Permission & Access Issues

How to Completely Remove Students from OneNote Class Notebook

Steve K Oct 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to completely eliminate all traces of a student from a OneNote Class Notebook after the student's account and previous work have already been deleted.

How to Completely Remove Students from OneNote Class Notebook

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A teacher or administrator is trying to clean up a Class Notebook by removing students who are no longer in the class, but the students still appear in the notebook interface.
Observed behavior: The deleted students remain visible within the Class Notebook despite their accounts and student work having been removed previously.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary administrator or teacher permissions in both Microsoft Teams (if applicable) and SharePoint to manage notebook access.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove Student Permissions via Teams and SharePoint

Revoke the student's access permissions at the source to ensure they are completely disconnected from the notebook.

If your Class Notebook is linked to a Microsoft Class Team, you must first remove the student from the Team itself before adjusting the underlying SharePoint permissions.

Remove from Microsoft Teams

Navigate to the relevant class team in Microsoft Teams, open the team management settings, and remove the student from the members list.

Access SharePoint Advanced Permissions

Open the affected notebook, click on 'Share', select 'Manage access', and then choose 'Advanced' to open the SharePoint permissions page.

Remove the User from Groups

In the People and Groups section, locate the affected student's name, select it, and remove the user's permissions from the notebook's SharePoint site.

Update the Class Notebook App

Launch the Class Notebook app, select the 'Add or Remove Students' option, choose your specific notebook, and verify the student has been removed.

Re-adding Students: Only add the student back through the Class Notebook app if they were removed by mistake and need their access restored.

Solution 2

Delete Leftover Sections in OneNote Desktop App

Manually delete the remaining student section groups in the desktop app to clear them from your visible notebook structure.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a deleted student still appear in my Class Notebook?

Removing a student's account or permissions does not automatically erase their personal section group from the notebook's structure. You must manually right-click and delete their section in the OneNote desktop app, then sync the notebook.

Do I have to remove the student from Microsoft Teams first?

Yes, if your Class Notebook was originally created within a Microsoft Team, the Team roster controls the primary permissions. You must remove the student from the class team before modifying SharePoint access.

Will deleting the student's section permanently remove their work?

Yes. When you right-click and delete a student's section in the OneNote desktop app, all pages and content within that specific section are permanently deleted. Make sure to back up any necessary work before doing this.

How do I force the notebook to update after removing a student?

To force an update, open the notebook in the OneNote desktop application, right-click the notebook's name in the sidebar, and select 'Sync This Notebook Now'.

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