How to recover lost OneNote data

fang ping 0 Reputation points
2026-08-23T03:34:19.19+00:00

How to Recover Lost OneNote Data (Account: [REMOVED PII]@qq.com)

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Other
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  1. fang ping 0 Reputation points
    2026-08-23T03:50:11.34+00:00

    My previous Mac synced data to the cloud, but that device was lost. After logging into my account on a new Mac, I found all my data was empty.

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  2. Norah-L 10,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-23T08:03:52.09+00:00

    PII caution: Please note that this is a public forum for users. Please do not post any private information here for your privacy and security. 


    Hello fang ping,

    I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. If OneNote is empty on the new Mac, the notebooks may be under another Microsoft account, closed rather than deleted, or the previous Mac may not have completed its final cloud sync.

    Please try the options below:

    1. Sign in to OneNote for the web and OneDrive using the same email address used on the old Mac. Check Documents, Notebooks, and all other folders. If you have ever used another Microsoft account, check that account too.
    2. In OneNote for Mac, select File > Open Recent, or open the notebook list and choose More Notebooks. Open any notebooks you recognize, then use Edit > Find > Search All Notebooks.
    3. Open the expected notebook and check View > Deleted Notes > View Deleted Notes. If the missing pages appear, Control-click them and choose Restore To. Deleted notes are normally retained for up to 60 days.

    It may also be worth checking the OneDrive Recycle bin. However, if the notes do not appear anywhere online, they may have remained only on the lost Mac and might no longer be recoverable.

    I hope one of these steps could help. Thank you so much for your patience and your understanding!

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