OneNote freezes and is "not responding" when I am annotating over PDFs

Joe O'Connor 0 Reputation points
2026-11-05T19:52:29.7033333+00:00

I am using OneNote over 7 years. Never had issues.

I have a tried 2 new laptops, I have latest issue of OneNote.

I want to be able to annotate over my PDF notes in OneNote like I have been doing for the past number of years.
Now OneNote freezes, pen would change easily etc.

If I use a blank page without a PDF, it doesnt freeze as much when I annotate, but sometimes the pen takes a while to become responsive or switch between colours.

Can you fix please?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For education | Windows
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  1. Ivory 2,610 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-05T20:23:50.21+00:00

    Hi Joe,

    The delay when switching pen colors or the pen becoming temporarily unresponsive may indicate that OneNote is struggling to keep up with the rendering workload, synchronization activity, or resource usage while the PDF is displayed.

    Please try the following steps to see if it helps:

    1/ Disable the problematic add-In

    Note: Many users will have no add-ins listed. If you do not see any COM add-ins, skip this fix.

    1. Launch the OneNote Desktop app.
    2. Click File and go to Options.
    3. Click Add-ins.
    4. At the bottom, open Manage and select COM Add-ins, then click Go.
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    5. Find the add-in you suspect (especially anything installed recently).
    6. Uncheck it to disable, then click OK.
    7. Restart OneNote and test again.

     2/ Disable pen features

    If OneNote freezes mainly while using a pen, ink smoothing and handwriting processing can add constant background load. Turning these off can reduce stalls while drawing.

    1. Open the OneNote Desktop app.
    2. Click File > Options.
    3. Open the Advanced tab in the left sidebar.
    4. Scroll to the Pen section and uncheck Smooth ink when drawing with a pen (if present).

    User's image

    1. Also uncheck Enable automatic handwriting recognition (if present).
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    2. Click OK and restart OneNote.

    3/ Reset OneNote cache

    Pleae try to confirm your notebooks are synced before doing this. If you have unsynced local edits and you rebuild cache, you risk losing those local-only changes. If OneNote is unstable, open the same notebook on another device and verify your latest edits are visible there.

    This cache method is for OneNote Desktop (Microsoft 365/2016). If you are using the Microsoft Store OneNote app, use the Repair steps below

    1. Press Windows + R to open Run.
    2. Type the following and press Enter: 
         %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneNote
      1. Open the folder for your version (for example, open 16.0 for OneNote 2016/Microsoft 365).
      2. Right-click the cache folder and rename it (for example, cache.old).
      3. Open OneNote again. It will generate a new cache folder automatically.

    The first launch after a cache rebuild can feel slower while OneNote re-downloads content and re-indexes notebooks.

    4/ Repair OneNote

    Note: Repair is the safer first try. Reset can remove local app data. Cloud notebooks should remain safe, but local-only unsynced changes can be lost if they were never uploaded.

    Pick the option that matches your OneNote:

    • If you use OneNote for Windows (Microsoft Store app): Use Windows “Repair/Reset” for the app.
    • If you use OneNote Desktop (Microsoft 365/Office install): Repair Microsoft 365/Office (OneNote is part of the Office suite for many users).
    1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
    2. Click Apps.
    3. Search for OneNote (Store app) or Microsoft 365/Microsoft Office (Desktop install).
    4. Store app path: Click OneNote > Advanced options > under Reset, click Repair first. If it still freezes, you can try Reset (this may clear local app data).
    5. Desktop (Microsoft 365/Office) path: Click Microsoft 365/Office > Modify (or Change) > run Quick Repair. If the issue persists, run Online Repair (takes longer but is deeper).

    For more information, please consult: Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support

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

    If the answer is helpful, please click 'Yes' and kindly upvote it.

    Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-05T19:52:53.49+00:00

    Try this end-to-end path for OneNote freezing while annotating PDFs on Windows:

    1. Update OneNote first
      • If using the Office desktop version: open an Office app and go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
      • If using the Microsoft Store version: open Microsoft Store > Library > Get Updates.
      • There is a documented case where OneNote on Windows crashed when opening notebooks in a specific version, and updating fixed it.
    2. Disable COM add-ins
      • In OneNote, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
      • At the bottom, for Manage COM Add-ins, click Go.
      • Clear any enabled add-ins, then select OK.
      • This is a common isolation step for freezing and lag.
    3. Reduce notebook load, especially around PDFs
      • Large notebooks and heavy content can slow OneNote.
      • Split very large sections into smaller notebooks or smaller sections/pages.
      • Reduce heavy content on a page where possible.
      • If the problem is mainly on PDF-heavy pages, test by copying a few pages into a smaller notebook and annotate there. If that performs better, the issue is likely notebook/page load rather than the pen itself.
    4. Change OneNote pen behavior settings
      • Go to File > Options > Advanced > Pen.
      • Test with these options adjusted:
        • When images move, also move ink written on them: turn this off to reduce the extra work when annotating over PDFs or images.
        • Use pen pressure sensitivity: turn this off temporarily and test responsiveness.
        • Enable multi-tap to select ink: turn this off temporarily and test.
      • Since the issue is worse when writing over PDFs than on blank pages, these pen settings are directly relevant.
    5. Repair Office
      • Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify.
      • Run Quick Repair first.
      • If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
      • Warning: Online Repair reinstalls Office and may take some time, though documents and settings are expected to remain.
    6. Check whether the issue is isolated to the desktop app
      • Open the same notebook in OneNote on the web.
      • If the notebook behaves better there, that points to a desktop app performance issue rather than notebook content corruption.
    7. If notebooks are very large, reorganize before moving content
      • Copy sections into a new notebook first and test there.
      • Use Copy rather than Move initially to avoid accidental data loss while troubleshooting.

    If the problem continues after update, add-in isolation, pen setting changes, and Office repair, use Contact Us at the bottom of the support page or post in the Office on Windows / Microsoft community forums.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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