You’re staring at that notebook named "New Notebook 1" or maybe "Project Alpha—Old" and it’s driving you nuts. You right-click. You look for a "Rename" button. It’s not there. Honestly, it’s one of the most frustrating quirks in the Microsoft ecosystem. How do you rename a notebook in OneNote without breaking your entire workflow or losing three hours of sync data?
It isn't a simple button click because of how OneNote lives in the cloud. Most people treat OneNote like a Word doc. It’s not. It’s a complex web of pointers and permissions tied to OneDrive. If you just change the name in the app, you’re basically lying to the software about where the file lives.
Why the Rename Button is Missing
Microsoft designed OneNote to be "sticky." Because your notes are constantly syncing between your phone, your laptop, and the web, the "Notebook Name" is more like a fixed address than a label on a folder. If you’re using the Windows 10 app or the "OneNote" (formerly OneNote 2016) desktop version, you’ve likely noticed that you can change the nickname of a notebook, but the actual file stays the same.
This leads to a massive mess. You think you renamed it. You go to your iPad. The old name is still there. Chaos.
To actually, permanently change the identity of that notebook, you have to go to the source. That source is OneDrive. It’s the only way to make the change stick across every device you own.
The Right Way: Renaming Through the Web
If you want to know how do you rename a notebook in OneNote so it actually works, you need to close the app first. Just do it. If the notebook is open while you're messing with the backend, you’re asking for a sync conflict.
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- Close OneNote on your computer.
- Open your browser and head to OneDrive.com.
- Log in.
- Find the "Documents" folder or wherever you’ve stashed your notebooks.
- Find the notebook file. It’ll have that purple icon.
- Right-click it and select Rename.
- Type the new name. Hit enter.
Now, don't just open the app and expect it to be there. It won't be. The app is still looking for the old name. You have to go back into the OneNote app, go to File > Open, and select the "newly" named notebook from your OneDrive list. You can then close the "old" version that shows a sync error.
The "Nickname" Trap
Some people think they’ve found a shortcut. In the desktop app, you can right-click a notebook and hit Properties. There’s a "Display Name" field there. You can change it. It looks great!
But it’s a lie.
That only changes what you see on that specific computer. If you share that notebook with a colleague, they still see the old, embarrassing name you gave it three years ago. If you want a professional look, the OneDrive method is the only real path forward.
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Dealing with SharePoint and Business Accounts
If you're at work, things get trickier. Your notebooks probably aren't in your personal OneDrive; they're in a SharePoint site or a Microsoft Teams channel.
Renaming these is a nightmare.
If you rename a notebook inside a SharePoint document library, you might break the "Notes" tab in your Teams channel. If that happens, you have to go into Teams, remove the tab, and re-add it by pointing to the "new" file. It’s tedious. You’ve been warned.
What if the Notebook Won't Sync After the Name Change?
This is the most common "Help!" email I see. You renamed it, you opened it, and now there’s a little red "X" over the cloud icon.
First, check the trash. No, really. Sometimes OneDrive creates a duplicate during a rename if the connection is spotty.
If it’s stuck, the best move is the "Copy Method." Create a brand new notebook with the correct name. Go to the old notebook, right-click each section, and select Move or Copy. Choose Copy. Once everything is moved over and synced, delete the old one. It’s the "nuclear option," but it prevents data loss 100% of the time.
The Mobile Struggle
You can't really rename a notebook from the iPhone or Android app. You just can't. The mobile apps are "viewers" with editing capabilities, but they lack the administrative muscle to rename files on the server. If you're on the train and realize your notebook name is a typo-ridden disaster, wait until you get to a desktop. Or, use your phone's browser to access the desktop version of OneDrive.
It’s clunky, but it works.
Real-World Example: The "Project Phoenix" Disaster
A few years ago, a client of mine renamed their main client-facing notebook from "Internal Notes" to "Client Portal." They did it by just changing the display name in the desktop app.
They sent the link to the client.
The client clicked it and saw "Internal Notes" in their browser tab. It was awkward. It was unprofessional. This happened because the underlying URL—the "slug"—was still tied to the original file name in OneDrive.
This is why understanding how do you rename a notebook in OneNote is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about the metadata. The URL of your notebook is generated based on the file name at the moment of creation. When you rename it properly in OneDrive, the URL usually redirects, but the internal file structure updates to reflect the new identity.
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A Quick Checklist Before You Rename
- Sync check: Ensure the current notebook has a green checkmark. If it's not synced, your latest changes are only on your hard drive. Renaming now will delete them.
- Close the app: On all devices. Seriously.
- Tell your team: If it’s a shared notebook, their links will break. They will hate you if you don't warn them.
Actionable Next Steps
Stop trying to find the rename button in the OneNote interface. It’s a ghost. Instead, follow this flow to ensure your notes stay safe and your sync stays fast:
- Step 1: Force a manual sync (Shift + F9) to make sure the cloud has your latest thoughts.
- Step 2: Log into the web version of OneDrive or SharePoint. This is the "God Mode" for your files.
- Step 3: Rename the file there, then wait about sixty seconds for the servers to stop spinning.
- Step 4: Re-open OneNote on your desktop and use the "Open" command to find the new file name.
- Step 5: Once the new one is open and looks good, right-click the "old" notebook (the one with the sync error) and select "Close this Notebook."
Following this sequence prevents the dreaded "Page Misplaced" section that haunts so many OneNote users. It keeps your file paths clean and ensures that whether you're on your phone, a web browser, or your work PC, the name is consistent and the data is there.