OneNote: Migration of notebooks via OneDrive

October 16, 2019

OneNote Migrate Through OneDrive cover image

Microsoft does not provide instructions for migrating OneNote notebooks that are valid for all scenarios. This article is based on these instructions and provides a generally applicable and practical guide to migrating OneNote notebooks between users or between different OneDrive storage locations.

Download the OneNote notebook

OneNote Migrate Through OneDrive Download

First navigate to the storage location of your notebook on OneDrive. Then download the corresponding OneNote notebook. Unfortunately, it is not possible to download a single OneNote notebook; Microsoft has deactivated the corresponding function. A workaround is the Download the entire OneDrive folder containing the OneNote notebook.

Unpacking the ZIP file

You will receive the downloaded OneDrive folder with the OneDrive notebook it contains in .zip format. You can download this archive unpack with Microsoft Windows on-board tools. This can be done by right-clicking with a click on Extract all; follow the wizard to complete the unpacking.

Using the import wizard

Uploading the downloaded files to the OneDrive of a new employee does not lead to the desired success; the files can subsequently no longer be opened or can only be opened to a limited extent. Microsoft therefore provides a Import wizard which can be used to import local OneNote notebooks.

When using it, please note that you the folder and not the individual file or files, or select must. You should also be logged in with the correct accountthat you would like to use for the OneNote notebook in the future.

The newly imported OneNote notebook is then saved in your OneDrive and ready to access.

Import Wizard

14 responses to "OneNote: Migration of notebooks via OneDrive”

Michael

June 28, 2020

Hello, the link import wizard runs on a blank page in each of my 3 browsers.

How do I import the notebooks?

With kind regards

Michael

Reply
1. Lennart Wörmer
  
  July 3, 2020
  
  Hello Michael, thank you very much for your feedback. There seems to be a bug at Microsoft. I will check it out.
  
  Reply
2. Lennart Wörmer
  
  July 7, 2020
  
  Hi Michael, I am currently in contact with Microsoft to identify the problem more precisely. I can't access it on my PC either (white page), but I can on my smartphone. Perhaps you can start the process on your smartphone first?
  
  Reply
  1. Philipp
    
    October 17, 2020
    
    The problem still seems to be ongoing. Is there another way to move your notebooks, e.g. using OneNote 2016 and changing the storage location?
    
    Reply
    1. Lennart Wörmer
      
      November 11, 2020
      
      Hello Philipp, thank you very much for your feedback. I have contacted Microsoft again and am in the process of finding a solution. I will reply to this comment or your message again as soon as I have more information.
      
      Reply
    2. Lennart Wörmer
      
      August 18, 2021
      
      Hi Philipp, the function is now working again for me. 👍
      
      Reply
Ha

November 27, 2020

Hello Lennart

I came across your comment while browsing because I have the same problem with OneNote. Exporting from the browser only shows a white page with no content.
Question. Have you already received an answer from Microsoft on how to solve the problem?
Thank you in advance for your efforts and support.
Best regards
Ha

Reply
1. Lennart Wörmer
  
  November 27, 2020
  
  Hi Ha, thank you for your feedback. I can confirm that Microsoft is currently investigating the issue. I will get back to you as soon as I receive feedback.
  
  Reply
  1. Ha
    
    November 27, 2020
    
    Hello Lennart
    
    Thank you very much.
    
    I wish you a very nice weekend.
    
    Greetings Ha
    
    Reply
    1. Lennart Wörmer
      
      August 18, 2021
      
      Hello Ha, the problem should now be solved. Would you like to check it again from your side?
      
      Reply
Florian Müller-Möll

November 30, 2020

Hi Lennart, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the new format in version 10.3.7 in Evernote.

I assume that Evernote wants to prevent the migration.

Reply
1. Lennart Wörmer
  
  November 30, 2020
  
  Hi Florian, thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience. However, the problem so far seems to be that you cannot reach the Microsoft import page when you are logged into your browser. Have you identified another problem?
  
  Reply
Tom

January 20, 2023

Dear Mr. Wörmer,

Thank you very much for your valuable contribution and the help you have provided!
Due to technical problems (+ technical regulations) at my workplace, I could no longer synchronize my work notebook using OneNote (always led to various errors, e.g. cache back and forth, etc. > OneNote itself could not fix the errors). > OneNote itself could not fix the errors) and was therefore forced to somehow get the notebook from OneDrive outside of OneNote in order to be able to work with it again.

Without your tip, I would have really crashed 🙂
So thank you very much again!

Kind regards
Tom

Reply
1. Lennart Wörmer
  
  March 12, 2023
  
  Hi Tom, I'm really glad I could help! 😎
  
  Reply