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I cannot open my OneNote files. Suddenly this afternoon, I noticed I could not open my OneNote notes via my cell phone app. I tried removing my account and re-adding it. However, I get a report that the “login is successful but the account doesn't meet se

Bas Jacobs 0 Reputation points
2026-04-21T23:42:28.1566667+00:00

I cannot open my OneNote files. Suddenly this afternoon, I noticed I could not open my OneNote notes via my cell phone app. I tried removing my account and re-adding it. However, I get a report that the “login is successful but the account doesn't meet security criteria”.

 

I can access one note via my laptop, but I still cannot see any of my notes.

 

I can see files if I try to browse to them, but they will not open with error messages.

 

This is happening on both the cell phone app and the laptop, which leads me to believe this is an account issue outside of my control.

 

Please assist asap.

 

Many thanks.

 

Bas

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Android

1 answer

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  1. Kai-H 18,195 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-22T07:17:22.4433333+00:00

    Hi, Bas Jacobs

    This looks more like an account/authentication or permission problem between OneNote and the notebook’s cloud location, not just a phone app glitch. This can happen when account info has expired, the wrong account is being used, or notebook permissions have changed.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    First, sign in to OneNote on the web with the exact same Microsoft account and try opening the notebook there. If it opens in the browser, close that notebook in the app and reopen it from the web using Open in OneNote, which can reset the connection cleanly.

    Next, check the notebook in OneDrive and open Manage access to make sure that account still shows as the owner or has direct access. It is also recommended that you create a brand-new notebook and copy your sections/pages into it if the old one still refuses to open, because a damaged notebook can get stuck even when the files are still visible.

    If the notebook will not open even in the web version, that usually points more to a server or permission issue than an app issue. At that point, I would stop reinstalling and go straight to Microsoft support or your account admin.

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas. 

    Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

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