How to Recover Deleted OneNote Files (3 Proven Solutions)

Here’s the good news: even if you intentionally deleted your OneNote files, they might not be gone forever. This article explores various methods to help you recover them. Follow our straightforward instructions, and you’ll increase your chances of getting your notes back, regardless of where they were stored.

How to Recover OneNote Files from Within the OneNote App

Often, the in-built backup and restore features in the OneNote app are enough to recover your OneNote files or pages.

Ensure you check OneDrive for your notes before moving forward.

On Windows, check the Recycle Bin if you manually deleted the note file through Windows Explorer. However, pages deleted via the OneNote app will be located in Documents > OneNote Notebooks > [Your Note] > OneNote_Recycle Bin.

On macOS, look for deleted notes in the Trash, before proceeding further.

Here’s how to recover OneNote files using the OneNote app:

Using the OneNote for Windows 10 Version

If you’re using the OneNote for Windows 10 app, or the web version of OneNote, here’s how to recover deleted notes and pages:

1. Launch the OneNote for Windows 10 app.
2. Click on View > Deleted Notes.
3. Right-click the note or page you wish to recover and choose Restore To.
4. Choose where you wish to restore the note and click Restore.

Using the Desktop Version of OneNote

If you’re using the full-fledged desktop versions of OneNote—OneNote 2013, 2016, and above—the recovery steps are slightly different. Here’s how:

1. Open OneNote.
2. Click on the History tab and choose Notebook Recycle Bin.
3. Right-click the note you wish to recover and click Move or Copy….
4. Select the required location, and click Move, or Copy.

Using OneNote Backups

The Windows desktop version of OneNote automatically creates limited automatic backups of your notes.

Here’s how to restore your notes using this feature:

1. Open OneNote on your Windows PC.
2. Click on File.
3. Click on Info and then click Open Backups.
4. Look for the required note, select it, and click Open.

Using the OneNote for Mac

The steps to restore deleted OneNote files using the app’s macOS version are identical to its Windows counterpart. Here’s how:

1. Open OneNote on your Mac.
2. Click on View > Deleted notes.
3. Right-click the notebook, section, or page you wish to restore, and click Restore to.
4. Choose the recovery destination and click Restore.

How to Recover Deleted Notes Using Data Recovery Software

If OneNote’s in-built restore features couldn’t recover your files, use a third-party data recovery program. It’s also your only option if the files weren’t saved on the cloud, i.e., OneDrive. When picking a data recovery program, ensure it’s easy-to-use, reliable, and recognizes OneNote files.

Disk Drill is available for Windows, and Mac. The data recovery steps are identical for both platforms.

Here’s how to use Disk Drill to recover deleted OneNote files:

1. Download Disk Drill and install it. We recommend you do this on an external storage drive to avoid overwriting any recoverable files on your internal storage drive.
2. Open Disk Drill, select the drive that contained your deleted OneNote files, and click Search for lost data.
3. Click the Documents option to display only the recoverable documents. This makes it easier to locate the OneNote files. If you wish to see all recoverable file types, click on Review found items.
4. Expand the Deleted or lost and Reconstructed sections.
5. OneNote stores backups at C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\Backup. So expand the folder if you can locate it, and select the OneNote files. Click on Recover.
6. Choose a recovery destination for your files and click Next. It’s best to copy the .one file to C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\Backup.
7. Disk Drill will recover the selected OneNote files.

How to Recover Deleted OneNote Files Using OS Backup Features

Both Windows, and macOS have in-built backup and restore features—File History, and Time Machine, respectively. If enabled, you can use these tools to successfully recover deleted OneNote files. However, there’s a prerequisite—the respective features should’ve been enabled before data loss occurred.

Here’s how to use Windows File History, and Mac Time Machine:

Windows File History

Windows File History is a useful method for recovering deleted notes. Originally introduced in Windows 8, File History works as a utility that automatically backs up all your files during specific and customizable intervals. Whether you’re attempting to restore a deleted word document or retrieving a missing excel file, Windows File History can be extremely useful.

You can create local notebooks that are saved to your hard drive, but only in the OneNote 2016 Windows desktop app, and not in OneNote for Windows 10 universal app. Therefore, keep in mind that File History isn’t suitable for recovering files from the built-in version of OneNote.

1. Ensure the drive used to set up File History is connected to your PC.
2. Type “file history” in Windows Search (Windows Key + S). Click on Restore your files with File History from the search results.
3. Navigate to C:\Users\<username>\Documents\OneNote Notebookin the File History screen.
4. Browse through the backups using the green navigation buttons towards the bottom.
5. Select your OneNote file and click the green Restore button.

Mac Time Machine

The Time Machine feature in macOS keeps hourly backups for a day, daily backups for a month, and weekly backups for previous months. All this depends on the available disk space on the Time Machine drive.

Here’s how to use Time Machine to recover your OneNote files:

1. Connect the Time Machine drive to your Mac.
2. Open Finder. Click on Go in the Finder menu bar at the top of the screen, select Go to Folder… from the drop-down menu, copy and paste ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft User Data/OneNote/ in the dialog box and press Enter.
3. Press Command + Space, type “time machine,” and click on Time Machine.
4. Use the navigation buttons on the right side of the screen to scroll through available backups.
5. Select the OneNote files you wish to recover and click Restore.

Conclusion

While losing an important file could instantly become a major setback, it shouldn’t exactly be so. The solutions discussed in the article have been tried and tested and will save you a good amount of time. Additionally, no prior knowledge is required as the methods described are easy to follow.

As a matter of precaution, always try to back up your files using the OneNote backup tool, or simply use a reputable third-party backup solution.

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