lost Notes

Do not uninstall, reset, or sign out of OneNote yet; first check the synced notebook through OneNote for the web, where deleted pages can be restored.

1. Verify the notebook and account

1. In OneNote on your iPhone, check which Microsoft account is signed in.
2. Open Notebooks → More Notebooks and look for the missing notebook. OneNote may simply have closed it; notebooks stored under the same OneDrive account can be reopened from this list.^1^
3. In Safari or another browser, sign in at https://www.onenote.com/ using that same account.
4. Open the notebook and check whether the missing pages appear there.

If you use multiple personal, work, or school accounts, repeat this check with each account that could own the notebook.

2. Check Deleted Notes from the web or another device

The iPhone app does not provide the same deleted-notes view available on the web and other OneNote platforms, so use OneNote for the web or, if available, OneNote on a Mac, Windows PC, or iPad.^2^

In OneNote for the web:

1. Open the affected notebook.
2. Select View → Deleted Notes.
3. Find the missing page or section.
4. Select Move or Copy, choose its original section, and move it back.

Deleted pages and sections are normally recoverable for up to 60 days, unless the Notebook Recycle Bin was emptied.^3^

On desktop OneNote, use:

• Windows: History → Notebook Recycle Bin
• Mac: Notebook → Deleted Notes

Then right-click the page or section, select Move or Copy, and restore it to the appropriate notebook.

3. Locate the notebook directly in OneDrive

If the notebook is absent from OneNote:

1. Sign in to OneDrive using the same Microsoft account.
2. Check folders such as Documents and Notebooks.
3. Select the notebook to open it in OneNote for the web.^4^

Also search OneNote for a distinctive word from the missing note and inspect any Misplaced Sections shown in the notebook list. If a misplaced section contains the notes, long-press it and use Move or Copy to place it in a valid notebook.^5^

If the notes remain missing

• If they still appear on an old phone, iPad, Mac, or PC, do not reset or uninstall OneNote on that device. Copy or move the pages into a newly created, synced section first.
• On a Mac or Windows PC that previously opened the notebook, check OneNote’s available backup or recovery options. The latest iOS recovery capabilities may vary by app version, so also inspect the current OneNote iOS Help options rather than assuming a local backup is or is not available.
• If the notes are absent from every account, OneDrive, Deleted Notes, Misplaced Sections, and all other devices, report the issue through OneNote’s in-app Help or the official OneNote Community forum. Permanently deleted or never-synced content might not be recoverable.

References

1. Sync a notebook in OneNote
2. OneNote Platform Data Protection & Recovery | Microsoft Support
3. [Newer versions](https://support.microsoft.com/onenote/onenote-help-and-learning/recover-deleted-notes)
4. [iOS](https://support.microsoft.com/onenote/onenote-help-and-learning/find-onenote-notes-pages-or-tabs)
5. Recovering or fixing "Misplaced Sections" in OneNote on Mac and iPhone - Microsoft Q&A