6 Tested Methods: How to Recover Lost or Deleted OneNote Notebook Successfully

"Can OneNote Files be Recovered?"

Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking app, part of the Office 365 suite of applications, allowing users to organize information in a notebook format. Each notebook can contain multiple sections and pages, making it easy to categorize and access notes, drawings, to-do lists, and even multimedia content. It's widely used by students, professionals, and anyone who wants to keep their ideas organized and accessible across any devices.

However, sometimes users may accidentally delete a notebook, lose access to it, or experience syncing issues that make it seem like their notes have disappeared. Can you recover OneNote in notebook? Yes, with proper tools or methods, you can easily restore your important notebook OneNotes.

How to Recover OneNote Notebook?

The above explains why it’s crucial to understand how to recover a deleted OneNote notebook—especially when it contains vital project data, client communications, or months of work. Fortunately, there are some proven methods to help you restore your OneNote notebook files and avoid permanent data loss.

Method 1. Retrieve OneNote Notebook from Built-in Recycle Bin

OneNote automatically moves deleted pages and sections to the "Notebook Recycle Bin", where they remain for a limited time before permanent deletion.So, it is a good choice to first check out the Recycle Bin before other attempts.

Step 1: Open the notebook where you believe the deleted notes were located.

Step 2: Go to the "History"tab, then click on "Notebook Recycle Bin".

Step 3: In the Recycle Bin, browse and locate the deleted page or section you want to restore.Right-click on the tab of the note/page you want to recover, then select "Move or Copy".

Step 4: In the "Move or Copy" dialog box, select the notebook section where you want to restore the note.

Step 5: Click "Move"restore the page to the selected location.

Method 2. Restore Missing OneNote Notebook from Local Backups

If you can’t recover your OneNote files from the app’s Recycle Bin, try restoring them from a backup. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open OneNote, click "File" in the top-left corner. Select "Open Backups" from the menu.

Step 2: A window will appear showing available backup folders for your notebooks. Browse through the folders. Open the folder containing the backup of the notes you want to recover.

Step 3: Select the notes you want to restore, then click "Open".

Step 4: The note will now open in OneNote. Right-click the page name at the top. Choose "Move or Copy" from the menu.

Step 5: In the popup window, select the notebook or section where you want to move the recovered notes, then click "Copy".

Your selected notes will now be restored to your existing OneNote notebook.

Method 3. Recover Deleted OneNote Notebook from OneDrive

If your notebook is synced to OneDrive, you can often restore it from the OneDrive Recycle Bin. This is a reliable method if the notebook was recently deleted.

Step 1: Open a web browser and go to OneDrive.com. Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your OneNote.

Step 2: Once logged in, navigate to the left-hand sidebar and click on "Recycle bin".

Step 3: In the Recycle Bin, scroll through the deleted items to locate your OneNote notebook or specific sections/pages.

Step 4: Click the checkbox next to the notebook or file you want to restore.

Step 5: At the top menu, click "Restore". The selected notebook will be moved back to its original location in your OneDrive.

Go back to your OneNote app or OneNote Online, and check the notebook list. The restored notebook should now be available.

Method 4. Recover OneNote Notebook from "Deleted OneNotes"

If you’re using OneNote on the web, you can easily restore deleted notes by following these steps:

Step 1: Go to OneNote and sign in to your Microsoft account.

Step 2: Once logged in, hover over the "View" tab at the top and click on it. From the dropdown menu, select "Deleted Notes".

Step 3: A list of deleted notes will appear. Select the notes you want to recover.Click "Restore" to begin the recovery process.

Method 5. Retrieve Disappeared OneNotes by Resolving Sync Errors

In some cases, your OneNote notebook may appear missing or incomplete due to sync issues, not because it was deleted. These errors can prevent recent changes from being uploaded or downloaded properly across your devices.Follow these steps to identify and fix sync problems:

Step 1: Open OneNote and go to "File > Info".Click on "View Sync Status" next to the affected notebook.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, review the sync status of each notebook section.If there's an error message (e.g., authentication failure, conflict, or connectivity issue), it will be listed here.

Step 3: Take appropriate action based on the issue:

• Re-enter your Microsoft account credentials if prompted.
• Check your internet connection and ensure you're online.
• Click "Sync manually"totrigger a sync attempt.
• For persistent issues, you may choose "Sync All" or close and reopen the notebook.

Once the sync is successful, your missing notes should reappear automatically.

Method 6. Get Back Deleted/Lost OneNotes via MyRecover [One-Stop Solution]

If the previous methods don’t work—or if your OneNote notebook was permanently deleted and is no longer in any recycle bin—using a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover can be your best option.

MyRecover is a reliable and user-friendly recovery software designed to help users retrieve deleted or lost files from various storage devices, including OneNote notebooks as long as they were stored locally once. Whether the loss was due to accidental deletion, formatting, or system crashes, MyRecover can scan your drive and locate recoverable OneNote files.

★Key Highlights:

High Success Rate: Achieves up to a 99% recovery success rate, ensuring reliable data retrieval.

Unlimited Data Recovery: Recover unlimited amounts of data without restrictions, suitable for various data loss scenarios. 

Fast Recovery Process: Average recovery time is around 5 minutes, enabling quick restoration of files.

AI-Powered Scanning: Utilizes AI algorithms for intelligent file recognition and deep scanning, enhancing recovery accuracy.

File Preview Feature: Allows users to preview recoverable files before initiating the recovery process.

Versatile Recovery Capabilities: Handles over 500 data loss scenarios, including accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and more.

Broad File Format Support: Supports recovery of files in over 1,000 formats, encompassing documents, images, videos, audio files, and archives.

Extensive Device Compatibility: Compatible with 500+ storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and more.

Wide System Support: Supports Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 and Windows Server versions, ensuring broad applicability.

Step 1: Get and install MyRecover on your computer.

Step 2: Launch the software and select the drive or partition where your OneNote files were originally saved. Click "Scan" to begin searching for lost or deleted files.

Step 3: MyRecover will perform a quick scan automatically. You can choose "Deep Scan" manually when the "Quick Scan" fails to find your lost files.

Step 4: Once the scan is complete, browse through the list of recoverable files. You can filter by file type or name to quickly locate OneNote files.

Step 5: Select the OneNote files you want to recover, then click "Recover". Also, you can preview them before clicking on the "Recover" button.

Step 6. Choose a safe location to save them (❌Avoid saving the recovered files to the same drive to prevent data overwriting).

Step 7. Then wait for the process to complete. Once it is done, you can click on the given path to directly access the recovered OneNotes.

With MyRecover, you can efficiently retrieve your lost notes—even when built-in recovery options fail—making it a powerful one-stop solution for data loss emergencies.Apart from recovering OneNotes, it is also excellent at restoring other types of files, like retrieving videos, musics, pictures, games, programs from most storage devices.

To Conclude

Losing important OneNote notebooks can be frustrating—especially when they contain critical project details or client communications. Thankfully, as we've shown, there are multiple reliable ways to recover OneNote notebook, whether through OneNote's built-in tools, OneDrive, or a professional solution like MyRecover. By acting quickly and following the right method, you can restore your valuable information and keep your workflow on track.