How to Delete a Notebook in OneNote

You can use OneNote to organize your day, store your ideas, save research notes, or make and share minutes of meetings. But what if you want to delete old notebooks from OneNote? Did you know that you can't do it in the OneNote app?

You can use OneNote to organize your day, store your ideas, save research notes, or make and share minutes of meetings.

But what if you want to delete old notebooks from OneNote? Did you know that you can't do it in the OneNote app?

However, you can delete a OneNote notebook by following a few steps. Let's explore how.

From Where to Delete a Notebook in OneNote

It's not easy deleting a OneNote notebook as there's no setting to delete it from within the app. First, you must know where the file is stored on your computer or OneDrive.

By default, every OneNote notebook gets stored in OneDrive. However, you can also save it on your computer.

To know the location of your notebook:

  • Click your current notebook to display the list of all notebooks. Then click on More Notebooks or Open Other Notebooks in Office 2021.
  • For earlier OneNote versions, when you hover over a notebook with your mouse, you'll get the URL that describes its location. In Office 2021, the location will be under the notebook name.

    • So if the notebook is on your PC, you will have to delete it from the File Folder. If it's on OneDrive, you'll have to open your OneDrive account to delete it.

    How to Delete a OneNote Notebook in Windows

    Here are the steps to delete OneNote Notebooks from your Windows PC:

  • Open File Explorer and click on your Documents folder. Then double-click OneNote Notebooks.
  • In the OneNote Notebooks folder, right-click the name of the notebook you want to delete, and then click Delete from the menu.
  • To permanently delete the OneNote Notebook, right-click the Recycle Bin on your desktop. Then choose Empty Recycle Bin.

    • How to Delete a OneNote Notebook from OneDrive

    You can delete a Notebook from OneDrive if you don't need it or any of its notes.

  • Open your OneDrive account. In My Files, double-click on Documents to open the folder and view your OneNote Notebooks.
  • Either right-click on the Notebook you want to delete and click on Delete from the top navigation bar. Or right-click the notebook and select Delete.
  • Click Delete again on the Recycle Bin prompt.
  • Return to OneNote and click your current notebook to display the list of all notebooks.
  • Right-click the notebook you deleted in OneDrive, and click Close This Notebook.

    • Closing the deleted notebook is important, or else OneNote will try to sync with a notebook that no longer exists, and you'll get a syncing error.

    To delete a notebook in OneNote for Mac, check out this Microsoft guide.

    How to Restore a Deleted OneNote Notebook

    A copy of your notebook will stay in the Recycle Bin for 60 days. To restore it:

  • Go to the Recycle Bin in your OneDrive.
  • Select the notebook you want to restore.
  • Either click Restore on the top navigation bar or right-click the notebook and select Restore.

    • And the notebook will be restored to the Documents folder in some time. Also, check out our guide to see what steps to take to never lose a notebook again.

    Removed Unwanted OneNote Notebooks Easily

    You may not have checked, but many old unwanted OneNote notebooks would have piled up on your PC or OneDrive. But now you know how to delete them and keep things clutter-free.

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