OneNote Quick Access Toolbar and Ribbon customizations don't work

Question

OneNote Quick Access Toolbar and Ribbon customizations don't work

Ellie Melloy 0

This is on Windows 10 (Microsoft OneNote for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2603 Build 16.0.19822.20086) 64-bit) - it's the MS Store version, same as the one in Windows 11, I uninstalled the old Windows 10 version so I can use this one.

This is the exact issue:

I can temporarily customize the Quick Access Toolbar using the toolbar dropdown and it adds the buttons to the toolbar for the currently active OneNote window.

I then close and reopen all OneNote windows and it restores the default toolbar configuration. It does this even if I have just one window open and I close and reopen it.

I then try to customize the Quick Access Toolbar AND/OR the Ribbon using the OneNote settings dialog, but doing it this way doesn't even set the customizations for either after I close the dialog and apply the changes.

This is only failing to work properly on my personal laptop. On my Windows 11 work laptop (Microsoft OneNote for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2602 Build 16.0.19725.20126) 32-bit). OneNote remembers the toolbar and ribbon changes I make. It also remembered the changes on my work laptop with Windows 10, before it was upgraded to Windows 11.

After searching for similar issues, I have already tried:

Changing the settings when there is only one OneNote window open.
Changing the settings in the settings dialog rather than using the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown.
Resetting to default in the settings dialog.
Doing 1-3 while OneNote is running as Administrator.
Performing an app repair in Windows Settings.
Performing an Online app repair in Windows Settings.

None of these methods have fixed the issue.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Revisiting this to provide an update in case anyone else has this issue.

I had wondered if it was a subscription thing/limited features in the free version. Aside from being identical OneNote versions, my work laptop has a full Office licence but I have no subscription on my personal laptop.

Also I was still using Windows 10 on my personal laptop, while work is Windows 11.

Then last week I did a clean install of Windows 11. I figured a complete OS reinstall has got to fix it.

But I got exactly the same behaviour, it still wouldn't save any quick access button customisations.

I had installed a few other applications on my laptop prior to OneNote (Sandboxie, Windhawk, AutoHotkey, WindowManager, PowerToys) and they are all power utilities which I guess could cause the issue. So I made a clean Win 11 VM and installed OneNote. On that, the buttons could be customised, no issues.

So I installed those same applications to see if they would break it. But it still worked properly.

All the VM OneNote settings were identical to my laptop, so unsure why it worked in one and not the other. But at least I know it's not a subscription-only feature.

Then for a different reason, on my laptop I was clicking around the toolbar and I changed the ribbon layout from 'Simplified Ribbon' to 'Classic Ribbon' and all the quick access buttons I had tried to configure previously just appeared. I could add and rearrange them, and they would all save, and persist after closing OneNote.

It makes no sense. On my work laptop I use the simplified ribbon. The VM was the same. I switched them both to Classic and back to Simplified, and changed a few other layout options to try and break it, but they both worked without issues.

But on my personal laptop, when I switch to Classic the buttons instantly appear, and if I switch to Simplified they instantly disappear.

So my conclusion is it's got to be a random inconsistent OneNote bug. The inconsistency has no logical explanation apart from it being something internal to OneNote.

I haven't got to the bottom of it, but at least there's a workaround for now.

Answer 2

Hendrix-C 20,015 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Ellie Melloy,

Thank you for your detailed sharing.

Based on your information, I suspect the issue is likely because that the OneNote package settings data on your personal laptop is corrupted or not writable so that toolbar changes work only in the current windows and the options changes don't remain at all.

For this situation, I suggest you can try these below steps:

1/ Check for the OneNote Quick Access Toolbar settings file

Close all Office apps including OneNote
Press Windows + R to open Run dialog and input %appdata%\Microsoft\Office
Look for the file named OneNote.officeUI or similar and delete it to revert the toolbar settings to defaults
After that, try customizing your toolbar to see if the settings persist now.

2/ Do a full reset instead of repair

You have already done Online Repair, but packaged app data is separate from the app installation so the Online Repair may not fully clear the corrupted settings data.
Go to Settings > Apps > OneNote > Advanced Options > select Reset this time
Try customizing your toolbar again to see if the settings persist now.

Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works. If not, we can work together to find a solution.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

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Hendrix-C 20,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-14T22:29:49.2833333+00:00

Good day @Ellie Melloy,

Hope things are running smoothly on your end.

Following up on the support thread we've been working on. If you need assistance with anything else, kindly respond to this post, and I will be happy to help.

I want to make sure everything is working as expected and that your experience remains uninterrupted.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Ellie Melloy 0 Reputation points

2026-04-15T10:46:59.5633333+00:00
Hi.

Thank you for your reply.

I only get options to Quick Repair and Online Repair, which I have done both. I don't have an option to perform a Reset.

Additionally I noticed that the OneNote.OfficeUI file didn't exist on my personal laptop. It does exist on my work laptop in the location you provided. So it's not being created when I customise the settings.

I tried copying the file from my work laptop to my personal laptop, but this didn't work.

Then I tried the following:

Closed my notebook.

Uninstalled OneNote from the Settings app.

Deleted all OneNote folders from Local and Roaming AppData.

Looked in the registry for OneNote items but didn't find any.

Reinstalled OneNote.

Opened my notebook.

Even after doing this, the issue is still present and it doesn't create the OneNote.OfficeUI file when I customise settings.
Ellie Melloy 0 Reputation points

2026-04-15T10:47:29.93+00:00
Hi.

Thank you for your reply.

I only get options to Quick Repair and Online Repair, which I have done both. I don't have an option to perform a Reset.

Additionally I noticed that the OneNote.OfficeUI file didn't exist on my personal laptop. It does exist on my work laptop in the location you provided. So it's not being created when I customise the settings.

I tried copying the file from my work laptop to my personal laptop, but this didn't work.

Then I tried the following:

Closed my notebook.

Uninstalled OneNote from the Settings app.

Deleted all OneNote folders from Local and Roaming AppData.

Looked in the registry for OneNote items but didn't find any.

Reinstalled OneNote.

Opened my notebook.

Even after doing this, the issue is still present and it doesn't create the OneNote.OfficeUI file when I customise

settings.
Hendrix-C 20,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-15T19:21:54.24+00:00
Hi @Ellie Melloy,

Greatly appreciate your detailed updates.

Office UI customizations for desktop apps are normally stores as per-app.officeUI files under Local AppData. If your customization didn't create the OneNote.officeUI file, it seems OneNote has failed or had problem writing its UI customization locally.

Since you have tried several workarounds and the issue still persists, there are some steps left that you can consider:

1/ Check whether OneNote is running Compatibility mode

Press Windows + T and type regedit then OK to open Windows Registry

In Windows Registry, navigate to this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

If you see an entry for OneNote.exe, only remove that OneNote entry and test again to see if the issue persists.

2/ Try importing a UI customization from your work device

In your work device, go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar and customize your UI there

Then select Import/Export > Export all customization to have an exportedUI file > save it to a portable connector like a USB.

Plug the USB into your personal device and try importing that exportUI file via File > Options > Import/Export > Import customization file. Then test again to see if it works.

3/ Test with new Windows profile

In case the issue still persists, because these settings are per-user app data, you can try testing with a new Windows profile to clearly confirm this is a machine or profile problem so we can have a more appropriate approach.

If there is any update about the situation, please feel free to reach out again. I'm happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Hope to hear from you soon.
Ellie Melloy 0 Reputation points

2026-04-17T13:37:15.17+00:00

Hi.

There is nothing relating to OneNote in that registry key, only Steam and a couple of games.

I already tried copying the file over from my work laptop, and it doesn't change the layout. Also after copying it, when I try to change any settings or close OneNote it doesn't modify the file (the last modified date doesn't change), but doing this on my work laptop saves to the file and the timestamp changes.

When I reinstalled OneNote I deleted the folder where OneNote.OfficeUI should be, and when OneNote started it recreated that folder, so I doubt it's related to permissions etc.

I'm kind of lost now. It'll be a lot of work recreating everything else in my profile, probably not worth it for a few toolbar buttons.
Hendrix-C 20,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-17T17:16:22.35+00:00

Hi @Ellie Melloy,

I’m really sorry for the inconvenience this situation has caused you.

The behavior that you described is exactly what should happen with the OneNote's QAT, but it only works properly in your work computer, not the personal one. Even after these troubleshooting steps but the issue still persists, in this situation contacting your IT department and ask for help is a good next step since they can perform a deeper investigation and apply advanced diagnostic tools for further identification to identify and resolve the culprit of the issue.

I truly hope you get your issue resolved swiftly and I genuinely wish I could directly access computer to diagnose and fix this for you. However, my role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users. Please know that even though I can't directly intervene, directing you to the correct, specialized support is the most effective help I can provide from my position.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the resolution of this matter. Should you have any questions in the future, feel free to reach out at any time.

Wishing you a great day ahead.