How to delete notebooks in OneNote that 'don't exist' but still show up

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How to delete notebooks in OneNote that 'don't exist' but still show up

Lynne Gillam 25

I have two notebooks in OneNote that I have tried to delete. I can't do anything with them. They are old and I no longer need them. However, I don't get a 'delete' option from the three dots and when I click on them I get 'Item does not exist It may have been deleted by another user'. These are personal notebooks and have not been shared with anyone else. Grateful if you could advise how to delete please.

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Answer 1

Thomas4-N 14,790 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Lynne Gillam,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Based on the message you're seeing — “Item does not exist. It may have been deleted by another user” — the most likely explanation is that these notebooks were already deleted or moved outside of OneNote (for example, from OneDrive), but OneNote still shows them due to cached links.

To remove them from the list in OneNote for Mac, try clearing the local cache:

1. Quit OneNote completely. 2. Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, and go to:

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onenote.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft User Data/OneNote/

3. Look for folders related to the notebooks that are stuck and delete them.

4. Restart OneNote.

This should remove the ghost entries from your notebook list.

Let me know if it works or if you're still seeing them.

Best regards,

Thomas

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Lynne Gillam 25 Reputation points

2025-08-07T07:20:55.12+00:00

Thank you!
Xavier Le Héricy 20 Reputation points

2026-04-05T19:33:47.6133333+00:00

Is there a similar process under Windows 11? I couldn't find any option in OneDrive...
Thomas4-N 14,790 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-06T11:02:07.9166667+00:00

Hello Xavier Le Héricy,

For Windows 11, the equivalent would be clearing OneNote's local cache — close OneNote, navigate to C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\cache, delete the contents, then reopen OneNote.

Alternatively, try File > Open > More Notebooks, right-click the stuck notebook, and select Remove from list as a quicker first step.

That said, since this thread is quite old and your situation is on Windows 11 rather than Mac, it may not attract the attention it deserves here. I'd recommend posting a new question with details about your setup — that way more community members can weigh in and you're more likely to get a focused response.

Answer 2

Xavier Le Héricy 20

I followed the above and I still see a bunch of old OneNote test notebooks in OneDrive Home which lists recent documents. If I go to OneDrive My Files, none of these old notebooks can be found anywhere. Is there another secret place for what is shown in OneDrive?

Thomas4-N 14,790 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-06T14:58:10.1566667+00:00

You can try right-clicking the entries on https://onedrive.live.com and selecting Remove, though results may be inconsistent for files that no longer exist there.

For a proper resolution, please open a new thread with your full setup details — this is a different scenario that deserves its own focused discussion.

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How to delete notebooks in OneNote that 'don't exist' but still show up

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