The “We couldn’t open that location” error in OneNote can prevent you from accessing your notebooks and important information. This issue typically occurs with shared notebooks and can be caused by syncing problems, permissions issues, or corrupted files. Let’s explore several methods to fix this error and get your OneNote notebooks working again.
Step 1: Update Microsoft Office. Open OneNote and go to File > Account. Click on Update Options > Update Now to check for and install any available updates.
Step 2: Sign out of OneNote and sign back in. Click your profile icon in the top right corner, select Sign out, close OneNote, then reopen it and sign in again with your Microsoft account credentials.
Step 3: If you’re sharing the notebook with others, check if they’re experiencing the same issue. This can help determine if the problem is specific to your account or affects all users.
Method 1: Manage User Access
Step 1: Open the affected OneNote notebook and click Share > Manage access.
Step 2: Review the list of users with access to the notebook. If the affected user isn’t listed, you may need to grant them access again.
Step 3: To add a user, click Share, enter their email address, and click Send.
Step 4: If the user is already listed but still can’t access the notebook, try removing and re-adding them. Go to the Links tab, click the Delete icon next to their name, then add them again using the process in Step 3.
If you’re not the notebook owner, contact the owner to check and adjust the access settings.
Method 2: Restore from Backup
Step 1: Open OneNote and go to File > Open Backups.
Step 2: Select the affected notebook to open its backup.
Step 3: If the backup opens successfully, copy its contents to a new notebook and share it with the necessary users.
Alternatively, you can manually access the OneNote backup folder, typically located at:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\Backup
Replace “username” with your Windows username and “16.0” with your Office version number if different.
Method 3: Copy Affected Sections to a New Notebook
Step 1: Create a new OneNote notebook.
Step 2: In the problematic notebook, right-click on the affected section and select Move or Copy.
Step 3: Choose the new notebook as the destination and click Copy.
Step 4: Share the new notebook with the affected users and check if they can access it.
Step 5: If successful, consider copying the entire original notebook to the new one and sharing it with all necessary users.
Method 4: Repair OneNote
If the error persists, try repairing the OneNote application:
Step 1: Open Windows Settings and go to Apps > Installed apps.
Step 2: Find OneNote in the list, click on it, and select Modify.
Step 3: Choose Online Repair and click Repair.
Step 4: Wait for the repair process to complete, then restart your computer and try accessing your OneNote notebooks again.
By following these methods, you should be able to resolve the “We couldn’t open that location” error in OneNote. Remember to keep your Office applications updated and regularly back up important notebooks to prevent future issues.