How to Password Protect OneNote (2026)
OneNote protects notes at the section level — not whole notebooks or single pages. A password-protected section is encrypted, so even if someone gets the file they can’t read it without the password. There’s no recovery if you forget it, so store it somewhere safe.
1. Password Protect a Section (Windows)
- Right-click the section tab you want to lock.
- Choose Password Protect This Section.
- Click Add Password.
- Type a password, confirm it, and click OK.
The section stays unlocked until you lock it or it times out.
2. Lock and Unlock
To lock immediately, press Ctrl+Alt+L or right-click the section > Password Protect > Lock All. To open a locked section, click it and enter the password.
3. Adjust the Auto-Lock Timer
Set how long a section stays open after you stop typing:
- File > Options > Advanced (Windows).
- Under Passwords, check Lock password protected sections after I have not worked in them for the following amount of time and pick an interval.
4. OneNote on Mac, Web & Mobile
On Mac, right-click the section > Password Protect Section. You can open existing protected sections in OneNote for the web and on iOS/Android by entering the password, but the apps can’t always create new password protection — set it up in the desktop app. Note: searching, audio recording, and some features are disabled inside a protected section.
5. Troubleshooting
Password Protect option is missing
You may be in a section group header or a notebook-level view. Right-click an actual section tab.
I forgot the password
There’s no backdoor — Microsoft can’t recover it. The encrypted notes are unrecoverable without it.
Search isn’t finding notes in a section
Locked sections are excluded from search. Unlock the section first.
Related OneNote guides: How to share a notebook · How to sync OneNote · How to recover deleted pages · How to use tags · How to export to PDF
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