Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking app that allows you to take online notes and share your notes and ideas with others. Unfortunately, you may have encountered a dreaded sync error while syncing your OneNote notebook across devices like your Android phone or computer.
Sync errors result from insufficient storage space, a poor internet connection, or a simple issue with your account. In rare instances, the error comes from a corrupted file or section. Fortunately, the error can easily be fixed but requires following the right steps. To ensure no mistakes happen while diagnosing your OneNote issues, we’ve compiled the most common OneNote sync errors and the best solutions to resolve them.
Although OneNote has multi-platform support, we recommend performing these fixes on the desktop version rather than the mobile app (if possible). Our guide will mention the OneNote app, but we primarily focus on the desktop Office version.
List of common errors in Microsoft OneNote
- Not enough space (Error code: 0xE00015E0)
- File Too Large (Error code: 0xE0000025)
- Quota Exceeded (Error code: 0xE0000796)
- Service Not available (Error codes: 0xE0000784, 0xE000078B, 0xE4020040)
- We ran into a problem syncing your notebook (Error code: 0xE0000007)
- Out of Sync with Store (Error code: 0xE000002E)
- Network disconnected (Error code: 0xE4010641)
- Unsupported Client Build (Error code: 0xE40105F9)
- ReferencedRevisionNotFound (Error code: 0xE000005E)
- 403: Forbidden (Error code: 0xE0190193)
Do not uninstall or reinstall the Microsoft OneNote program or app. Doing so could lead to data loss and potentially more issues with syncing that can’t easily be fixed.
Turn on OneNote’s automatic syncing
If you expect your notebooks to sync automatically, but they don’t — check to see if you have the Sync notebooks automatically option turned on. All it requires is selecting the option within your Sync settings — here’s how.
- Open Microsoft OneNote.
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Navigate to File > Sync.
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Select Sync notebooks automatically and click Ok.
Sync your OneNote notebook manually
To ensure a sync happens on demand, you can push the sync through by visiting the notebook Information section under File. It’s straightforward and should be one of the first options to try:
- Open Microsoft OneNote.
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Click File > View Sync Status under Notebook Information.
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Select Sync all. Alternatively, select Sync Now next to the notebook section that’s not syncing.
Sync to another OneNote notebook
There’s always a chance that the sync issues result from a specific notebook. You can test this out by trying to sync to another Notebook using the manual sync option fix we listed above. Unfortunately, that could also mean that the file could be corrupted if you’re experiencing sync issues with a specific notebook. If you suspect your notebook is corrupted, try the following fixes:
- Manually syncing the notebook (as shown above)
- Clear the OneNote cache in C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\cache
- Update OneNote and restart the application
If you experience severe corruption, you may need a third-party data recovery tool like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or contact Microsoft Support for help.
Check that you are signed into OneNote
The syncing issues could result from being incorrectly signed into Microsoft OneNote. Check that you are signed into the correct account. To check this quickly, go to:
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Click the Profile icon in the top right corner (on Android, it is in the top left corner).
- Review the account (check the email).
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If the email is incorrect, click Sign Out or Add an account. Otherwise, click to sign in to the correct account.
Check if your account needs to be re-verified. To do this, sign out and sign back into your Microsoft account. Avoid doing this directly on OneNote, as doing so could result in data loss.
Check and update Microsoft OneNote
You might be using an outdated version of Microsoft OneNote. You can verify this by visiting File > Account. From there, select update options and click Update Now to apply the latest update. If you are primarily working off the Microsoft OneNote app, check if there’s an update available on the Play Store.
Restart your internet connection
Microsoft OneNote requires an active internet connection for syncing. Check your internet connection for possible interruptions. If you’re using too much bandwidth, it could also negatively affect syncing. If you are experiencing such a situation, pause any downloads if possible. Then, run a local network test to see if you can diagnose the issue. Otherwise, try restarting your router/modem to see if that fixes the problem.
On Android, ensure that the toggle for Sync notebooks on Wi-Fi only is on. To do this, tap on the Profile picture and tap Settings > toggle on Sync notebooks on Wi-Fi only. This will prevent you from experiencing syncing problems due to some data plan limitations.
Check for Microsoft service outages
Your Microsoft OneNote notebooks could experience syncing issues if they are primarily stored on Microsoft OneDrive. If OneDrive is directly affected via a service outage, you won’t be able to successfully sync your notebooks. This also applies if your account is connected to SharePoint.
It is easy to check if Microsoft is experiencing a service outage. Visit the Service Health page, locate OneDrive, and check if it has a green checkmark under Current Status. If you own and use Microsoft 365, you can view a Network Status by finding your location on the network health status map.
Optimize your OneNote backups to save on storage
Sync errors, like the dreaded 0xE00015E0, may result from insufficient storage space. You may need to turn off or adjust the number of backup copies. To do this, go to:
- Open OneNote.
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Select File > Options.
- Click Save & Backup.
- Select Optimize All Files Now.
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Click Ok.
To delete existing backups, open File Explorer and type in %localappdata%. Then, navigate to Microsoft > OneNote > 16.0 > Backup. Delete the files/folders saved in your Backup folder.
You can also find the location of your Backup folder in OneNote by clicking the Save & Backup option (at the top of the page next to the Backup folder).
If you save your files directly onto OneDrive, you must locate the OneDrive folder and manually delete the backups from there.
The 5 most common OneDrive problems and how to solve them
Don’t let your files become lost to the cloud
Re-authenticate your OneNote account and notebook
You may see the “server is busy” error. This can happen when you store notebooks in SharePoint, SharePoint Online, or OneDrive (work or school). Microsoft recommends that you re-authenticate your account/notebook. You can do this by (1) signing out/signing in to One Note, (2) closing and re-opening the notebook, and (3) checking notebook access from OneNote.com, SharePoint, or SharePoint Online.
Still not working? Try these note-taking alternatives
Even with all these proven fixes, you may still have trouble using OneNote. If so, it might be time to change platforms, especially since Microsoft’s OneNote was designed to run on Windows first and as a mobile app second (though the app works wonderfully while syncing with Samsung Notes). So, if you’re looking for another delectable note-taking app, consider a third-party option, like Bundled Notes, or use one that’s been around for over a decade, like Evernote.
