If you accidentally deleted a note in Microsoft OneNote, don’t panic. Chances are, your deleted note is still available in a OneNote backup. Here we will show you how to recover your notes in OneNote for Windows, Mac and the web.
Recover deleted notes in OneNote on Windows
OneNote has two versions for Windows: OneNote (previously called OneNote 201
The steps to recover deleted notes are not the same for both versions, so you need to know which version of OneNote you are using first.
To do this, open the “Start” menu and search for “OneNote”. Note the name of the app you usually click to open your notes. Compare that name with the names listed above to find out your version of OneNote.
Then, depending on the version you are using, follow the steps in one of the sections below to recover your deleted notes in OneNote.
Recover deleted notes in OneNote (formerly OneNote 2016)
By default, OneNote automatically backs up your notes. This means that if you ever delete a note, you can restore it later from these OneNote backups.
To start the process of recovering your lost notes, open the “Start” menu, search for “OneNote” and click on the app in the results.
When the OneNote window opens, click “File” in the top left corner of the window.
Here, select “Info” in the left sidebar and then click “Open Backups” on the right.
A window will open with your notebooks (as folders) that have been backed up. Double-click the notebook folder you want to recover notes from, then select the notes section and click ‘Open’.
The selected note will open on your screen. Here, right-click on the note’s section or page name at the top and select ‘Move or Copy’. This will help restore your note to your existing notebooks.
In the window that opens, select the notebook where you want to restore the deleted notes and click “Copy” at the bottom.
The notes you selected are now available in your existing notebook.
If you don’t prefer local backups, you can sync OneNote with your Microsoft account. This keeps a copy of all your notes in the cloud, and you can access them from any of your compatible devices.
RELATED: How to sync OneNote 2016 notebooks with your OneDrive account and access them from anywhere
Recover deleted notes in OneNote for Windows 10
If you’re using OneNote for Windows 10, you don’t need to open a backup file to restore notes. There is a built-in option in this app that you can view and recover your deleted notes.
This option fetches your notes from the cloud storage of your Microsoft account, where your notes were originally stored.
To start the recovery process, open your “Start” menu, search for “OneNote for Windows 10” and click on the app in the results.
In the OneNote window, click “View” in the top menu bar.
Under the View menu, click on the “Deleted Notes” option.
You can now see all your deleted notes and sections. Find the note you want to restore, right-click on it and select ‘Restore to’.
OneNote will ask where to recover your notes. Select the existing notebook to which you want to add these deleted notes and click ‘Recover’.
Recover deleted notes in OneNote on Mac
OneNote for Mac also doesn’t require you to open a backup file to restore notes. You can use a built-in option in the app to find and recover your deleted notes.
To get started, open Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, type in “OneNote” and select the app from the search results.
Click “View” in the OneNote window.
Select “Deleted Notes” from the View menu.
OneNote will now display all of your deleted notes. To restore a note, right-click on it and select ‘Restore to’.
On the next screen, choose the existing notebook to add these recovered notes to and click on ‘Recover’.
Without further prompts, your selected notes will be restored.
Recover deleted notes in OneNote on the web
OneNote for the web works much the same as OneNote for Windows 10. It syncs your notes with your OneDrive account and lets you restore your notes from the app.
Go to OneNote on the web and log into your account to start notes recovery. Then click the View> Deleted Notes option to view your lost notes.
Right-click on the note you want to recover and select ‘Recover’. Choose your existing notebook to add this note to and click ‘OK’.
If you deleted an entire notebook, you must restore it to OneDrive before using it in OneNote for the web. This notebook can be recovered from the OneDrive trash as long as it hasn’t been 30 days since you deleted it.
To restore your entire notebook, open the OneDrive site in your browser and log in to your account.
When OneDrive loads, click on “Recycle Bin” in the left sidebar.
Here, click on the notebook you want to restore in the right pane. Then click on “Restore” at the top to return your notebook to its original location.
Go to that original location in OneDrive (usually the Documents folder) and click the notebook to open it with OneNote for the web.
