I lost ALL my files after redownloading OneNote

Moca-7127 0 Reputation points
2026-10-24T22:04:29.88+00:00

I uninstalled OneNote 2016 on my iPad after all notebooks were synced, and redownloaded the new OneNote on my iPad (using a different Apple Store account). Afterwards, I opened my notebooks to see that all of my notes (not notebooks or sections however) disappeared, and the OneDrive doesn't have any deleted files either. What happened, and how can I recover my lost notes? I checked on three different devices with the same result.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | Other | iOS
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Kai-H 30,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-25T08:53:46.83+00:00

    Hi, Moca

    I’m sorry all your pages disappeared. Seeing the same result on three devices does not confirm what caused it, so checking the notebook in a browser is the next useful step.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    Open OneNote in Safari through OneDrive, signing in with the original Microsoft account used for your notebooks. Check any other Microsoft accounts you previously used, too.

    Open each affected notebook and select View > Deleted Notes. This is separate from checking OneDrive’s deleted files. If pages appear, use Move or Copy to restore them. Deleted notes are normally retained for 60 days unless the notebook recycle bin was emptied.

    If you previously opened these notebooks in OneNote on Windows, check File > Info > Open Backups for older copies.

    If nothing appears, contact Microsoft Support with the notebook names and approximate disappearance date. Recovery cannot be guaranteed.

    Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.