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Onenote cannot sync because email is deleted

lunajune 0 Reputation points
2025-12-03T08:09:59.97+00:00

I used OneNote under my previous university email, but that email account was recently deactivated due to inactivity. I now have a new computer, and I transferred my old files from my previous university laptop. I also have Microsoft 365 under a new email address, and I’m currently signed in with this valid email on the new computer.

However, OneNote is still linked to my old university email. Since I can’t log in to that old account anymore, OneNote won’t sync on my new computer. I can still view my old notes, but I can’t edit them or create new folders. Because the university email cannot be restored, I need to keep using OneNote and retain all the existing files—so I cannot delete the notes or remove the account without losing them.

How can I switch OneNote to my current email account while keeping all my existing OneNote files intact?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For education | MacOS
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  1. Flora-T 7,855 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-12-03T10:31:33.0566667+00:00

    Hi lunajune

    Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum and sharing your experience.

    To clarify, when a university account is deactivated, OneNote notebooks linked to that account become read-only because they’re stored in the old account’s OneDrive. You can still view your notes, but you’ll need to move them to a new notebook under your current Microsoft 365 account to resume editing and syncing.

    Before attempting to move any sections, I strongly recommend creating a backup of your current local cache. You can secure this by going to OneNote > Preferences > Backups and selecting Back Up All Notebooks Now.

    If the original notebooks were Class Notebooks or tied to strict school tenant permissions, the most reliable method to retain your content is to copy the content manually. You should create a new notebook while signed in with your current, valid account. Once the new notebook is created, you can right-click to copy sections or pages from the old "read-only" notebook into the new one. For further guidance on this process, please refer to the Microsoft Support article: How to Transfer OneNote Notebooks Between Accounts.

    As you transfer content, please note that embedded files, large attachments, or audio recordings may take some time to re-sync to the cloud. If you encounter a specific page that fails to copy, it is often because of a large media file; in those cases, try copying the text content first and then manually re-adding the file or recording.

    If you have access to a Windows PC, there is an alternative method that allows for a complete notebook export. On the Windows desktop version of OneNote, you can go to File > Export and save the notebook as a OneNote Package (.onepkg). You can then sign in with your new account and use File > Open (or Import) to unpack that file into your new OneDrive. Please keep in mind that OneNote for macOS cannot directly import or open .onepkg files, so this specific method is only an option if you have temporary access to a Windows device.

    Please let me know how you get on, as your feedback is valuable to the community.

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

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