copy One note content from Hotmail account to Gmail account

OneNote content is stored in Microsoft accounts/OneDrive, not in Gmail itself. The content can be moved from the old Hotmail-based Microsoft account into the Microsoft account that uses the Gmail address by copying notebooks/sections between accounts.

On macOS, use OneNote to move the content:

1. Ensure both Microsoft accounts are available
   • Sign in to OneNote on Mac with the old Hotmail-based Microsoft account (where the notes currently are) and with the Microsoft account that uses the Gmail address.
2. Create or open a notebook under the Gmail-based account
   • Using the Gmail-based Microsoft account, create a new notebook where the copied content will be stored, if one does not already exist.
3. Copy sections from the old account to the new account (recommended method)
   • In OneNote on Mac, open the notebook that belongs to the old Hotmail account.
   • Click the Notebook drop-down (top left) and select that notebook.
   • Hold Shift and click to select all sections that need to be moved.
   • Drag and drop the selected sections into the notebook that is stored in the Gmail-based account’s OneDrive.
   • Alternatively, right-click a section and choose Copy Section To..., then choose a notebook under the Gmail-based account.
4. Verify everything is synced
   • Wait for OneNote to finish syncing the destination notebook in the Gmail-based account.
   • Sign in to OneNote (desktop, web, or mobile) with the Gmail-based Microsoft account and confirm that all sections/pages appear there.

If the old Hotmail-based Microsoft account is already closed and cannot be signed into, the content can only be recovered if there is a backup or exported copy (for example, from OneNote backups or OneDrive copies). If backups exist on Mac:

1. In OneNote on Mac, go to OneNote > Preferences > Backups.
2. Select Back Up All Notebooks Now (if still possible) or File > Open Backups to open existing backups.
3. Open the backed-up notebook/sections, then multi-select sections and drag them into a notebook stored under the Gmail-based Microsoft account’s OneDrive.

Once copied, the full OneNote content will reside under the Microsoft 365 account that uses the Gmail address. Gmail itself will not store OneNote pages; they remain in OneDrive associated with that Gmail-based Microsoft account.

References:

• How to Transfer OneNote Notebooks Between Accounts
• Students: export a copy of your work from OneNote, Class Notebook, Teams, and OneDrive