{"id":73248,"date":"2023-08-23T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/?p=73248"},"modified":"2025-02-01T00:22:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T05:22:32","slug":"how-to-delete-a-notebook-in-microsoft-onenote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/how-to-delete-a-notebook-in-microsoft-onenote\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Delete a Notebook in Microsoft OneNote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microsoft OneNote is a versatile tool for note-taking<\/a>, enabling you to keep track of important information, ideas, and tasks in a structured format. There may be situations, however, where you need to clean up your workspace by removing old or unnecessary notebooks.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how exactly do you go about it? To prevent accidental deletions, OneNote does not allow removing a notebook from within the application interface\u2014you can only close it. Because of that, the only way to get rid of a notebook completely is to delete it from its source location, whether that’s local storage (Windows only) or OneDrive.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This tutorial will walk you through closing and deleting a notebook in Microsoft OneNote, covering all platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and the web.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Delete a OneNote Notebook on Windows\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

OneNote for Windows lets you store notebooks locally on your computer or OneDrive. To delete a notebook, close it in the OneNote app, visit your OneNote notebooks folder, and move the notebook file to the Recycle Bin.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Close the OneNote Notebook\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You must begin by closing the notebook you want to delete in OneNote. To do that:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Open the OneNote application in Windows.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Unhide the sidebar (select the icon with three stacked lines on the top left) to reveal a list of notebooks.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Right-click the name of the notebook you want to close and select Close This Notebook<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Delete Notebook From Local Storage\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    To delete a OneNote notebook that saves to the local storage of your Windows PC:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Open File Explorer.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Go to Documents<\/span> > OneNote Documents<\/span> (the default storage location) or the folder you save your notebooks. \n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Note<\/span>: If you have trouble locating the notebook file, re-open it in OneNote, right-click the notebook name, and select Properties<\/span> to view its location.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Select the notebook you want to delete and press the Delete<\/span> key.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
        \n
        \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

        The deleted OneNote notebook will remain in the Windows Recycle Bin<\/a>\u2014you have 30 days to restore it. If you want to delete it permanently, open the Recycle Bin, locate the notebook among the list of deleted files, and right-click and select Delete<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Delete Notebook in OneDrive\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        To delete a OneNote Notebook that syncs with OneDrive:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Open OneDrive via File Explorer. If you don’t have the cloud storage service on your PC, visit OneDrive.com<\/a> using a web browser and sign in with your Microsoft Office credentials.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Visit the location of the OneNote notebook\u2014by default, notebooks are stored within the Documents<\/span> folder in OneDrive.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Right-click the notebook you want to delete and select Delete<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
          \n
          \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

          The notebook will continue to reside in OneDrive’s Recycle Bin for 30 days\u2014you can restore it within that period through the OneDrive web app.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          How to Delete a OneNote Notebook on Mac\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Deleting a notebook in OneNote for Apple macOS is straightforward since everything saves to OneDrive. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Close the Notebook in OneNote\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

          Close the notebook to avoid sync errors within the OneNote app<\/a>. To do that:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. Open OneNote on your Mac.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Select the notebook you want to delete from the sidebar\u2014select the Show Navigation<\/span> button at the top left of the windows if you can’t see it.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Select Notebooks<\/span> on the menu bar, point to the Notebooks<\/span> drop-down option, and select Close This Notebook<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
            \n
            \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Delete OneNote Notebook From OneDrive\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

            Continue by deleting the notebook from OneDrive. Here’s how:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. Load the OneDrive web app in Safari and sign in with your OneDrive account. If you have OneDrive set up on your Mac, open Finder and select OneDrive<\/span> on the sidebar.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Open the Documents<\/span> folder.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Control<\/span>-click the notebook and choose Move to Trash<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
              \n
              \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

              Note<\/span>: You can restore a deleted notebook to OneNote within 30 days\u2014just visit the Recycle Bin on OneDrive’s web app.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              How to Delete a OneNote Notebook on iPhone, iPad, and Android\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              To delete a notebook on your iPhone, iPad, or Android, you must close it in the OneNote app and use the OneDrive app or its web version to trash the notebook file.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Close Notebook in the OneNote App\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Open OneNote and select the Notebooks<\/span> tab.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Swipe the notebook you want to delete to the left and tap Close<\/span>\u2014on Android, long-press the name and tap the Close<\/span> icon.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Tap Close<\/span> to confirm.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                \n
                \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                Delete Notebook From OneDrive\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. Open the OneDrive app, or visit OneDrive.com in Safari, Chrome, or another browser and sign in.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Visit the location of the notebook.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. Tap the More<\/span> icon (three dots) next to the notebook and select Delete<\/span>\u2014tap Delete<\/span> again to confirm.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                  \n
                  \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                  How to Delete a Notebook in the OneNote Web App\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  If you use the web version of Microsoft OneNote, you can immediately delete it through OneDrive. Here’s how:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. Visit OneNote.com, sign in with your Microsoft Account, and select Manage and Delete<\/span> on the Home Screen\u2014that should open up OneDrive.com in another browser tab.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                    \n
                    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. Go to My files <\/span>> Documents<\/span>, mark the notebook you want to delete, and select the Delete <\/span>button. If you’re on a mobile, tap the More<\/span> icon (three dots) next to the notebook and choose Delete<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                      \n
                      \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                      Note<\/span>: If you continue to see the notebook within the OneNote app on your desktop or mobile device, just close it.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Declutter Your Microsoft OneNote Workspace\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                      Keeping Microsoft OneNote organized is crucial for maintaining a productive and efficient note-taking workspace, and deleting obsolete notebooks is one way to make that happen. Always remember\u2014if you want to get back a deleted notebook, you have a 30-day restoration window.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Microsoft OneNote is a versatile tool for note-taking, enabling you to keep track of important information, ideas, and tasks in a structured format. There may be situations, however, where you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":73249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[10442,10436],"class_list":{"0":"post-73248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"tag-microsoft-office","9":"tag-microsoft-onenote"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/wp-content\/pictures\/2023\/08\/onenote.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Dilum Senevirathne","author_link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/author\/dsenevirathne\/"},"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t