iOS OneNote 16.115 issues

OneNote for iPad does not have a documented, supported way to select and reinstall an older App Store version, so protect any unsynced work first and then isolate whether version 16.115 is exposing a notebook, synchronization, or local performance problem.

Protect your notes before troubleshooting

Do not sign out, reset OneNote, delete the app, or close an affected notebook until this check is complete; Microsoft warns that these actions can lose changes that have not synchronized.^1^

1. Open the affected notebooks in OneNote on the web or another device.
2. Confirm that your latest pages and edits appear there.
3. For anything missing, copy the content from the iPad into another app or take screenshots before proceeding.
4. If the notebooks are stored in OneDrive, check Microsoft 365 service status. For SharePoint-hosted work notebooks, ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to check the service and storage location.^1^

Low-risk recovery sequence

1. Force-close OneNote and restart the iPad.
   Open the app switcher, swipe OneNote away, restart iPadOS, and test OneNote again.
2. Test one notebook at a time.
   Determine whether the crash occurs:
   • Immediately at launch
   • With every notebook
   • Only when opening one notebook, section, or page
   If only one notebook triggers it, use OneNote on the web, Windows, or Mac temporarily rather than repeatedly opening it on the iPad.
3. Force a synchronization attempt.
   In OneNote, return to the Notebooks list and pull down on the list. A progress indicator should appear while OneNote attempts to synchronize the open notebooks.^2^
4. Check local storage.
   Go to iPad Settings → General → iPad Storage → OneNote. Also check the remaining device storage. Microsoft recommends closing notebooks you do not use and reducing unusually large notebooks, sections, pages, or page content to improve responsiveness.^3^
5. If one notebook is consistently responsible, open it on the web or desktop and:
   • Split a particularly large section into a new notebook.
   • Reduce the number of pages or sections loaded together.
   • Break up pages containing large amounts of content or attachments.
   • Allow synchronization to finish before reopening it on the iPad.^3^

Reporting a likely 16.115 regression

The available public Microsoft known-issues page—marked last updated February 2020—does not list a specific version 16.115 incident or an iPad rollback procedure.^4^

In OneNote, open Settings → Send Feedback and include:

• OneNote version 16.115
• iPad Pro model and iPadOS version
• Whether all notebooks or only one are affected
• Whether the same notebooks open successfully on the web or another device
• The exact action preceding each hang or crash

Submitting through the app is the documented route used for iPad-specific problems to reach the OneNote team.^5^

Last resort

Reinstalling or resetting OneNote should be considered only after every recent change is visible on the web or another device. The reset option can remove offline notebook data, and unsynchronized changes will be lost.^6^ The cited reset procedure is intended for changing users on a shared device, so it is not an established fix for version 16.115 crashes.

Until Microsoft releases another App Store build, use OneNote on the web or another synchronized device for work-critical editing if 16.115 remains unstable.

References

1. Fix issues when you can't sync OneNote | Microsoft Support
2. [Web](https://support.microsoft.com/onenote/onenote-help-and-learning/fix-issues-when-you-can-t-sync-onenote#notebooks-not-syncing)
3. Improve the performance of OneNote for iPad or iPhone
4. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in OneNote for Mac, iPhone, and iPad | Microsoft Support
5. OneNote App on iPadOS is Glitching - Microsoft Q&A
6. Reset Microsoft OneNote between users on a shared iPad or iPhone