OneDrive File Issues

Remove Deleted OneNote Notebooks Still Showing in OneDrive Home

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove OneNote notebooks from the OneDrive Home or Recent tab after they have already been deleted, as the three-dot menu only shows 'Share' and 'Open'.

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Cleaning up the OneDrive Home tab by completely removing references to deleted OneNote notebooks.
Observed behavior: Deleted notebooks still appear in the Home tab's Recent list, and there is no direct option to delete or remove them from that view.

Before you start

Ensure you have located the actual file in your 'My Files' directory first, as the Home tab often displays shortcuts or history rather than the source files.

Solution 1Recommended

Delete the File, Empty Recycle Bin, and Refresh Recent History

Since the Home tab displays recent browsing history, the ghost file remains until it is fully purged and pushed out by new recent activity.

The OneDrive Home tab functions primarily as a 'Recent' list. Even after a file is deleted from 'My Files', its record may temporarily linger in your recent history until the cache is overwritten by new activity.

Locate the notebook in My Files

Navigate to the 'My Files' tab in OneDrive and find the actual OneNote notebook file instead of looking at the Home tab.

Delete the original file

Select the notebook file and click 'Delete' to move it to the Recycle Bin.

Empty the Recycle Bin

Go to the 'Recycle Bin' in the left navigation pane of OneDrive and permanently delete the notebook or empty the entire bin.

Push the deleted file out of Recent

Open several other valid files in your OneDrive. This new activity will eventually push the deleted notebook out of the Recent and Home tab history.

No direct removal from Recent: Microsoft OneDrive currently does not offer a direct 'Remove from Recent' button on the Home tab for OneNote notebooks. Pushing them out by opening other files is the official workaround.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do deleted files still appear in my OneDrive Recent tab?

The Recent or Home tab in OneDrive acts as a browsing history log. It caches the names of files you recently opened. Even if the source file is deleted from 'My Files,' the history log retains the entry until new recent files push the old entries out.

Can I right-click and remove a OneNote notebook directly from the Home tab?

No, the three-dot menu on the OneDrive Home tab typically only provides 'Share' and 'Open' options for OneNote notebooks. You must delete the actual file from the 'My Files' directory.

How do I permanently delete a OneNote notebook from OneDrive?

Locate the notebook in the 'My Files' section of OneDrive, select it, and choose 'Delete.' Then, navigate to the OneDrive Recycle Bin in the left menu and empty it to permanently erase the notebook from your cloud storage.

Document & File Issues