Formatting Issues

How to Fix Pink or Red Text in Shared OneNote Notebooks

Natalie Taylor Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where text on pages within a shared OneNote notebook unexpectedly appears highlighted in pink or red.

How to Fix Pink or Red Text in Shared OneNote Notebooks

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: Windows 11
Scenario: Accessing and attempting to edit a shared notebook owned by another user via OneNote for the web, Windows 11, or Microsoft Teams.
Observed behavior: Text content on specific pages displays with a pink or red highlight, and the user may be locked out of editing the content.

Before you start

Ensure your internet connection is stable so the notebook can properly sync, and verify with the notebook owner that your account has the correct editing permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Copy the Affected Page to a New Section

Use this method to quickly strip away corrupted formatting or lingering author highlights by duplicating the content to a fresh page.

Often, formatting glitches or synchronization lockups in shared notebooks can be bypassed by simply copying the content to a brand-new page. This forces the application to render the text without the problematic background data.

Right-click the page tab

Locate the affected page in the page list panel on the right or left side of your OneNote window, and right-click on the page name.

Select Move or Copy

From the context menu, click on 'Move or Copy' (or simply 'Copy' in OneNote for the web).

Choose the destination

Select the current section or a newly created test section, then click the 'Copy' button.

Verify the new page

Open the newly copied page to check if the pink or red text has reverted to normal. If it has, you can safely delete the original affected page.

Alternative Copy Method: If you cannot copy the entire page, try manually highlighting the text, copying it (Ctrl+C), and pasting it as plain text (Ctrl+Shift+V) into a new page.

Solution 2

Mark Notebook Changes as Read

OneNote automatically highlights changes made by other authors in a shared notebook. Marking them as read removes these highlights.

Solution 3

Verify Notebook Editing Permissions

Ensure you have the correct access rights, as read-only conflicts can cause synchronization errors and visual glitches.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does text suddenly turn pink or red in my shared OneNote?

This is usually a built-in feature of OneNote designed to highlight new changes made by other authors since you last viewed the page. It can also occur due to temporary sync conflicts.

Can I disable author highlights permanently in OneNote?

You can hide author tags by going to the 'History' tab on the ribbon and clicking 'Hide Authors'. However, marking the notebook as read is usually the best way to clear the current highlights.

Why can't I edit the text even after copying the page?

If you still cannot edit the text on a newly copied page, you may have an overarching permission issue with the notebook or the section itself may be password-protected or locked by the owner.

Document & File Issues