Fix OneNote Cannot Export Notebook Because Sections Are Not Fully Synced
Question details
The user is unable to export an entire OneNote 2016 notebook as a OneNote Package because the application incorrectly reports that some sections have not fully synced.
- Product
- OneNote 2016
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to export a complete notebook for local backup or sharing.
- Observed behavior
- The export of the entire notebook fails with a sync error, despite individual section exports working perfectly and local backups functioning normally. The error persists even after allowing all pages to load.
Ensure you have a stable internet connection and wait for any ongoing background synchronizations to complete before attempting to export your notebook.
Re-open the Notebook via OneNote for the Web
Forcing OneNote to reconnect and re-sync properly from the web version often clears false synchronization flags in the desktop app.
This error often occurs when the desktop application's local cache falls out of sync with the cloud server, causing it to incorrectly flag sections as incomplete.
By launching the notebook from the web interface, you force the desktop app to re-validate the connection and correctly identify the sync status of all sections.
Open OneNote 2016, right-click on the name of the affected notebook, and select 'Close This Notebook'.
Open your web browser, navigate to OneNote for the Web, and log in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Locate and open the affected notebook in the web browser. Once opened, click on the 'Open in Desktop app' option in the top ribbon.
Wait patiently for the desktop application to launch and load the notebook. Click through the sections and allow all pages to fully load and sync.
Once everything is fully loaded and synced, navigate to File > Export > Notebook > OneNote Package, and attempt the export again.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can I export individual sections but not the entire OneNote notebook?
Exporting the entire notebook requires all sections to have identical sync states with the server. If even one page has a minor sync hang or caching issue, the entire package export will fail, whereas exporting an individual section bypasses the global notebook sync check.
How do I manually force my OneNote notebook to sync?
You can manually trigger a sync by pressing Shift + F9 for the current notebook, or F9 to sync all open notebooks. Alternatively, right-click the notebook name and choose 'Sync This Notebook Now'.
Where does OneNote 2016 store local backups?
By default, OneNote 2016 saves local automatic backups in the AppData folder. You can find and modify the exact backup path by navigating to File > Options > Save & Backup in the desktop application.
