Unable to sync my OneNote from one my devices

Question

Unable to sync my OneNote from one my devices

Itz_Hz 0

OneNote can't connect to the server. Sync will resume once we connect. You don't need to take any action. (Error code: 0x803D0014 bdfne).

Recently, my OneNote on PC has not been syncing with my laptop, which is able to sync and the pages that are synced from my laptop sometimes show up on the OneNote PC app.

Now I have read the suggestions of others in the same predicament in the Q&A but nothing has worked. I've reset my OneNote on Windows 10 then reset it then uninstalled and reinstalled but I had no luck on fixing the issue. I have logged out and back in. The online OneNote seems to sync up but it sometimes doesn't show up on the OneNote PC app.

Please can someone help me fix this problem as soon as possible, as I rely upon OneNote daily. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information.

Thank You.

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Answer 1

Emily T 740 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Itz_Hz,

Since your notebooks sync correctly in both the web version and on your laptop, it suggests that your account and notebook data are working as expected. This points to the issue being isolated to the affected PC.

You can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Note: Temporarily disable your antivirus software and disconnect from any VPN connection (if applicable), then check whether OneNote is able to sync successfully.

1/ Manually force OneNote to sync

Open OneNote and select the problematic notebook.
Go to File > View Sync Status.
Click Sync Now or Sync All.

2/ Sign out of OneNote and sign back in

In OneNote desktop, click on your profile icon on the top right corner and select Sign out. Click Yes in the confirmation box. You will also be signed out of all other Office applications. Close and re-launch OneNote. Sign in again with the same Microsoft account.

3/ Clear OneNote cache:

Corrupted cache files can trigger error 0x803d0014:

Close OneNote completely.
Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Go to:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0

In the above path, replace <user> with your username. To view the OneNote cache location, open OneNote and select File > Options > Save & Backup. You will see the complete path of OneNote cache files under the Cache file location section. To clear cache files, open the cache folder and delete all the files inside it.

4/ Open OneNote desktop from the web

You can try opening the affected notebook from the web. Open a web browser and sign in to OneNote with the same Microsoft account. Now, open the affected notebook, then click File > Edit in Desktop App. The notebook will be opened in the OneNote desktop app. Now, sync it manually and see if the error occurs.

Please give these steps a try. If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please leave a comment on this post.

If the answer is helpful, please click 'Yes' and kindly upvote it.

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.

Itz_Hz 0 Reputation points

2026-10-08T18:41:12.0966667+00:00

Thank you for responding @Emily T ,

I have tried all your suggestions except for number 3 (as I can't locate the file) and I now get the error code 0x80072EFD bdf5j- it is still not syncing . I have noticed that when I create new pages or changes on the OneNote app on my PC it does show up on my laptop and on the online version but it the notebook still has a cross. I don't know what the problem could be.
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Emily T 740 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-08T19:26:49.5133333+00:00

Hi Itz_Hz,

The third step is particularly important because it forces OneNote to rebuild its local cache, which can help resolve synchronization issues caused by corrupted cache data.

To access the cache folder, press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, enter the following path, and then press Enter:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\cache

This will open the OneNote cache location directly, allowing you to proceed with the cache rebuild process.

You can use this video for instruction: Where is OneNote cache location? How to clear OneNote Cache? - YouTube

This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Please give it a try, and let me know if the issue persists or if you encounter any difficulties along the way.
Itz_Hz 0 Reputation points

2026-10-09T20:38:59.2433333+00:00

So I have found the folder and have deleted everything in the folder including the tmp and header folder and it has worked, THANK YOU!!
Emily T 740 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-09T20:52:53.07+00:00

Hi Itz_Hz

I'm glad to hear that the solution worked for you. If you have any other questions in the future, please don't hesitate to create a new post. The community will be happy to help and provide any assistance they can. Have a blessed and wonderful day as well.