Co-pilot invaded OneNote and destroyed a page of notes, how do I undo?

Question

Co-pilot invaded OneNote and destroyed a page of notes, how do I undo?

Booker 40

I didn't tell co-pilot to do anything (and wish it didn't exist) but somehow it got activated and turned my carefully written notes into childish garbage. The undo command was unavailable and CoPilot somehow changed the backup copy even though that copy pre-dates the change. The changes are also not recognized as a recent edit. Welcome to the world of AI. Where it can decide for itself to destroy your work, erase the evidence, and there is no way to fix it.

Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-19T08:01:35.5566667+00:00
Welcome Booker,

I'm sorry to hear this happened to your notes. I understand how frustrating it would be if content you carefully created was unexpectedly changed.

Before suggesting further recovery steps, could you please confirm:

Are you using a personal Microsoft account or a work/school account?

Which version of OneNote are you using (OneNote for Windows, OneNote from Microsoft 365, OneNote for the web, etc.)?

Is the affected notebook stored in OneDrive or only on the local device?

Looking forward to your update.
Booker 40 Reputation points

2026-09-19T16:09:00+00:00

Thank you. I will add that Copilot added so much of it's own (poorly written) words to my notes (aside from juvenile icons) that I don't know what is real information and what was hallucinated. Copilot is a beta version of a product that shouldn't even exist and it should be an opt-in feature, not opt-out.

To answer your questions, I'm using both home and work. I think the original error was on a home version and OneNote for Windows. The notebook is both on a local device and in OneDrive.

Your questions prompted me to search everywhere for backup copies. I fortunately found a copy on a flashdrive that was not corrupted by Copilot and had my original notes.

In re-writing my notes, Copilot completely changed them, including leaving out much of the information. These particular notes have critical safety implications. Copilot is dangerous and should be retired.
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-22T04:05:56.0433333+00:00

Hello Booker,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad you were able to find an unaffected copy of your notes and recover the missing information.

I understand your concerns, especially given the safety implications of the content. While the community cannot influence product design decisions, you can share your feedback directly with the product team through the Microsoft Feedback Portal.

Thank you for taking the time to report back and share the outcome. If you have any other questions, please feel free to start a new thread.

Your answer

Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-19T08:01:35.5566667+00:00

Welcome Booker,

I'm sorry to hear this happened to your notes. I understand how frustrating it would be if content you carefully created was unexpectedly changed.

Before suggesting further recovery steps, could you please confirm:

Are you using a personal Microsoft account or a work/school account?

Which version of OneNote are you using (OneNote for Windows, OneNote from Microsoft 365, OneNote for the web, etc.)?

Is the affected notebook stored in OneDrive or only on the local device?

Looking forward to your update.
Booker 40 Reputation points

2026-09-19T16:09:00+00:00

Thank you. I will add that Copilot added so much of it's own (poorly written) words to my notes (aside from juvenile icons) that I don't know what is real information and what was hallucinated. Copilot is a beta version of a product that shouldn't even exist and it should be an opt-in feature, not opt-out.

To answer your questions, I'm using both home and work. I think the original error was on a home version and OneNote for Windows. The notebook is both on a local device and in OneDrive.

Your questions prompted me to search everywhere for backup copies. I fortunately found a copy on a flashdrive that was not corrupted by Copilot and had my original notes.

In re-writing my notes, Copilot completely changed them, including leaving out much of the information. These particular notes have critical safety implications. Copilot is dangerous and should be retired.
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-22T04:05:56.0433333+00:00

Hello Booker,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad you were able to find an unaffected copy of your notes and recover the missing information.

I understand your concerns, especially given the safety implications of the content. While the community cannot influence product design decisions, you can share your feedback directly with the product team through the Microsoft Feedback Portal.

Thank you for taking the time to report back and share the outcome. If you have any other questions, please feel free to start a new thread.