One Note notebook location in OneDrive

Venu Subramanyam 0 Reputation points
2026-10-14T00:18:38.43+00:00

I have a couple of notebooks that are stored in One Drive. However I am unable to located them through Explorer. They do not show up when I look under Documents/OneNote Notebooks. Can you help me figure out where to locate them?

Thanks!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-14T00:18:50.6066667+00:00

    Yes. For notebooks stored in OneDrive, they may not appear under Documents\OneNote Notebooks in File Explorer.

    Try these ways to find them:

    1. In OneNote for Windows, go to File > Open.
      • If the notebook is in OneDrive, look under Open from OneDrive.
      • If it was opened before, check Recent Notebooks.
    2. If search in OneNote is not finding the notebook, check OneDrive directly.
      • Sign in to your OneDrive account from the OneDrive home page.
      • Browse folders such as Documents or Notebooks to look for the notebook files.
      • When found, open the notebook in OneNote for the web.
    3. If the notebook was closed in OneNote, reopen it from File > Open so it appears again in OneNote.
    4. If the notebook was moved into OneDrive by File Explorer instead of through OneNote, it may not sync or appear where expected. The recommended method is to move notebooks by using File > Share in OneNote and then Move Notebook.

    Important: avoid moving folders containing .one files into OneDrive with Windows Explorer. That can break sync and cause OneNote to treat the notebook incorrectly.

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  2. Francisco Montilla 31,530 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-14T04:41:49.5566667+00:00

    Hello,

    When you store OneNote notebooks in OneDrive, they do not usually show up as normal folders or files you can browse through File Explorer. Windows handles them as internet shortcut links to prevent syncing errors, and depending on how they were created, they could be saved at the very root of your OneDrive or in another custom folder instead of the default Documents path.

    Before we dig into finding their exact path, what are you trying to accomplish by finding them in File Explorer? I am asking because if you are trying to move, copy, or rename these files directly in Explorer, it will usually corrupt the notebook and break the sync.

    Let me know what your end goal is, for example if you just want to back them up or transfer them to another account, so we can figure out the best and safest way to do it.

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