OneNote stuck in Read Only mode

Hi @Erik Peterson,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. We’re happy to assist you.

The error messages you're seeing because the notebook you're trying to access is stored under a personal Microsoft account, and OneNote is currently signed in with a business account (Microsoft 365 Business Standard).

You can try these workarounds to fix it:

Option 1: Use OneNote web to Transfer Notes

1. Go to https://www.onenote.com.
2. Sign in with the personal account where the original notebook is stored.
3. Open the notebook and copy the content manually into a new notebook created under your business account.

Option 2: Export and import Notes

1. On a device where you can still access the personal notebook:
   • Open OneNote Desktop (not the Windows 10 app).
     • Export the notebook section-by-section as .one files.
     1. Sign in with your business account.
     2. Create a new notebook and import the exported sections.

Option 3: Reconfigure OneNote desktop

If you're using OneNote for Windows 10:

1. Sign out of all accounts in OneNote.
2. Open OneNote Desktop (Office version) instead.
3. Sign in with the personal account first to access the notebook.
4. Then sign in with the business account to create a new notebook and copy content over.

Important Notes:

• OneNote for Windows 10 has limitations with multiple account types.
• OneNote Desktop (Office version) is better for managing multiple accounts and exporting/importing notebooks.
• You cannot change ownership of a notebook between personal and business accounts directly- you must copy content manually.

Feel free to try these steps and let us know how it goes. Please understand that our initial response may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. We appreciate your patience and look forward to working with you to resolve this.

I look forward to your response and hope to hear from you soon. 

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Hi @Erik Peterson,

Thank you for your valuable update.

You're encountering the OneNote error code 0xE0000024 4jlqq, which typically means OneNote cannot sync the notebook - often due to authentication or credential conflicts and is why you're locked in Read‑Only mode.

Here're suggestions you can try to fix it:

1. Clear Stored Credentials

• Open Credential Manager (search via Windows).
• Go to Windows Credentials, delete entries related to OneDrive, OneNote, or Microsoft accounts (e.g., labels starting with MicrosoftOffice or containing OneDrive).

• Restart OneNote and press Shift + F9 to force sync.

2. Clear the OneNote Cache

• Close OneNote.
• Navigate to %appdata%\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\cache.
• Rename the cache folder to cacheOLD or delete its contents.
• Restart OneNote.

3. Add SkyDriveAuthenticationProvider in the Registry

This helps might be fix conflicts between OneNote and OneDrive, especially if you had old authentication tools installed:

• Open regedit (via Windows)
• Navigate to:
  • x64: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office<version>\Common\Internet
    • x32 on x64: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office<version>\Common\Internet
    • Create a String Value named SkyDriveAuthenticationProvider
    • Set its value to idcrldisable
    • Restart your PC.

4. Sign Out and back in (even though you've done, but try again)

• Sign out of all accounts in OneNote.
• Close and reopen the app.
• Sign in with the correct account that owns or has access to the notebook.
• Optionally, test by opening the notebook via OneNote for the web to confirm it's accessible there.

5. Check permissions (if using OneDrive for business)

• In OneDrive, verify you have Full Control or Edit permissions on the notebook.
• Try creating a new notebook from your business account and see if OneNote opens it without issue.

Hopefully, these solutions can help you solve this issue. Please know that we truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to support you. If you need any further help or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help. Thank you very much for your understanding and cooperation.   

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".    

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.   

Hi @Erik Peterson,

I hope you are having a great day.

I'm reaching out again to follow up on your issue and check if everything has been resolved. My goal is to ensure your experience remains smooth and hassle-free. If you're still encountering any problems or have run into new challenges, please let me know which steps you're currently stuck on and happy to provide further help whenever you need it. 

If you have any further questions, feel free to tag me in your reply so I can assist you directly.

Looking forward to your update.