OneNote App for iPad will not allow log in

Question

OneNote App for iPad will not allow log in

Aten, Sarah 0

Hello,

I used OneNote during my masters program and I accessed it through my iPad app. I have changed institutions to do my doctoral degree and now am stuck in an infinite sign in loop when trying to log into the app with my new account credentials. I also not longer log into with my old credentials (after I signed out). I am able to view and edit notebooks in my browser without issue.

Kara Churcher 5 Reputation points

2026-08-16T13:59:21.2033333+00:00

I’m having this exact issue today - I reset my OneNote on my IPad but went to log back in and got stuck in a cycle with my authenticator and log in. I’ve even tried signing in with my personal account and adding my academic account from there but it won’t work (it displays a ‘OneNote can’t open this notebook because it has been deleted or moved’ message. I’ve also gone into settings and used the Delete Login Credentials but that hasn’t worked either.

3 answers

Your answer

Kara Churcher 5 Reputation points

2026-08-16T13:59:21.2033333+00:00

I’m having this exact issue today - I reset my OneNote on my IPad but went to log back in and got stuck in a cycle with my authenticator and log in. I’ve even tried signing in with my personal account and adding my academic account from there but it won’t work (it displays a ‘OneNote can’t open this notebook because it has been deleted or moved’ message. I’ve also gone into settings and used the Delete Login Credentials but that hasn’t worked either.

Answer 1

Since notebooks open and edit correctly in the browser, the account is working. The issue is most likely cached sign-in credentials in the OneNote app on the iPad.

Try this in order:

Update OneNote and iPadOS.
- For OneNote, check the App Store for updates.
- If other Microsoft 365 apps are installed on the iPad, update those too.
Remove the account from OneNote on iPad.
- Open OneNote.
- Tap the ... icon, then Settings.
- Under Account, tap the account name.
- Tap the account name again, then choose Remove Account.
- Confirm sign-out.
Fully close OneNote.
- Double tap the Home button and swipe up on the OneNote app.
Sign in again with the new institutional account.
- Use the same account that works in the browser.
If the sign-in loop continues, reset OneNote on the iPad.
- Go to iPad Settings > OneNote.
- Under Reset, enable Delete Login Credentials.
- Close and reopen OneNote, then sign in again.
If that still does not work, repeat the reset and also enable Delete All Notebooks.
- This removes only local offline notebooks from the device.
- Unsynced local changes will be lost, but notebooks stored on the server are not deleted.
If other Microsoft 365 apps are installed on the iPad and also have sign-in issues, reset one of those apps from Settings and enable Delete Login Credentials, because Microsoft 365 apps on iPad share authentication.
If an ad blocker or Safari content blocker is installed, temporarily disable or remove it and test sign-in again. A reported case was resolved by uninstalling a Safari ad blocker.

If the browser version continues to work after these steps, that confirms the problem is isolated to the iPad app sign-in state rather than the notebook or account itself.

References:

Answer 2

Good day Aten,

To help me better understand the situation and assist you effectively, could you please share a few details such as:

1/ What exact error message or error code do you receive when trying to sign in with each of the two accounts in OneNote on your iPad? Please let me know the error shown for both accounts.

2/ Can you confirm whether both your old and new school accounts can access OneNote on the web successfully? You mentioned that you can view and edit notebooks, so I would like to verify which account(s) are working in the browser.

3/ Do you still need access to your old school account, or is your main goal simply to sign in and use your new school account?

This will help me better understand the context and provide more targeted support. Any additional information will help me better understand and support you. (Please make sure to blur or cover any personal or sensitive information in the screenshot to protect your privacy)

In the meantime, please try the troubleshooting steps provided in the AI Answer and let me know the results, as those are the standard recommendations for this type of issue.

You may also try uninstalling and reinstalling the OneNote app on your iPad, then test whether the sign in issue persists.

If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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

Aten, Sarah 0 Reputation points

2026-08-16T19:09:21.76+00:00

Hi! I have already tried every step provided in the AI answer.

There is no specific error message being displayed on my iPad. Login and then it will take me back to the sign in page. This is true on the app on my iPad for both my old-school account and my new school account.

I am successfully able to access my OneNote on the Webb using the browser under my old school account and my new school account.

I don’t necessarily need access all the time to my old school account, but there might be some information in those notebooks. That’ll be helpful to me as I am working on my PhD so I don’t wanna lose access to it completely. However, I most often will not be looking at that account and just need the new school account set up on my iPad.

I will also add the same problem is happening on the app on my iPhone.

I am using a 10th generation iPad and I have an iPhone 17e.

Answer 3

Hi Kara and Aten,

Thank you both for your efforts in trying the troubleshooting steps and for keeping me updated.

I’d like to let you know that Microsoft is currently investigating a known OneNote service incident, OP1454727, which may prevent users from signing in to OneNote on iOS devices. Since this is a service-side issue, no further troubleshooting is needed at this time.

User's image

I recommend contacting your school’s IT administrator and asking them to monitor OP1454727 in the Microsoft 365 admin center > Service Health for the latest updates. Microsoft is actively working on a resolution.

Note: In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

Once the issue has been resolved, please update OneNote to the latest version and restart the app if needed.

Also, as many members of the community may not yet be aware of this incident, I hope you find this information helpful. You may consider marking this answer as accepted, as it can help bring greater visibility to the issue and make it easier for others experiencing similar challenges to find relevant information and support.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.