Buzz
Microsoft OneNote is one of the best applications for creating notes, compiling research data, organizing information you frequently use, and you can use OneNote anywhere, on Windows 10 devices, as well as on Android, iOS, macOS, and the web. Below are common synchronization errors in OneNote on Windows 10 and how to fix them.
Common synchronization errors in OneNote on Windows 10 and how to fix them
Fixing unsynchronized notebook in OneNote
If a certain notebook cannot synchronize in OneNote, you can try applying some solutions below to fix the issue.
Check notes on the web
You can quickly identify a problematic service by trying to open the note using a web browser.
Step 1: Open OneNote, then click File and choose Info.
Step 2: In the right pane, find and right-click the link, select Copy (or right-click the note and choose Copy Link to Notebook).
Step 3: Open any web browser on your computer.
Step 4: Right-click and paste the link into the browser's address bar, then press Enter to open the note.
If you can open the note in your browser, the error may be caused by the desktop client.
Try reopening the note
If the error is caused by the application, try reopening the note again to fix the synchronization error.
Step 1: Open OneNote, click File and choose Info.
Step 2: Click on Settings then choose Close (or right-click on the note and select Close This Notebook).
Step 3: Click on File then choose Open.
Step 4: Click on the note you want to open.
After completing the above steps, the connection will be reset and your notes will be synchronized.
Check synchronization status
If you can open the note online but don't detect any changes, you'll need to check the synchronization status to identify and fix the specific error.
Step 1: Open OneNote, click File and choose Info.
Step 2: Click on the View Sync Status button (or right-click on the notebook, select Notebook Sync Status).
Step 3: If available, click on the Get Help button to access additional steps and troubleshoot specific errors.
If the Get Help button is not displayed, you'll need to note down the error or error message and search for troubleshooting solutions online.
An important note is that you need to open OneNote and sign in to your account.
Check service status
If you're unable to open the note in a web browser, the root cause of the issue is likely originating from OneDrive service. Use Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge browser, then access the link HERE to check.
If OneDrive is still running, you can contact Microsoft support for assistance.
Fixing unsynchronized Section in OneNote
Usually when sharing a notebook with other users, you may encounter a specific section that is not synchronized. In this case, you can try: manually synchronizing that section or copying these pages to a new section then deleting the faulty section.
Manually synchronize section
If a certain section doesn't automatically synchronize in OneNote, you can manually synchronize that section.
Step 1: On OneNote, click File then choose Info.
Step 2: Click on the View Sync Status button (or right-click on the note and select Notebook Sync Status).
Step 3: In the Shared Notebook Synchronization section, click on the Sync now button next to the unsynchronized section.
Copy pages to a new section
If a section in OneNote refuses to synchronize, you can try copying the pages to a new section, then delete the old faulty section.
Step 1: On OneNote, click on the Create a New Section button on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Use a descriptive name for the new section.
Step 3: On the unsynchronized section, right-click on each page and select Move or Copy.
Step 4: Choose the newly created section, then click Copy.
After completing these steps, you can proceed to use the steps above to manually synchronize the section. If everything works correctly, you can delete the old faulty section by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete.
Clean up OneNote trash
Sometimes, in certain cases, deleting old sections or removing sections you don't use can also cause synchronization errors. That's why you should clean up deleted sections in the recycle bin.
Step 1: On OneNote, click on the History tab.
Step 2: Click on the Notebook Recycle Bin button.
Step 3: Right-click on each section and choose Delete.
If the section contains pages you want to keep, follow the instructions above to copy the pages to a new section and clean up the recycle bin.
Fixing lost sections in OneNote
When sharing a notebook with other users and OneNote attempts to sync changes to a section but cannot find the section file, the file will appear elsewhere with an icon in the Notebook list.
If facing this error, you can either move the section to another notebook or delete it.
Move lost section to another notebook
If a lost section is found, OneNote allows you to move that section to another notebook.
Step 1: On OneNote, right-click on the tab with the lost section, then click on Move or Copy.
Step 2: In the Move or Copy Section section, click on the notebook you want to move or copy from the list.
Step 3: Click on the Move button or the Copy button, depending on what you want to do.
Delete lost section from notebook
If you don't need that section, you can delete it.
Step 1: In OneNote, from the Notebooks list, click on Misplaced Sections.
Step 2: Right-click on the section name and select Delete.
Fixing content conflicts during synchronization in OneNote
While collaborating with others to edit the same piece of text, you may encounter content conflicts during synchronization in OneNote. When a conflict is detected, OneNote will create copies of the same page, and you'll receive a yellow notification displayed on the screen.
If encountering content conflicts during synchronization in OneNote, you'll need to copy the content to the main page and delete that page.
Step 1: In OneNote, at the top of the page, click on the yellow error notification.
Step 2: Copy the content from the current page displaying the error notification and paste that content into the main page.
Step 3: Right-click on the errored page and select Delete to remove that page.
To reduce content conflicts during synchronization in OneNote, the only solution is to designate each person to edit one at a time.
Fixing insufficient storage space error during synchronization in OneNote
In rare cases where you receive an error code, such as 0xE00015E0, it means your device doesn't have enough free space or the notebook is too large to sync.
Usually, storage errors on OneNote occur due to excessive backup file sizes.
To quickly address this issue, adjust the backup settings in OneNote.
Optimizing files
One way to prevent sync conflicts is to optimize the space used by notebooks.
Step 1: In OneNote, click on File then select Options.
Step 2: Click on Save & Backup.
Step 3: In the Optimizing files section, click on the Optimize All Files Now button.
Limiting automatic backups
In addition to optimizing files, you can also set a limit on how often OneNote automatically backs up to save storage space and prevent future sync issues.
Step 1: On OneNote, click on File then select Options.
Step 2: Click on Save & Backup.
Step 3: In the Backup section, adjust the number of automatic backup copies to keep under Number of backup copies to keep.
Delete unnecessary backups
Additionally, you can free up disk space by deleting unnecessary backup files.
Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box, enter the following command and press Enter or click OK:
%localappdata%MicrosoftOneNote
Step 3: Double-click the folder corresponding to the version number you have installed. For example, 16.0 is the OneNote 2016 version.
Step 4: Double-click the Backup folder.
Step 5: Delete backup files that you no longer use.
After completing these steps, OneNote will sync large notebooks without any issues.
Here, Mytour has compiled and introduced to you common synchronization errors in OneNote on Windows 10 and how to fix them. However, remember that sometimes errors may occur due to the program itself. This is why you should update to the latest versions of OneNote on your computer, as these versions integrate bug fixes and additional features.
To quickly check for OneNote updates on your computer, go to File => Account => Office Options, and click on the Update Now button.
Furthermore, before troubleshooting synchronization errors and issues in OneNote, you should first check your Internet connection. The root cause of the problem may very well lie in your Internet connection.
Currently, in addition to OneNote, Evernote is also widely used software for taking notes on work. If you are using Evernote and want to transfer your data to OneNote, it's quite simple. Details on how to transfer data from Evernote to OneNote can be found here and will help you do just that.
