A glitch in OneNote Not allowing to access the acutal notes

Kendra Garland 20 Reputation points
2026-09-16T17:58:35.01+00:00

MY ONE NOTE KEEP FLASHING IN AND OUT WHEN I TRY TO ACCESS THE NOTES. WHAT WOULD BE CAUSING THIS TO OCCUR. Usually the list of notes show up and then everything in that folder will show up. I can see it in the background but it keeps flashing back and forth and not allowing me to access the note like it is in the back of another page.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | Other | Other
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Answer accepted by question author
Xavier-D 13,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-09-17T04:05:43.7666667+00:00

Hello Kendra Garland

I can see that you are having issue with a glitch in OneNote not allowing you to access the actual notes

Since AI has already suggested several troubleshooting steps for you to try, I would like to add another in case this issue is still on-going:

Please test OneNote in Safe Mode:

  1. Press Windows + R.
  2. Enter onenote /safe, and then press Enter.
  3. Open the affected notebook and check whether the flashing still occurs.

If OneNote works normally in Safe Mode, the issue may be related to an add-in or a local OneNote setting.

Please also open OneNote normally and select File > Account > Update Options > Update Now to install any available Office updates.

To help us narrow down the cause, please confirm:

  • Which version of OneNote and Windows you are using.
  • Whether this affects every notebook or only one notebook, section, or page.
  • Whether the flashing starts immediately or only after opening a particular note.
  • Whether the notebook displays correctly in OneNote for the web.
  • Whether the issue also occurs in another Windows user profile, if available.

For now, please avoid signing out of OneNote, resetting the app, clearing its data, or reinstalling it until you have confirmed that all recent notes are synced, as unsynced changes could be lost.

Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-16T17:58:52.47+00:00

    This behavior is consistent with a rendering or cache issue in OneNote. It can also be related to graphics drivers or the Office installation.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Update the graphics driver
      • Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
      • Expand Display adapters.
      • Right-click the graphics device and select Update driver.
      • Choose Search automatically for drivers.
      • Restart the computer after the update.
    2. Repair Office / OneNote
      • Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features.
      • Select Microsoft Office.
      • Choose Change.
      • Run Quick Repair first.
      • If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
      • Note: Online Repair reinstalls Office, so it takes longer, but documents are not affected.
    3. Check notebook sync status
      • Open OneNote.
      • Go to File > Info > View Sync Status.
      • If the notebook is shared, make sure Sync automatically whenever there are changes is selected.
      • Select Sync All.
      • If there is an error code, use the matching troubleshooting steps shown in OneNote.
    4. Open the notebook in OneNote for the web to confirm the notes are intact
      • In OneNote desktop, select File.
      • On the Info tab, right-click the notebook URL and select Copy.
      • Paste it into a browser and open it.
      • If the notes open correctly there, the content is likely fine and the issue is with the desktop app.
    5. Close and reopen the affected notebook
      • Warning: if the notebook is not fully synced, back up any recent unsynced notes first to avoid data loss.
      • In File > Info, copy the notebook URL.
      • Next to the notebook name, select Settings > Close.
      • Open the copied URL in a browser.
      • In OneNote for the web, select Open in Desktop App.
    6. If the notebook is stored on OneDrive, verify connectivity and service health
      • Make sure the device has a stable internet connection.
      • If OneDrive is having an outage, OneNote sync can also be affected.

    If the problem started after the device wakes from sleep or after shutdown, that further points to a display/rendering issue rather than missing notes.

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

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