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Blank Screen when signing into OneNote for IPad

Noah 5 Reputation points
2026-03-27T11:35:14.1+00:00

Hello,

I am attempting to sign into my personal OneNote account on my IPad, but am having issues. I am able to be taken to the login page and can successfully sign into the account, but as soon as I login, the entire screen behind the settings page turns blank. I can’t interact with anything until I close the app from the background, after I do that however, the interface acts as if I never logged in.

This is the view as soon as I login in:

IMG_0182

After closing this settings box, everything goes to black with the background and I can’t interact with anything until I force close the app. The account that I am currently signed into is an Education Account and my other account is a personal account.

One additional thing to note. I have some un-saved files from school in the cache on this iPad, so I can’t clear cached files.

What can I do to resolve this?

Thank you

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | Other | iOS
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-27T11:35:42.5366667+00:00

    Use the built‑in reset and credential-clearing options for OneNote and Office on iPad, which target the sign‑in state without necessarily deleting all server‑stored content.

    1. Update all Microsoft apps on the iPad
      • Open the App Store and update OneNote and any other Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). They share the same Office identity, and an outdated app can corrupt the shared sign‑in state.
    2. Clear OneNote’s iOS sign‑in credentials
      • Close OneNote if it is running (swipe up from the bottom, show the app switcher, and swipe OneNote up to force close).
      • Open Settings on the iPad.
      • Scroll down and tap OneNote.
      • Tap Reset OneNote.
      • Turn on Delete Login Credentials (this clears the Office identity used for sign‑in; it does not delete notebooks stored in the cloud).
      • Force close OneNote again if it is still in the app switcher.
      • Reopen OneNote and sign in first with the account that has the unsynced school notes so they can sync, then add the personal account.
    3. If the issue persists across accounts
      • Still in Settings > OneNote > Reset OneNote, also enable Delete All Notebooks only after confirming that important notebooks are already synced to OneDrive/SharePoint from another device or the web. This removes only offline notebooks on the iPad; server notebooks remain.
      • Restart OneNote and sign in again.
    4. If sign‑in problems continue across Microsoft 365 apps
      • Use the more general guidance for mobile apps: verify that the correct Microsoft account is used, confirm the username/password works in a browser, and ensure the iPad meets current system requirements.

    These steps refresh the Office identity and OneNote’s local state, which addresses repeated or failed sign‑in behavior and UI lockups on iPad without necessarily losing cloud‑stored notes.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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