The simplest way to back up OneNote depends on where your notes live

OneNote stores your notebooks in one of two places: either on your computer's hard drive (called "local storage") or in the cloud through Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint. Where they live determines how you back them up. If your notebooks are in OneDrive or SharePoint, Microsoft already keeps copies for you automatically — you can recover deleted notes from the recycle bin for up to 93 days. If your notebooks live only on your computer, you need to copy the files yourself to an external drive or cloud storage.

The fastest way to check where your notebooks are stored is to open OneNote, look at the notebook name at the top, and see if it says "OneDrive" or "SharePoint" next to it. If it does not say either, your notebooks are stored locally on your computer.

Key Takeaways

  • OneNote notebooks stored in OneDrive or SharePoint are automatically backed up by Microsoft and can be recovered from the recycle bin for up to 93 days.
  • Notebooks stored only on your computer require manual backup — copy the entire OneNote folder to an external drive or cloud storage account.
  • The OneNote folder on Windows is usually at C:\Users\[Your Name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote, and on Mac it is in ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac.
  • You can export individual notebooks as .onepkg files to save them outside OneNote, though this creates a snapshot rather than a live backup.
  • Moving your local notebooks to OneDrive gives you automatic backups going forward and lets you access them from any device.

Backing up notebooks already in OneDrive or SharePoint

If your notebooks are already in OneDrive or SharePoint, Microsoft maintains automatic backups on their servers. You do not need to do anything — your notes are protected against accidental deletion, hardware failure, and most data loss. If you delete a note, page, or section, you can recover it from the recycle bin within 93 days by right-clicking the notebook and selecting "Recycle Bin".

The only scenario where this automatic backup does not help is if your OneDrive or SharePoint account is compromised or if Microsoft's servers experience a catastrophic failure (extremely rare). For additional peace of mind, you can export your notebooks as .onepkg files and store them on an external drive — this creates a point-in-time copy that you can restore if needed.

Finding and copying local OneNote files to an external drive

If your notebooks are stored only on your computer, you need to copy the OneNote folder to an external drive or cloud storage. On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[Your Name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote. The AppData folder is hidden by default, so you may need to show hidden files first: click the View tab at the top, then check the box for "Hidden items".

Once you find the OneNote folder, right-click it and select "Copy". Plug in your external drive, open it in File Explorer, and right-click in an empty space, then select "Paste". The copy will take a few minutes depending on how many notebooks you have. On Mac, the OneNote folder is at ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac — open Finder, press Command+Shift+G, paste that path, and follow the same copy-and-paste steps.

Do this backup at least once a month, or more often if you add notes frequently. You can also set up automatic backups by using backup software like Backblaze or Carbonite, which continuously copy your OneNote folder to their servers.

Exporting individual notebooks as .onepkg files

If you want to save a specific notebook outside of OneNote without copying the entire folder, you can export it as a .onepkg file. Right-click the notebook name in OneNote, select "Export Notebook", choose a location on your computer or external drive, and click "Export". OneNote will create a single file that contains all the pages, sections, and formatting from that notebook.

This method is useful for archiving old notebooks or sharing a complete notebook with someone else, but it creates a snapshot at one moment in time — it does not update automatically as you add new notes. If you export a notebook today and then add notes tomorrow, those new notes are not in the exported file. For ongoing protection, copy the entire OneNote folder instead.

Moving local notebooks to OneDrive for automatic backups

The easiest long-term solution is to move your local notebooks to OneDrive, which gives you automatic backups and lets you access your notes from any device. In OneNote, right-click the notebook you want to move and select "Properties". Look for an option to move the notebook to OneDrive — the exact wording varies depending on your OneNote version, but it usually says "Move Notebook" or "Change Location".

OneNote will upload the notebook to your OneDrive account, which may take several minutes depending on the size. Once the upload finishes, your notebook is now backed up automatically. You can verify this by checking that the notebook name shows "OneDrive" next to it. From this point forward, any notes you add or edit are automatically saved to OneDrive's servers.

What to do if you need to restore from a backup

If you accidentally deleted a notebook or lost notes and have a backup copy, the process depends on where your backup is stored. If your backup is a .onepkg file, open OneNote, go to File, select "Open", and navigate to the .onepkg file — OneNote will import it as a new notebook. If your backup is a folder copy on an external drive, copy the entire OneNote folder back to C:\Users\[Your Name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote (or the Mac equivalent), replacing the current folder.

After you restore the folder, close OneNote completely and reopen it. OneNote may take a few minutes to re-index all the notebooks. If you moved notebooks to OneDrive and then deleted them, check the recycle bin first — right-click the notebook and select "Recycle Bin" to see deleted items from the past 93 days.

Choosing between external drives and cloud storage for backups

An external hard drive is the cheapest option for large backups — a 2TB drive costs $50 to $100 and holds years of OneNote data. The downside is that you have to remember to plug it in and run the backup regularly, and if the drive fails or is lost, your backup is gone. Cloud storage like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox costs $2 to $10 per month but backs up automatically and is accessible from anywhere.

For most people, moving notebooks to OneDrive is the best choice because it requires no ongoing effort and protects against both accidental deletion and hardware failure. If you prefer to keep notebooks on your computer for speed or privacy reasons, use an external drive for monthly backups and consider a cloud backup service like Backblaze for continuous protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does OneNote automatically save my notes?

Yes, OneNote saves your notes automatically as you type. If your notebook is in OneDrive or SharePoint, the changes sync to the cloud within seconds. If your notebook is stored locally on your computer, OneNote saves it to your hard drive automatically, but you still need to manually copy the folder to an external drive or cloud storage for a true backup.

Can I recover a notebook I deleted from OneNote?

If the notebook was in OneDrive or SharePoint, check the recycle bin — right-click the notebook and select "Recycle Bin" to see items deleted in the past 93 days. If the notebook was stored locally and you did not have a backup, recovery is difficult. You can try data recovery software like Recuva, but success depends on whether the files have been overwritten.

What is the difference between exporting a notebook and backing it up?

Exporting creates a .onepkg file that is a snapshot of your notebook at that moment — it does not update as you add new notes. Backing up copies your entire OneNote folder, which includes all current notebooks and their latest versions. For ongoing protection, back up the folder; for sharing or archiving, export individual notebooks.

Can I back up OneNote to Google Drive or Dropbox instead of OneDrive?

You can copy your OneNote folder to Google Drive or Dropbox for backup, but OneNote does not sync with these services the way it does with OneDrive. The backup will work, but you cannot open notebooks directly from Google Drive or Dropbox in OneNote — you would need to copy them back to your computer first. OneDrive integration is seamless and recommended.

How often should I back up my local OneNote notebooks?

Back up at least once a month, or more often if you add notes frequently. If you use OneNote daily, weekly backups are safer. The best approach is to move your notebooks to OneDrive, which eliminates the need for manual backups because Microsoft handles it automatically.