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Unable to open web OneNote notebooks from OneDrive on the Onenote desktop app

Jasmine Bailey 0 Reputation points
2025-08-28T19:24:41.55+00:00

Hello all,

Good to know:

I am currently on the latest version of Windows 11 and running version 2508 of OneNote on Microsoft Business 2024.

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Summary of issue:

  1. I am able to edit individual notebooks using the web version, but can not edit or access the same notebooks from my desktop application.
    1. I can not find them when browsing to open them directly from my OneDrive folder located on my desktop
    2. I can not open "work around" this by first opening the notebooks from the web version and opting to edit in Desktop
  2. I am unable to create notebooks using the desktop version of onenote that shows up as available to edit in the web version of onenote
    1. but I am able to create the notebooks to a local drive - I can't move them to any onedrive folder OR sync these notebooks

Steps taken to resolve that have not yet worked:

  1. Exported all of my notebooks from onedrive
  2. Deleted notebooks from Onedrive and cleared cache
  3. using the import tool, imported notebooks back into onedrive
  4. Uninstalled Onenote
  5. Reinstalled and updated onenote
  6. Opened webversion of notebook then select edit and select Open in Desktop
  7. Opened backup versions of the notebook sections and trying to addend them to the "old" notebook

Screenshots to further illustrate issues:

Desktop notebooks aren't able to be moved manually to onedrive supported folderUser's image

desktop created notebooks aren't available to syncUser's image

When error stating that I do not have permission to open my own onenote when accessing via the desktop app from the web.User's image

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For business | Windows
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  1. Kai-L 2,190 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-28T20:16:44.03+00:00

    Dear @Jasmine Bailey,

    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Community. 

    Based on your detailed description and the screenshots provided, it's clear you're facing a synchronization and authentication issue with your OneNote desktop app. The symptoms you describe including difficulties opening web notebooks on the desktop, failure to sync local notebooks, and permission errors all point to the same root cause: the OneNote desktop app cannot establish a proper, authenticated connection to your OneDrive account.

    The error message "CONNECTED EXPERIENCES UNAVAILABLE" indicates that the app's link to the Microsoft cloud services, including OneDrive, is broken or restricted, which is why it can't access your notebooks or sync new ones. This also explains the "permission" error you received.

    The most common cause for this type of issue is a corrupted or outdated set of cached credentials. Reinstalling the app doesn't always fix this because the credentials are saved elsewhere. You need to manually clear them.

    1. Close all Microsoft Office apps, including OneNote.
    2. Open the Windows Credential Manager. You can do this by typing "Credential Manager" into the Windows search bar.
    3. Click on Windows Credentials.
    4. Under the section labeled "Generic Credentials," look for any entries that mention "OneDrive Cached Credentials" or "MicrosoftOfficeXX_Data."

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    Expand each of these entries and click Remove.

    Restart your computer, then open OneNote. It should prompt you to sign in again.

    If clearing your credentials does not resolve the issue, it suggests the problem is not a simple cache error. It is highly likely that your organization's IT administrator has set a policy that is preventing the OneNote desktop app from accessing connected experiences. This is common in a business environment for security or compliance reasons.

    Contact your IT admin; they have the access and tools to:

    • Check your Microsoft 365 license and ensure it's configured correctly.
    • Review any group policies or tenant settings that might be restricting your access.
    • Investigate the issue further by opening a support ticket with Microsoft, if necessary.

    I hope this information helps clarify the situation and provides you with workable solutions. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're always here to help. Have a wonderful day!

    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.

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