Microsoft 365 Migration

How to Transfer OneNote Notebooks When an Employee Leaves

Steve K Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

Administrators and users need to transfer an employee's OneNote notebooks to a new owner before the departing employee's Microsoft 365 account is deleted.

How to Transfer OneNote Notebooks When an Employee Leaves

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: An employee is leaving the organization, and their Microsoft 365 data, including OneNote notebooks, needs to be preserved and securely transferred to another user.
Observed behavior: Notebooks stored in the departing employee's OneDrive will be permanently deleted and become inaccessible to collaborators unless exported or transferred during the account retention period.

Before you start

Ensure you have the OneNote desktop application installed, as the web version does not support exporting full notebook packages. Verify your organization's Microsoft 365 account retention policy timeframe with your IT administrator.

Solution 1Recommended

Export and Transfer the Notebook via OneNote Desktop

Use the OneNote desktop application to export the entire notebook as a package and upload it to the new owner's account.

This method requires access to the departing employee's account or a delegated account that has full access to the original notebook.

Open the notebook in OneNote

Launch the OneNote desktop application and open the specific notebook you need to transfer, ensuring it is fully synced.

Navigate to the Export menu

Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of the application window and select 'Export' from the left-hand sidebar menu.

Select the export format

Under '1. Export Current', click on 'Notebook'. Then, under '2. Select Format', choose 'OneNote Package (*.onepkg)' and click the 'Export' button.

Save the OneNote package

Choose a secure location on your local drive to save the exported .onepkg file and click 'Save'.

Upload to the new owner's OneDrive

Log in to the new owner's Microsoft 365 account, upload the saved .onepkg file to their OneDrive, and open it in OneNote to unpack and sync the files to the new location.

Export and Transfer the Notebook via OneNote Desktop

Administrator Restoration: If the employee's account has already been deactivated, your Microsoft 365 administrator may still be able to restore the user's OneDrive access temporarily during the retention period to allow for this export process.

Solution 2

Transfer via Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Administrators can generate an access link to the departed employee's OneDrive to manually move the notebook files.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export a OneNote notebook from the web browser?

No, the OneNote for Web interface does not support exporting entire notebooks as a single .onepkg file. You must use the full OneNote desktop application on Windows to perform this export.

How long does Microsoft 365 retain a deleted user's OneDrive data?

By default, Microsoft 365 retains a deleted user's OneDrive data for 30 days, though administrators can configure this retention period to be longer. Once this period expires, the notebooks are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

What happens if the notebook was shared with others before the employee left?

Even if the notebook was widely shared, it is technically hosted on the original owner's OneDrive. When their account is permanently deleted and the retention period ends, the shared links will break, and all collaborators will lose access. The notebook must be physically moved to a new location or a shared SharePoint site to preserve access.

Migration & Recovery