Read only??

Hi, Joe Culotta

The two “read-only” problems may have different causes, but they are usually not fixed by changing a normal Windows file setting. In OneNote, read-only often points to a sync, refresh, or permission problem, while in Outlook, old calendar reminders can get stuck because the reminder list/cache is corrupted, the item belongs to a shared/read-only calendar, or it comes from something like a Birthday calendar.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

For OneNote, first open the notebook in OneNote on the web. If you can edit it there, the notebook itself is probably okay, and the app is the problem. In that case, copy any unsynced notes somewhere safe, close the notebook in the OneNote app, then reopen it from the web and let it sync again. Do not close/reopen anything until important unsynced notes are copied, because that unsynced changes can be lost.

In OneNote for Windows, go to File > Info > View Sync Status, then choose Sync Now or Sync All. Also check File > Options > Sync and make sure automatic syncing is enabled. If you see a Refresh Now message, use that first, since Microsoft lists this for notebooks that become read-only because they are not syncing.

If it is a shared OneNote notebook, ask the owner to remove and re-add your edit permission, not just viewing permission. It is suggested that you also test the notebook in the browser, because the app can sometimes show read-only while the web version still edits normally.

For Outlook, try deleting or dismissing the appointment in Outlook on the web first. If it works there, update or reset the desktop app connection. In classic Outlook, close Outlook, press Windows key + R, type:

outlook.exe /cleanreminders

``

then press Enter. This rebuilds the reminder list and can clear overdue reminders that keep returning.

Also go to File > Options > Advanced and enable Automatically dismiss reminders for past events if available. If the reminder is from a Birthday calendar, edit or remove the birthday from the contact instead, since that calendar can be read-only.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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