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Using type tool in OneNote makes images go invisible

Riley T. Roenke 0 Reputation points
2026-04-07T12:59:46.75+00:00

Our math class uses OneNote for everything, and all of our assignments are loaded as PDFs into it. In order to do my work, I have to use the draw feature to mark up the document. Normally this works fine.

However, whenever I create a text box using the Type tool, or when one is automatically created when switching from the pen tool to the type tool, the PDF document that I was marking up goes blank. I either have to reload the page (which wastes time) or set the PDF as a background, and then all it takes is creating another text box to make the image invisible again.

I don't know if it's exclusively for PDFs, but it only makes the image of it on the document go blank, and does nothing with the file or data itself.

This issue is consistent across all the devices I have tried it on, and other students also experience the same issue as me. I have only tried it with the version of OneNote in the Chrome web browser, and as far as I know it might only be an issue regarding the sign-in requirements that our school has for our Microsoft accounts.

Any help regarding this issue would be greatly appreciated, but it is only a minor annoyance and isn't a super high-priority issue.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For education | Other
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  1. Demi-N 17,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-07T14:50:23.9066667+00:00

    Hello @Riley T. Roenke,

    Thank you for reaching out.

    I’ve tried testing this behavior in my own environment, but I wasn’t able to reproduce the issue. In my testing, the content continues to render normally when using the Type tool.

    As a next step, could you please try accessing OneNote using a different browser, such as Microsoft Edge, and check whether the same behavior still occurs there? This will help me determine whether the issue may be browser‑specific.

    When you have a chance, please let me know the results or if you notice any differences. I appreciate your help in narrowing this down.

    Kind regards,

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-07T13:00:04.44+00:00

    The described behavior is not documented in the provided material as a known, fixable issue for OneNote for the web. The available guidance only covers related PDF and rendering issues in other OneNote scenarios (desktop app, Class Notebook, and PDF export), not images disappearing when typing on a PDF printout in OneNote for the web.

    References:

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