How do I recover my data that I lost due to the undo key?

Morgan Finley 0 Reputation points
2026-08-24T12:38:45.52+00:00

I just sat on a long text in OneNote for 40 minutes and wanted to fix an error with the undo key. After that, everything written was gone and I couldn't click the forward button again. Is there anything left to save? Is this error more common and how to avoid it?

Thank you for every answer!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For business | Windows

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  1. Helen Luu 2,865 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-24T13:36:10.15+00:00

    Hello Morgan Finley,

    Thank you for the information provided.

    Based on your description, I understand that you would like to restore the file to a version from before the issue occurred when using the Undo function.

    To check whether the missing content can be recovered, please follow these steps in the OneNote desktop app (If you are currently using OneNote on the web, please open the notebook in the OneNote desktop application before proceeding):

    1. Open OneNote.
    2. Go to the History tab.
    3. Select Recent Edits.
    4. Choose Today from the available options.
    5. Review the recent changes and check whether the missing content or text is available.

    For additional guidance, please refer to the following Microsoft Support article: How to check recent changes in a notebook in OneNote for Windows | Microsoft Support

    Screenshot of the Recent Edits button in OneNote 2016.

    I hope this could help you. Please feel free to let me know if you have any updates on this.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-24T12:39:03.1233333+00:00

    Yes—there are still a few recovery paths to try in OneNote on Windows.

    1. Try Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z if the deletion just happened.
      • OneNote also notes this as the fastest recovery option for recently deleted text, images, pages, or sections.
    2. Check the Notebook Recycle Bin.
      • Go to History > Notebook Recycle Bin.
      • If the missing content was deleted as a page or section, right-click it and choose Move or Copy.
      • Choose the destination and select Move.
      • Deleted pages or sections can be recovered for up to 60 days.
      • If a section group was deleted, the sections can be recovered, but not the group itself.
    3. Check OneNote backups on the computer.
      • Open OneNote.
      • Go to File > Info > Open Backups.
      • Open the notebook backup folder.
      • Open the section backup file.
      • If the missing notes are there, right-click the section tab or page tab and use Move or Copy to restore them to the original notebook.
      • When finished, close the backup section to avoid confusion with normal notes.
    4. If the notes are stored in OneDrive, check whether an earlier file version is available.
      • If Undo no longer works, Microsoft also suggests restoring a previous version of the file in OneDrive or OneDrive for Business.

    About the forward/redo button not working:

    • Redo is only available after an action has been undone.
    • In Office apps, redo is typically Ctrl+Y.
    • Some actions cannot be undone, and once the undo history is no longer available, redo may not help.

    How to avoid this in the future:

    • If a mistake just happened, use Ctrl+Z or Ctrl+Y right away before doing other actions.
    • Keep notebook backups available so there is a recovery path beyond Undo.
    • If notebooks are stored in OneDrive, previous file versions may provide another recovery option.

    If the missing content was only typed on the page and was not preserved in Undo history, the recycle bin, a backup, or a previous version, recovery may be limited.

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

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