Deleted File Recovery

How to Recover a Deleted OneNote Note, Page, or Section

Amos Gikunda Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover accidentally deleted notes, pages, or entire sections from Microsoft OneNote.

How to Recover a Deleted OneNote Note, Page, or Section

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: The user accidentally deleted important content within a OneNote notebook and is looking for built-in tools or recovery methods to restore the lost data.
Observed behavior: The desired notes, pages, or sections are missing from the current OneNote notebook interface.

Before you start

Verify whether your OneNote notebooks were set to automatically sync with your Microsoft OneDrive account, as this will determine the most effective recovery method.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore from the OneDrive Recycle Bin

If your OneNote application was actively syncing with OneDrive, your recently deleted notes and sections are temporarily kept in the cloud's Recycle Bin.

OneDrive automatically catches deleted files and stores them in a temporary bin. This is usually the easiest and most reliable way to recover fully deleted sections or pages.

Access OneDrive

Open your web browser, navigate to the official OneDrive website, and sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your OneNote notebooks.

Open the Recycle Bin

Click on the 'Recycle bin' option located in the left-hand navigation pane of the OneDrive interface.

Restore the Notes

Locate the deleted OneNote files, select the checkbox next to them, and click the 'Restore' button at the top of the page to send them back to their original notebook location.

Retention Period: Personal OneDrive accounts typically retain deleted files in the Recycle Bin for 30 days before they are permanently erased.

Solution 2

Use the OneNote Notebook Recycle Bin

For partially deleted content or sections, you can often find them in the built-in Notebook Recycle Bin directly within the OneNote desktop application.

Solution 3

Recover Earlier Page Versions

If you accidentally deleted specific text or elements inside a page rather than the whole page, checking the document's page versions can help restore the missing data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long are deleted pages kept in the OneNote Notebook Recycle Bin?

By default, deleted pages and sections are kept in the OneNote Notebook Recycle Bin for 60 days before they are permanently removed, unless the user manually empties the bin sooner.

Can I recover unsynced OneNote pages if I lost my internet connection?

If your notes were never synced to OneDrive and are not found in the local Recycle Bin, recovery is difficult. You may need to check for local backup folders or use professional data recovery software to scan your hard drive for local OneNote cache files.

Where are OneNote backup files stored locally on a Windows PC?

If you have local backups enabled in OneNote for Windows, they are typically stored in the path 'C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\[Version]\Backup'. You can navigate to this folder to look for earlier copies of your notebooks.

Migration & Recovery