![\"recover](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/disk-drill-search-for-lost-data.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"how](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/onenote-disk-drill-recover.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"restore](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/onedrive-backup-settings.png\")
<\/p>\r\n![\"Recover](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/htrwd_onedrive_2.png\")
<\/div>![\"how](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Recycle_bin_full_win_10.png\")
<\/div>OneNote files don\u2019t disappear on their own. Instead, their disappearance can typically be attributed to one of the following causes:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- 😐 User error<\/strong>: It\u2019s easy to make a mistake when working on a challenging school or work project, and it might take you hours or even days to realize it. Indeed, unfortunate mistakes such as clicking the Delete button instead of the Rename button are responsible for embarrassingly many cases of OneNote data loss, and there\u2019s no easy way to prevent them since being more careful doesn\u2019t always work.<\/li>\r\n\t
- ♻ Synchronization issues<\/strong>: OneNote content is automatically saved to your OneDrive account and synchronized between your devices. That way, you can access your notes from anywhere, provided you don\u2019t run into any synchronization issues. If you do, your notes may seem to be deleted or lost.<\/li>\r\n\t
- 💥 Hard drive failure<\/strong>: Before they are saved to your OneDrive account, OneNote notes are first stored locally on your hard drive<\/a>, so any hard drive-related issues could lead to their corruption or loss.<\/li>\r\n\t
- 🐜 Malware<\/strong>: There are all kinds of nasty strains of malware, and some can cause OneNote data loss. In recent years, cybercriminals have been sending fake OneNote document links via email to spread dangerous malware such as the credential-stealing Agent Tesla keylogger. While a keylogger won\u2019t compromise your OneNote files on its own, it could make it possible for the attacker to infiltrate your OneDrive account and delete your notes.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
The good news is that OneNote file deletion can often be solved and permanent loss of important notes avoided, and we explain how in the next section of this article.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Recover Deleted OneNote Files<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
Recovering deleted OneNote files is possible because the note-taking software comes with several data recovery features. Should they fail, you can still attempt to recover deleted OneNote pages and notes using native backup and restore tools or third-pam recovery software.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Method 1:<\/span> Learn How to Undo in OneNote<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Just like most Windows and Mac applications, OneNote lets you undo your last action (or a series of actions) with a simple shortcut:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Windows<\/strong>: Ctrl<\/kbd> + Z<\/kbd><\/li>\r\n\t
- macOS<\/strong>: Command<\/kbd> + Z<\/kbd><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
The biggest limitation of this method is that the history of your actions is automatically discarded when you close OneNote.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Method 2:<\/span> Recover Deleted Items from the OneNote Recycle Bin<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
This method can save the day when you need to recover a recently deleted OneNote page. It relies on the OneNote Recycle Bin, a data loss prevention feature in the desktop version of the note-taking app. Each OneNote notebook has its own Recycle Bin, so you first need to open the appropriate notebook and then follow the steps below:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Open the History menu and click the Notebook Recycle Bin button.
![\"onenote](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/onedrive-notebook-recycle-bin.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t - Right-click a deleted page or section and select the Move or Copy option to restore it back to your notebook.
![\"how](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/onedrive-move-to.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nKeep in mind that items in the OneNote Recycle Bin are automatically deleted after 60 days, so it\u2019s best to begin their recovery as soon as possible.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Method 3:<\/span> Recover OneNote Deleted Notes from Local Backups<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
If you use the OneNote desktop app to create, edit, or view your notes, then there will be local backups saved on your main hard drive, allowing you to recover notes that are no longer available on your other devices.<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Open the OneNote desktop app.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Open the File menu and click the Open Backups button.
![\"onenote](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/open-backups-onenote.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t - Select the backup file you want to open and click the Open button.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Right-click the page or section you want to recover and select the Move or Copy option to restore it.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
<\/span>Method 4:<\/span> Restore an Older Version of Your OneNote Files<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
The web version of OneNote has a handy recovery feature that lets you easily restore an older version of any page. This method is great for recovering the content of pages that have been corrupted by malware or erased due to a user error.<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Launch OneNote online<\/a> and log in with your username and password.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Navigate to the page you want to restore.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Open the View menu and click the Page Versions button.
![\"onenote](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/page-versions-onenote.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- Select the version you want to restore.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Click the yellow warning message and choose the Restore option.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
Alternatively, you can simply copy the content of the previous version and manually paste it wherever you want.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Method 5:<\/span> Restore Your OneNote Files Using Backup Software<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Both Windows and macOS feature native data backup capabilities to protect important files against deletion. The data backup solution in the latest version of Windows is called File History<\/a>, while macOS has Time Machine<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n
Both of these solutions work similarly. First, you need to navigate to your OneNote backup folder:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Windows<\/strong>:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
C:\\Users\\USERNAME\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\OneNote\\VERSION_NUMBER\\Backup<\/pre>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- macOS<\/strong>:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
~\/Library\/Containers\/com.microsoft.onenote.mac\/Data\/Library\/Application Support\/Microsoft User Data\/OneNote\/<\/pre>\r\n
Then you open File History or Time Machine and restore the most recent backup file that contains your notes.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Bonus:<\/span> Data Recovery Software<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
But what if your local backups have been deleted? In that case, you can use data recovery software like Disk Drill<\/a> to undelete them, provided they are still physically present on your hard drive and haven\u2019t been overwritten.<\/p>\r\n
Disk Drill can analyze your hard drive and locate all recoverable files with the .one file extension, allowing you to recover them back to a safe location with a simple click.<\/p>\r\n
- macOS<\/strong>:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
- Launch OneNote online<\/a> and log in with your username and password.<\/li>\r\n\t
- macOS<\/strong>: Command<\/kbd> + Z<\/kbd><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
- ♻ Synchronization issues<\/strong>: OneNote content is automatically saved to your OneDrive account and synchronized between your devices. That way, you can access your notes from anywhere, provided you don\u2019t run into any synchronization issues. If you do, your notes may seem to be deleted or lost.<\/li>\r\n\t