Formatting Issues

Fix Black Ruled Lines When Exporting OneNote Pages to PDF

Huda Qurayshi Sep 25, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience black ruled lines instead of blue when exporting OneNote pages to PDF in dark mode.

Fix Black Ruled Lines When Exporting OneNote Pages to PDF

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting a OneNote page with ruled lines to a PDF file.
Observed behavior: The ruled lines appear black instead of blue in the exported PDF when OneNote is in dark mode, despite the page background remaining light.

Before you start

Ensure you have saved your recent OneNote changes and note that this is a known rendering bug in OneNote's dark mode PDF export function.

Solution 1Recommended

Switch OneNote to Light Mode Before Exporting

Temporarily changing your application theme to light mode prevents the rendering bug and preserves the blue ruled lines in your exported PDF.

Because this specific formatting issue is tied directly to OneNote's dark mode settings, the most effective workaround is to switch back to light mode right before you initiate the PDF export.

Open OneNote Options

Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner of the OneNote ribbon and select 'Options' from the bottom of the sidebar.

Change the Office Theme

In the General tab, locate the 'Office Theme' dropdown menu and change it from 'Black' or 'Dark Gray' to 'Colorful' or 'White'.

Export to PDF

Navigate to File > Export, select 'PDF', and save your document. The ruled lines will now export in their correct blue color.

Revert to Dark Mode

Return to File > Options > General and change the Office Theme back to your preferred dark mode setting.

Switch OneNote to Light Mode Before Exporting

Workaround Complete: This temporary switch guarantees that your PDF exports visually match the light background expectations without permanently sacrificing your dark mode preference.

Solution 2

Submit Feedback to Microsoft

Since this is a known software bug that has been reported to the development team, submitting additional feedback helps prioritize a permanent fix in future updates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my OneNote PDF exports look different in dark mode?

OneNote for Microsoft 365 currently has a known rendering bug where utilizing dark mode alters the color of ruled lines in the exported PDF file, turning them black instead of their default blue, even if the page background is light.

Will Microsoft fix the black ruled lines issue in OneNote?

The issue has been officially reproduced and reported to the Microsoft development team. While there is no official timeline, a future update for Microsoft 365 may permanently resolve this bug.

Can I manually change the color of the ruled lines in OneNote to fix this?

You can change the line color by going to the 'View' tab, selecting 'Rule Lines', and choosing a different color. However, due to the dark mode export bug, this may not bypass the issue. Switching to light mode before exporting remains the most reliable workaround.

Document & File Issues