Usually, Google Drive will keep all your files and folders in perfect harmony. Once in a blue moon, it may struggle to work as intended. For instance, while you are uploading or sharing files, they don’t seem to appear on your computer. Let me help you troubleshoot Google Drive’s sync error.
1. Pause It
Some users have reported that pausing Backup and Sync and restarting it helped them fix the problem. The steps are simple. Click on the Backup and Sync icon once in the System Tray. Click on the arrow to reveal hidden icons if it is not already visible. Now click on the three-dot menu to reveal the Pause option. It may require a few moments to take effect after which you should see the Resume option. Click on it to resume sync from where it left. Now you may check if your files are syncing as intended.
2. Restart Backup and Sync
Some users have discovered that quitting and restarting Backup and Sync helped resolve the Google Drive sync issue. To do so, go to system tray, click on the sync icon and select Quit Backup and Sync option. To restart Backup and Sync, simply search for the software in Windows search and launch it. The icon should be visible in the system tray area again. Give it a minute or two to let it sync and then check it.
3. Reinstall Backup and Sync
Maybe your installed version of the software is either old or corrupted. To fix that, you should uninstall Backup and Sync from your system by pressing the Windows+I shortcut and click on Apps. Select Apps & features in the left menu and search for Backup and Sync in the search bar. When you find it, click on it once to reveal the Uninstall option. Click on the link below to download and install the latest version of Backup and Sync on your system. Download Backup and Sync
4. Choose Correct Account
A lot of us are using multiple Google accounts to manage our personal and professional data. You need to check whether you are logged in to the correct Google account in Backup and Sync software. Most importantly, examine that it is the same one as the one you are trying to sync files from. Click on Backup and Sync icon in system tray to view the Gmail ID. You don’t have to remove your old Google account to add a new one anymore. Google now allows users to add up to three Google Drive accounts on the same computer. Just click on Add New Account to begin the setup process. Make sure to select a different folder location for each Google Drive account.
5. Sync Folder Settings
Backup and Sync from Google Drive comes with sync settings that allow users to select individual folders that they want to sync to their computer. This is useful if you have large folders with many files that you don’t really need on your system, or if you have limited space on the hard drive. Maybe some folders are not checked to sync? Click on the Backup and Sync icon and select Preferences from the menu. Select Google Drive on the left side and make sure that ‘Sync My Drive to this computer’ and ‘Sync everything in My Drive’ are selected. If you are using ‘Sync only these folders’ option, then make sure that the folder which is not syncing to your computer is selected here. Click OK when done to save settings.
6. Firewall Settings
Firewalls are there to protect your system from malware and other forms of cyber attacks. Sometimes, acting like an over-protective parent, Firewall will go into an aggressive mode to block Backup and Sync from functioning normally. Launch Settings by pressing Windows+I button. Search for Firewall in the search bar. Click on Allow an app through Windows Firewall. You will now see a list of all the apps and services that are allowed/disallowed. Search for Backup and Sync and enable it under both Private and Public column. If you are using an antivirus, you will have to check its settings carefully to make sure that Google Drive as well as Backup and Sync are whitelisted (allowed).
7. Run as Administrator
Another reason why Google Drive won’t sync on Windows 10 is the lack of administrative rights of the user account. Windows allows users to create multiple accounts, each with different levels of rights and access to resources. It is possible that Backup and Sync doesn’t have admin rights which it needs to function correctly. Use the Windows search function to find Backup and Sync and right-click on it to select Run as administrator. That will give Google Drive full admin rights and permissions to run without any hiccups.
8. Change Proxy Settings
If you are using a proxy to connect to your Google Drive account, it is possible that the sync is not able to use it. To check if this is the issue, click on the Backup and Sync icon in the system tray area and click on Preferences. Select Settings on the left and click on Network Settings. Under Proxy settings, click on Direct connection and click on OK to save settings. This will tell Google to bypass proxy settings. If you want to continue using proxy settings, I would recommend you to go through the official list of hosts and ports that Google recommends users to add to their firewall and proxy settings.
9. Delete desktop.ini File
When Google Drive fails to sync files to your computer, it records the resulting error in a file called desktop.ini which is hidden by default. Once Windows OS generates it (specific to every folder), Drive will not sync any file you add after that point until you resolve the error. Open the Windows Explorer, and navigate to the go to the folder where the files are not syncing. To view hidden files, click on Options under the View tab and click on Change folder and search options. Under the View tab in the resulting popup, select ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives,’ and hit Save. Go back to the folder to check if the desktop.ini file is there and if it is, delete it. Refresh and check if Google Drive sync is working or not.
10. File Size and Name Length
Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage. Do you have enough space left on your Drive to sync files? Again, click on the system tray icon of Backup and Sync to check the available free space. Are you trying to sync a file with a name that is more than 255 characters? That can be problematic because Microsoft doesn’t allow creating files or folders with names that are longer than the specified limit. If that is the case, rename the file to something shorter and try again.
Google, Let that Sync
The Google Drive sync error should get resolved by using one or more of the methods mentioned above. There is no need to go looking for alternatives just because something is not working. Next up: Do you want to save online text and images to Google Drive directly without having to download them first? Click on the link below to learn how.
