    To move a misplaced section to another notebook:

    1. Control‑click the name of the misplaced section.
    2. Select Move Section To.
    3. Choose a notebook where full edit permissions exist (for example, a personal notebook in OneDrive) and select Move.

    If the section is not important or is clearly corrupt and there is a good copy elsewhere, it can be deleted:

    1. Control‑click the misplaced section.
    2. Select Delete Section.

    Caution: Deleting a section permanently deletes all pages in it and cannot be undone. If there is any chance the content is needed, move it instead of deleting.

    1. Work around view‑only permissions The error “view only permissions” indicates the account does not have edit rights to the destination notebook. To preserve content:
    2. Create or open a notebook where full edit rights exist (for example, a personal notebook).
    3. In the problematic notebook, create a new section in a location where editing is allowed.
    4. Copy pages from the problematic section into the new section:
      • Right‑click (Control‑click) each page and choose Copy.
      • Paste into the new section in the notebook with full permissions.
    5. After copying all pages, select File > Sync All Notebooks.

    If the original section itself cannot be moved because of permissions, but pages can be copied, this preserves the content in a new, fully editable notebook.

    1. Fix sections that won’t sync If a specific section will not sync and shows an error like “Can’t sync <section name>”:
    2. Open the notebook with sync issues.
    3. Create a new section in the same notebook (or in another notebook with full permissions).
    4. Copy (do not move) all pages from the old section into the new section.
    5. Select File > Sync All Notebooks.
    6. Check whether the new section syncs correctly. If it does, the original section is likely corrupted and can be removed once content is safely copied.
    7. Check Deleted Notes for lost content If content appears missing:
    8. In the notebook with issues, select the Notebooks tab.
    9. Choose Deleted Notes > View Deleted Notes.
    10. For any page that should be restored:
      • Control‑click the page and select Restore to.
      • Choose the target section (preferably in a notebook where full edit rights exist) and select Restore.
    11. After confirming recovery, unwanted items in Deleted Notes can be permanently removed by Control‑clicking and choosing Delete Permanently.
    12. Handle the 0xE0000007 “We ran into a problem syncing your notebook” error (if shown) If the full error is 0xE0000007:
    13. Ensure there are no important unsynced changes, as the next steps may cause loss of unsynced data.
    14. Click the Show Notebooks button until the notebook list appears.
    15. Control‑click the affected notebook and select Close This Notebook.
    16. Reopen the notebook from its online location (OneDrive/SharePoint) and let it resync.
    17. If the error persists, create a new notebook and copy pages/sections from the affected notebook into the new one, then sync there.
    18. If the notebook is on SharePoint If the notebook is stored in SharePoint and continues to show sync or permission issues, the SharePoint document library settings may be involved. In that case, review the SharePoint library configuration using the guidance in the referenced SharePoint–OneNote articles.

    These steps allow recovery or relocation of content without signing out, while working around view‑only restrictions by copying pages into a notebook where full permissions exist.

    References:

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

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  2. Kai-L 19,050 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-05T21:34:55.7+00:00

    Dear @Brett Greene,

    Good day, and thank you for providing such a detailed explanation of the issue. I’m really sorry to hear how much time and effort you’ve already spent trying to sort this out, especially when the menus and options you’re seeing do not seem to match the guidance you’ve found. I can understand how frustrating and worrying that must be, particularly when the affected notes are ones you use every day.

    Before we proceed, I would like to kindly clarify that as a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or delve into the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users. I will do my best to help you through this.

    To keep things practical, I’ll keep the technical explanation brief and focus mainly on the steps that are most likely to help.

    From your description and my research, this appears to be related to either a sync issue with the affected section or a permissions issue. When OneNote cannot properly sync a section, such as when it cannot locate the original section file, it may place that content into Misplaced Sections. In these cases, creating a new section and copying the pages into it can often help resolve the issue and restore normal syncing.

    The message saying that OneNote “couldn’t copy this section… because you have view-only permissions” may also indicate that the notebook or section is no longer editable with the account currently in use. Some misplaced sections may remain protected by restrictions or permissions, and access depends on whether you still have permission to view or move the content.

    Please try the following:

    Note: The exact settings and menu names may vary slightly depending on your macOS version and device configuration.

    1.Check OneNote for the web
    This helps determine whether the issue is isolated to OneNote on your Mac or whether the notebook itself is affected. On your Mac:

    • Select Notebooks > Notebooks > Copy Link to Notebook
    • Paste the copied link into your web browser
    • Press Enter to open the notebook in OneNote for the web 

    If the notebook opens successfully in the web version and your latest content appears there, the issue may be with the Mac app connection or local sync state. In that case, closing and reopening the notebook in OneNote for Mac may help refresh the connection.

    2.Create a new section
    If only one section is affected:

    • Create a new section in the same notebook
    • Copy all pages from the affected section into the new section
    • Select File > Sync All Notebooks afterward

    3.Check for Misplaced Sections

    • In OneNote on your Mac, look at the bottom of the Notebooks list (left sidebar).
    • You should see a section/group called Misplaced Sections.
    • Click it to expand and see the affected sections.

    Move the Misplaced Sections 

    • Right-click (or Control-click) on the misplaced section tab.
    • Choose Move or Copy.
    • Select a notebook where you have full edit permissions (preferably one that is syncing properly).
    • Click Move (or Copy first if you're nervous).

    If you get permission errors, try creating a brand new notebook first (File > New Notebook), then move the misplaced sections into the new one. This often bypasses the "view only" restriction.

    For reference: Resolve misplaced sections in OneNote - Microsoft Support

    If the notebook owner or administrator has changed your access, they may need to restore edit permissions before you can fully move or recover the section. Protected or labeled misplaced sections can only be opened or moved when the correct permissions are available.

    Important: Since you mentioned that these are notes you use daily, I would avoid signing out of OneNote for now unless you first have a safe copy of your latest changes. If there are unsynced notes stored locally, signing out before securing them could make recovery more difficult.

    I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments so I can continue to support you. Wishing you all the best, and I truly hope you’re able to recover the affected section successfully.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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