Google Drive for desktop not syncing? Why files get stuck, and the fix for each cause

Start here: read the status, check it isn't paused, restart it

Click the Drive for desktop icon, at the bottom right of the screen on Windows and the top right on a Mac. The 'Sync status' tile on the home screen shows recently synced files and current activity, and Google says time-sensitive sync errors appear in your notifications. These quick checks don't touch your files.

• Check it isn't paused. Open the menu, click 'Settings' and look for 'Resume syncing'. If it is there, syncing is paused, and Google says that stops file sync in both directions for mirrored folders and updates made to streamed files in the virtual drive.
• Check the connection. Google's help says certain firewall, proxy and other network settings may interfere with the app, so try a different network if you are on an office connection or a VPN.
• Restart it. Click 'Settings', then 'Quit', and open Drive for desktop again. If that does nothing, restart the computer.

Cause 1: Your Google storage or your computer's disk is full

These are two separate limits, and either one stops syncing. Google's help page lists them as 'Google Workspace storage is full' and 'Your disk space is low or your storage is almost full'.

Google storage first. A personal account has up to 15 GB shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos. Google One's help says that when it is full, your files stay safe but you can't store anything new, and syncs stop between your computer's Google Drive folder and My Drive. If the error is on a file someone else owns, their storage may be the full one, and they have to fix it. See where your space has gone at one.google.com/storage/management.

Warning before you clear anything: Google says that if you mirror or stream, any files you put in the trash are put in the trash everywhere, not only on this computer. Items in Trash still count against your storage until they are permanently deleted, and permanent deletion is the step you can't take back. Download anything you want to keep first.

• Empty Trash and Spam only after checking them. Until they are permanently cleared, those items count against your limit.
• Allow for the delay. Google says storage can take up to 48 to 72 hours to update after you delete many files at once.
• Buy more if you need it. Personal accounts can add storage with Google One, which Google says may take up to 24 hours to become available. On a work or school account, your Workspace admin controls the quota.
• If the local disk is the full one, free space on the drive named in the message, using files outside your Google Drive folder, then exit and restart the app. Google notes that shared files can fill your hard drive if you sync them, even though they never count against your Google space.

Cause 2: You are looking in the wrong Google account

Each Google account has its own My Drive, and Drive for desktop can run up to 4 accounts at once. A file saved under your work account will never appear in your personal Drive on the web, however long you wait, and the reverse is also true.

Open the Drive for desktop menu and click your profile picture to see which accounts are connected, then check drive.google.com is showing the same account.

If the account you need is missing, add it rather than disconnecting the one you have. Click your profile picture, choose '+ Add account', finish signing in through your browser, then restart the app.

Cause 3: Stream versus mirror, and files that aren't offline

Some 'not syncing' reports are really the sync mode working as designed. With 'Stream files', Google says files are primarily stored in the cloud and located on a virtual drive, and you can only open files that aren't available offline when you are connected to the internet. With 'Mirror files', they are always stored both on your computer, in a folder, and in the cloud, and you can open them at any time. Shared drives can only be streamed. You will find the setting under 'Settings', 'Preferences', 'Folders from Drive', 'My Drive syncing options'.

Watch out for the old folder after a switch. Google says that when you move from mirroring to streaming, the folder with your mirrored My Drive files no longer syncs. Edits you make in there will not reach Drive.

Warning before switching from mirror to stream: Google's last step is 'Delete the mirrored folder', and its help says that if you delete it before all your changes have been uploaded, those un-synced files will be lost. Confirm your files are fully synced first, and on Windows quit the app before you remove the folder. Going the other way, from stream to mirror, Google says the app downloads your files to the folder you pick, and keeps both versions if a file differs from the cloud copy.

To keep streamed files on the computer for when you have no connection:

• On Windows, right-click the file or folder and choose 'Offline Access', then 'Available offline'. On a Mac, right-click and choose 'Available offline'.
• If the option is missing, Google says it only appears in 'Stream files' mode and while the app is running. Mirrored files don't need it.
• If offline files won't open, the app must be open and your account connected. Marking a very large number of files at once can cause errors like 'too many open files', so use smaller batches.
• Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are handled separately. Google says you must make them available offline in Drive on the web.

Cause 4: One file or folder is stuck

If everything syncs except one item, match the wording you see against the headings on Google's 'Fix problems in Drive for desktop' page.

• 'You don't have permissions to sync files': you lack edit access in Drive. Ask the file's owner for it, or the shared drive's admin.
• 'Your computer won't allow you to sync files': the block is on your machine. Check for read and write permission in the item's 'Properties' on Windows or 'Get Info' on a Mac.
• 'Files exceed bandwidth, upload, or download limits': Google says the app will automatically retry later. If it doesn't sync, wait a day and restart Drive for desktop.
• 'Can't locate folder': you moved, renamed or deleted a synced folder. On the notification, click 'Locate' and select the renamed version. If it was deleted, the notification offers 'Stop syncing this directory'.
• 'Can't sync file/ folder - moved to Lost & Found': the upload failed and the file was moved aside. Use the notification's link to open the folder, then move the files back into My Drive to retry, or to another location on your computer.
• 'Can't upload Google files': Google says the file has been corrupted, and that editing these files with a third-party editor can cause it. Make a copy of the file in Drive on the web and confirm it opens before you delete the invalid file on your computer.
• 'Drive for desktop encountered a problem and has stopped': if this keeps happening and you run virus scan software, exclude Drive for desktop from the scan.

Last resort: disconnect or reinstall, after protecting your files

Warning: disconnecting can remove local files. Google says any files in your Lost & Found folder are lost if you disconnect your account, and that any offline files are removed when a streaming account is disconnected. Copy your Lost & Found files somewhere safe first, and check that recent changes have reached Drive. In streaming mode, Google says unsynced changes are stored in a local cache and can be lost if the cache is cleared or corrupted.

Lost & Found sits in a subfolder named with your account token. On Windows, look in C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS\lost_and_found. On a Mac, /Users/YOUR-USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS/lost_and_found.

• Disconnect and reconnect: go to 'Settings', 'Preferences', 'Advanced Settings', find the account and disconnect it. Sign in again and choose a new location for the Google Drive folder.
• Reinstall: download the most recent version of Drive for desktop from Google and install it.

How to stop it happening again

Most of these failures can be spotted early.

• Glance at the 'Sync status' tile before you shut down, so you know your latest work has uploaded.
• Avoid system cleaner apps. Google names CCleaner and Advanced SystemCare, and warns that these apps may edit the configuration data for Drive for desktop, which can cause errors and data loss.
• Treat sync as a copy of your work, not a backup. A file you trash on one computer goes to the trash everywhere, and Trash deletes files forever after 30 days.

If you only need to hand someone a file

Sync is the right tool for keeping your own files up to date. If you just need to get one file to someone, OneSol Send gives you a link for files up to 5 GB that the recipient can open without signing in; you need a free OneSol account to send, files are kept for 3 days, and it doesn't sync anything.