OneNote backup disappeared!

Ali 0 Reputation points
2026-08-25T10:23:50.4166667+00:00

I wrote some notes on OneNote from and finish it two weeks ago.

When I opened the Desktop App of OneNote yesterday, they were still there.

Unfortunately, when I opened it today, ALL 12 MODULES of notes that I wrote completely disappeared.

So I open my backups ( I sync every time I finished a module), and found that the range between 2/8 to 24/8 are gone .

I tried to login my online OneDrive portal but still, the backups were gone.

When I tried to open OneNote through that portal, it said "很抱歉，發生一些問題

Thread was being aborted." and I dont know if it is something related to my missing notes.

NEED HELP! PLEASE!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For education | Windows
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Heimerdinger 295 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-25T12:34:36.1633333+00:00

    Hi @Ali, 

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.       

    I'm sorry to hear this happened. Since the notes were visible in the OneNote desktop app yesterday but disappeared today, I'd like to gather a bit more information before suggesting recovery steps. 

    To better understand your situation and provide the most suitable recommendation, could you please clarify: 

    • Have you checked History > Notebook Recycle Bin to see whether the missing sections or pages were accidentally moved or deleted? 
    • Were the notes created on this device only, or do you have another device where the notebook was previously opened? 
    • Are you using a personal Microsoft account or a school/work account?

    As the AI recommended please try Restore from OneNote backups on the computer 

    Open File > Info > Open Backups in OneNote and check whether the missing sections appear in an older backup. 

    User's image

    Check OneDrive folders directly 

    Sign in to OneDrive. 

    Browse folders such as Documents or Notebooks. 

    User's imageUser's image

    If the notebook is found, open it in OneNote for the web, then select Open in OneNote. 

    Thank you again for your time and understanding.  I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.   

    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.  

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-08-25T10:24:10.3033333+00:00

    Try recovery in this order:

    1. Check whether the notebook still exists in OneNote for the web
      • In the OneNote desktop app, go to File.
      • On Info, right-click the notebook URL shown under the affected notebook and select Copy.
      • Paste that URL into a browser and open it in OneNote for the web.
      • If the web version shows an older copy, the latest edits may not have finished syncing from the device where they were created.
    2. Check sync status on the device where the notes were last edited
      • In OneNote desktop, open the notebook.
      • Go to File > Info > View Sync Status.
      • Confirm the notebook and sections completed syncing.
      • Do not sign out, remove the account, or reinstall OneNote while troubleshooting. That can cause data loss.
    3. Restore from OneNote backups on the computer
      • Open the notebook where the notes were lost.
      • Go to File > Info > Open Backups.
      • In the backup folders, open the notebook folder and then the section backup file you need.
      • If the missing notes appear, right-click the section tab or page tab and use Move or Copy to restore them to the original notebook.
      • After restoring, close the backup section to avoid confusion.
    4. Check the Notebook Recycle Bin
      • Open the shared notebook where the notes should be.
      • Go to History > Notebook Recycle Bin > Notebook Recycle Bin.
      • If the missing pages are there, right-click each page and choose Move or Copy, then move them back to the correct section.
    5. If this started after moving from OneNote for Windows 10 to OneNote on Windows
      • In OneNote on Windows, go to File > Info > Open Backups.
      • Check these backup locations:
        • Windows 10: %AppData%\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Office.OneNote\_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache
        • Windows 11: %userprofile%\Documents
      • Look for Backup or Backup_UserInitiated folders.
      • Open .one files, review the restored section under Open Sections, then use Move or Copy to put pages or sections back.
    6. Check OneDrive folders directly
      • Sign in to OneDrive.
      • Browse folders such as Documents or Notebooks.
      • If the notebook is found, open it in OneNote for the web, then select Open in OneNote.

    If the backup date range from 2/8 to 24/8 is missing both locally and in OneDrive, recovery is only possible if the content still exists in:

    • a backup section,
    • the Notebook Recycle Bin, or
    • a notebook copy that opens in OneNote for the web.

    If none of those contain the missing modules, report the issue in the OneNote forums on Microsoft Answers.

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

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.