This page will show you how to fix the Google Drive folder not syncing issue in 10 different ways. No matter you meet this issue on Mac or Windows, you can follow the detailed steps to solve it.
By Kelsey
/ Last Updated February 1, 2023
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Get StartedGoogle Drive cloud storage is one of the most famous cloud storage that has gained massive users around the world. It not only offers a generous 15 GB of free storage space for file storing but also released multiple upload apps to help users upload or access files on different devices including computers, mobile phones, and tablets. Therefore, if you encounter the problem of the Google Drive folder not syncing, it will make many users feel distressed.
For computer users, Google Drive provides a desktop app called Drive for desktop (the original Backup and Sync) to help users sync files between the local hard drive and Google Drive automatically. Generally, after downloading and installing, you can set up Google Drive one-way sync or two-way sync task according to your needs with the app.
◆ One-way sync: You can choose the folders on your computer that you want to sync to Google Drive. Once chosen, the files in these folders will be synced to Google Drive automatically.
◆ Two-way sync: You can choose if you need to sync the files that are already in Google Drive to your local hard drive. Once chosen, Google Drive will create a drive called Google Drive on your computer. The Google Drive disk on your computer lets you open and edit files.
Besides that, you can also add files to it, they will be synced to your Google Drive account automatically. And the files you added to your Google Drive account on other devices also will be synced to this folder on your computer.
Generally, the Google Drive sync folders on your computer can work well. But sometimes, your Google Drive won’t be able to sync with your desktop normally on Windows PC or Mac. Generally, these sync issues can occur due to your internet connection, antivirus software, application bugs, and so on.
Actually, the Google Drive desktop folder not syncing issue is a common issue that many Google Drive may encounter this problem while using Google Drive to sync their desktop files. If you’re having the issue, don’t be panic, there are some common fixes to the Google Drive some folders not syncing issue on Windows or Mac.
In the following contents, we will introduce some common fixes to the Google Drive not syncing issue with detailed steps. If you meet any other sync issues with Google Drive, you can also try the methods below because they are effective for most Google Drive sync issues.
If you find your Google Drive folder does not sync on your computer, the first thing you should do is to check the internet connection. Since Google Drive is online cloud storage, you need a stable and high-speed internet connection whenever you need to backup, sync, access your files with Google Drive. Or, Google Drive will stop working.
Sometimes, the program may get stuck in the process of running, so you can pause the program and resume running.
Step 1. Just go to the system tray and click the icon of this app.
Step 2. Click the Settings icon and choose Pause syncing. Next, click the Resume syncing option to check if your files are syncing as expected.
Most problems can be solved by restarting, so you can restart the Google Drive for desktop program, or you also can restart your device.
Step 1. Exit Google Drive from its system tray icon on the bottom right taskbar, click the Quit option.
Step 2. Go to programs/applications in the Start menu and open Google Drive again.
As we all know, the Google Drive folder will sync files automatically only if they are selected to sync. So, you should check if you have chosen "Sync everything in my drive" in replace of "sync only these folders". If it's local to cloud sync, you should confirm that all folders that you want to sync are checked in the "My computer" tab.
✎Note: This step applies to the previous Backup and Sync, and now that the program has been upgraded to Drive for desktop, you just need to determine if Stream files or Mirror files are enabled.
Step 1. Click the Backup and Sync icon from System Tray. Then click the Menu icon (three-dot) to continue, and choose Preference.
Step 2. In the next window, navigate to the Google Drive tab. Then select Sync my drive to this computer and Sync everything in My Drive on the right panel to continue. Finally, click OK.
If the storage space of your Google Drive is insufficient, your Google Drive folder will stop syncing your files. Therefore, you should check if this is the reason for the Google Drive folder not syncing issue in Windows or Mac.
Step 1. Visit one.google.com/about and log in to your Google account.
Step 2. You will see a picture similar to the one below, which shows how much space you have used (in multiple colors) and available space (in gray).
Whenever there is anything with the previous version of Google Drive you are running, you can try to reinstall it to solve problems.
Step 1. Quit Google Drive. You will do this by opening the icon in the notification area.
Step2. Uninstall Google Drive. Rename your Google Drive folder on your local storage whatever you like.
Step 3. Download the latest version of Google Drive and install. Syncing should work now.
Sometimes, if the version you use is too old, your application will not work normally so that the Google Drive folder cannot sync. And recently Google Backup and Sync has been upgraded to Drive for desktop, and users need to switch to a new program to use. So, updating the Google Drive version is also a good way to solve the Google Drive folder not syncing issue on Mac or Windows.
Step 1. On your computer, go to the Drive for desktop download page.
Step 2. Download the latest version for the Google Drive desktop app.
Step 3. During the installation process, when asked to replace the current version, click Yes.
If you are a Windows user, chances are that Windows Firewall may block Google Drive from working properly. Thus, you can disable Windows Firewall to see if it can back to normal. Similarly, if you are using an antivirus program, you should open settings and check whether Google Drive is whitelisted. If your antivirus program is blocking your Google Drive, turn it off.
Step 1. Press Windows Key + S and enter the firewall. Select Windows Defender Firewall from the list of results.
Step 2. In the left pane, click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
Step 3. Now select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) and click OK to save changes.
According to the feedbacks of some users, they solved this Google Drive problem simply by running the application as an administrator. So, you can try this method with the steps below:
Step 1. Right-click the desktop shortcut of Google Drive and choose Properties to continue.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, go to the Compatibility tab.
Step 3. Then check the option Run as an administrator to continue.
Although in most cases, the sync issues with Google Drive can be solved successfully with all the ways above, chances are that all the measures fail sometimes, therefore, you can try to send feedback to Google and ask for help from experts.
Step 1. On your computer, click Drive for desktop.
Step 2. Click More and then Send feedback.
Step 3. Type your feedback. To give Google insight into what is wrong, click, Include system data. Click Submit.
If you still have problems with Google Drive folder sync after trying all the methods above, you might want to try using the web version as a workaround. Or, you can turn to another cloud backup that can back up your files to the cloud automatically without any issues.
Step 1. Go to the Google Drive website and sign in to your account.
Step 2. You can upload, download, share, or delete the files according to your need here.
Actually, besides the Google Drive folder not syncing issue, there are also many other Google Drive problems such as Google Drive keeps going offline, Google Drive preview not working, and so on. So, don’t waste time on fixing these errors, turn to a Google Drive alternative like CBackup can help you protect files well without these issues.
CBackup is a professional cloud backup for Windows, which can help you back up files to its secure and stale cloud server called CBackup Cloud, which offers 10 GB of free storage, users can automatically back up their files to the cloud in the most secure way. CBackup also supports Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and many other cloud drives as backup destinations. Even if your Google Drive is currently unavailable, CBackup can help users quickly backup computer to Google Drive.
It offers huge backup space and an abundance of useful features. Why not give it a try?
Step 1. Download and install it on your computer. Run it and sign up for your CBackup account.
Step 2. After logging in, click on the Backup tab and click on Backup PC to CBackup Cloud.
✎Note: If you wish to backup files to your Google Drive account via CBackup, click Backup PC to Public Cloud, select Google Drive, sign in and authorize your account to CBackup to use it as a backup destination.
Step 3. After selecting files under Source, click Start Backup to backup files to the cloud.
☛Tip: If necessary, you can click Settings in the bottom left corner and make settings for automatic file backup under the Scheduler tab to select how often backup tasks start to free up manual file uploads to the cloud.
The top 10 ways to solve the Google Drive folder not syncing issue in Windows and Mac have been listed in the article above, you can try them one by one until your error disappears. Besides the 10 methods, two useful workarounds also have been introduced, hope you can get help from that.
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