OneNote Not Syncing on Windows? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• A lost or unreliable network connection
• A server that is busy, offline or down for maintenance
• Wrong or expired account information, such as after a password change or when you’re signed in with a different account
• Permissions to a shared notebook changed or removed by its owner or an administrator
• Not enough space on the device or notebook, which may be caused by large backup files
• An older version of OneNote that the server no longer supports
• A notebook that was deleted from the server
• A corrupted section in the Notebook Recycle Bin

Step-by-Step Solutions

Work through these steps in order, and if OneNote shows an error code, jump to the step that covers it.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check your connection and the service status

   Verify your internet connection and check whether the service that stores your notebook is having problems.

   Verify that your PC has good internet connectivity.

   If your notebook is stored on OneDrive, check the Microsoft 365 Service Status page for any OneDrive maintenance or outage information. If OneDrive is having issues, OneNote may be affected as well. If the service is running normally, try syncing your notes again in a few minutes.

   If your notebook is stored on SharePoint, try syncing again after a few minutes. If the issue persists, contact your SharePoint or IT administrator.

   Good to know

   Error 0xE4020040 means the server where your notebooks are stored is temporarily busy or unavailable. This can happen because of routine server maintenance on OneDrive or SharePoint.

2. 2

   Step 2: Sync manually and read the error

   Start a sync yourself from the sync status dialog box and note any error code it shows.

   In OneNote, select File, then on the Info tab select View Sync Status. In the Shared Notebook Synchronization dialog box, select Sync Now next to a notebook to sync only that notebook, or select Sync All to sync all of your shared notebooks. You can also press Shift+F9 to sync manually.

   Check the dialog box for any error code and message shown for your notebook. A notebook icon with a yellow triangle warning icon over it shows the name of a section that’s causing sync problems. Some error codes show a Get Help button that opens a troubleshooting article for that error.

   To have OneNote sync on its own, select File, then Options, select the Sync tab and check the box next to Sync notebooks automatically.

3. 3

   Step 3: Refresh the notebook or update OneNote

   Answer a Refresh prompt if you see one, and install updates if OneNote asks for a newer version.

   If OneNote says “You can’t edit this notebook because it’s not syncing,” click Refresh now to resume syncing. If it says “Please refresh this notebook to continue syncing,” click the yellow InfoBar to Refresh.

   If you see “OneNote can’t sync your notes right now. We’ll keep trying.” with error code E000006C, update OneNote to the latest version. After updating, you’ll see the Refresh message, then follow the Refresh now step.

   Error 0xE40105F9 means you’re using an older version of OneNote that’s no longer supported by the server. Download the latest updates for OneNote, then try again. Microsoft also suggests checking for and installing any available Office updates first.

4. 4

   Step 4: Open the notebook in OneNote for the web

   For a notebook on OneDrive or newer versions of SharePoint, opening it in your browser helps show whether the problem is your PC or the server.

   In the OneNote desktop app, select File. On the Info tab, right-click the URL shown immediately below the name of the notebook, then click Copy. Paste it into your browser’s address box with Ctrl + V and press Enter to open the notebook in OneNote for the web. Depending on the size of the notebook and your connection, it may take a while to load.

   If it opens, check it for your most recent changes. If you see an older version, verify that the PC or device where you made the latest changes was able to completely finish syncing.

   If you can’t open and view the notebook in OneNote for the web, it’s likely a server issue.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fix account sign-in errors

   Error 0xE0000024 and most “Server is busy” errors are authentication errors, even though they may seem to be sync errors.

   Error 0xE0000024 can occur when OneNote doesn’t have the correct account information for a notebook, or the information has expired. This may be because you recently changed your password or you’re logged in with a different account than the one authorized to use the notebook.

   Click the sync error message near the top of the OneNote window. This attempts to refresh your session. If you’re prompted, sign in with the same account the notebook is associated with, and make sure you enter the correct account information, especially if you recently changed your password. OneNote resumes syncing as soon as you’re successfully authenticated.

   “Server is busy” errors are typically seen with notebooks stored in SharePoint, SharePoint Online or OneDrive (work or school), and most are actually authentication errors. Microsoft warns that signing in or out of OneNote while troubleshooting sync issues is not recommended, as this could result in data loss. Its “Server is busy” section still lists signing out and back in to OneNote, or closing and re-opening the notebook, among the methods for these errors.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask the owner to check your permissions

   If a shared notebook is no longer available to you, its owner needs to check your access.

   Error 0xE0190193 means you’re trying to access a shared notebook or section that is no longer available to you. This can happen when the owner of the notebook, or the server administrator, intentionally or accidentally changes your permissions.

   Contact the owner of the shared notebook and ask them to check your permissions to view and edit it.

7. 7

   Step 7: Optimize your notebook backups

   For “not enough space” errors such as 0xE00015E0, optimize your notebook files and keep fewer backup copies.

   Errors such as 0xE00015E0 mean there’s not enough space on the device or notebook to sync a section, which may be caused by large backup files.

   To optimize, select File, then Options. In the Options dialog, select Save & Backup, then select Optimize All Files Now. It may take a while. In the same place, you can lower the Number of backup copies to keep to save space.

8. 8

   Step 8: Check that the notebook still exists

   With error 0xE4010641, check whether the notebook is still where OneNote expects it.

   Error 0xE4010641 means you’re disconnected from the network or the network location where your notebooks are stored isn’t available. Your notebook may no longer exist there if you, or someone else with permissions to it, deleted the notebook file from the server.

   If your notebook is stored on OneDrive, go to the OneDrive home page, log in if prompted, and check that your notebook still exists. If you’re unsure where it’s stored, select File, then Info in OneNote to find its address.

   Good to know

   If you’re syncing to a SharePoint site or a local network share in your organization, the server may have gone offline temporarily. Talk to your SharePoint or IT administrator to confirm or report the issue.

9. 9

   Step 9: Move a stuck section into a new one

   If one section won’t sync while the rest of the notebook does, copy its pages into a new section.

   In the OneNote desktop app, create a new section in the same notebook. Copy, but don’t move, all of the pages from the old section into the new one by right-clicking each page and selecting Move or Copy. Then press Shift + F9 to sync the notebook, and if a progress bar appears, wait for it to finish.

   If the pages in the new section sync, you can safely delete the old section and continue working in the new one.

   If that doesn’t work, the problem may be a corrupted section in the Notebook Recycle Bin. Select the History tab, then the Notebook Recycle Bin. Copy and paste the pages or content you want to keep to another page or section first. Once that’s done, you can delete the original section to stop the error.

10. 10

    Step 10: Close and reopen the notebook

    In some situations, closing and reopening the notebook can help reset the sync connection between the OneNote app and the OneNote service.

    Before closing a notebook that isn’t fully synced across all your devices, copy and back up any unsynced recent notes on the PC or device where you made them.

    In the OneNote desktop app, select File. On the Info tab, right-click the URL shown below the name of the notebook and select Copy. Next to the name of the notebook, select the Settings button, then select Close.

    Paste the copied URL into your browser’s address box with Ctrl + V. When the notebook opens in OneNote for the web, select Open in Desktop App on the ribbon to reopen it in the OneNote desktop app.

Frequently Asked Questions