Syncing Troubleshooting
- Overview
- Troubleshooting Tool
- Sync Frequency
- Types of Sync Issues
- Failed Syncs
- Stuck "Pending" Syncs
- Missed Cloud Updates
- Solutions
Overview
The content on this page provides answers to frequently asked questions about syncing with Desktop Connector. It covers topics such as sync frequency, common syncing issues, and troubleshooting steps for files and folders stuck in a Sync Pending 
state or not syncing.
Troubleshooting Tool
- This tool has been designed to provide you with efficient solutions to common issues related to syncing and other Desktop Connector operations.
- We strongly recommend utilizing this tool first before exploring other solutions provided on this page. The Troubleshooting Tool is not only reliable, but it also simplifies the process of resolving many problems you may encounter with Desktop Connector. Thank you for your cooperation and trust in our solutions.
- Are you looking for other Solutions and workarounds? Refer to the Solutions content at the end of this page for additional information on syncing.
Sync Frequency
Having opened or edited the contents of a project within the last 24 hours, Desktop Connector checks every 30 seconds for any changes made in the cloud (Docs only) and syncs these changes back to your Desktop Connector workspace.
- Without recent local interaction with a project, changes from the cloud are retrieved every 5 minutes.
Types of Sync Issues
There are three categories of sync issues:
- Failed Syncs
- Stuck “Pending” Syncs
- Missed Cloud Updates
Failed Syncs
Failed syncs will display an error message 
in the Home Screen citing a failed upload.
They will also generate an error in the home screen and display a red error icon in File Explorer 
.
There are many reasons syncs may fail. Some of those reasons for this type of issue could be:
- Multiple users are attempting to access the same files at the same time, causing issues with locking.
- Poor internet connectivity.
- Permissions issues on any of the files in your connected drive.
- Administrators down-grading user permissions while you are actively working on a project.
- Conflicts between two different file versions.
- Migrating files directly from another cloud storage provider (like OneDrive or Box) without first downloading them to your machine. See more details in Adding Files from Other Cloud Storage Providers.
Stuck "Pending" Syncs
This issue is characterized by a perpetual blue Sync Pending status in File Explorer but no upload operation reflected in the Home Screen. Some reasons for this type of issue could be:
- Poor internet connectivity.
- Shutting down your computer immediately after adding files to your workspace.
- The workspace has files or folders with Long Path or Leading or Trailing Spaces in the name.
- Files or folders were added to the Desktop Connector workspace while the application was not running/open or the user was not signed in.
Missed Cloud Updates
This type of issue is when changes or updates in the cloud fail to appear in Desktop Connector, though the Desktop Connector home screen displays “Up to Date.” This can be caused by:
- Files or folders in the Desktop Connector workspace are not in a good state and require some of the trouble-shooting techniques described later in this article.
Solutions
How do I force Desktop Connector to sync?
- In the current version of Desktop Connector, you cannot force a sync through a shortcut menu. This feature is on our public road map to be added into a future release.
- While we are actively working on resolving the root causes of all three types of sync issues, we want to provide immediate guidance for affected users through the following workarounds.
Try these methods before adding/removing projects, using the Reset Utility, or uninstalling the product to reduce the likelihood of losing unsynced changes and reselect projects. You can check the UnSyncFileData.txt or the UnSyncFolderData.txtto find out if you have files that did not sync before doing this step.
Windows Automatic File Download setting
Windows Operating System settings can restrict user permissions from downloading files and interfere with Desktop Connector syncing. If Desktop Connector is blocked from downloading files from the cloud those files will not sync to the local machine. In this case the Windows Automatic file download setting can be used to allow Desktop Connector access to automatically download files from the cloud.
Alternative Solutions for Files and Folders Stuck in "Sync Pending" State
Files or folders that are not uploading to the cloud and remain stuck in a "Sync Pending" state (that is, a blue sync icon is stuck as the status), you might find this video 
helpful to determine whether any of the suggested workarounds can resolve your issue. This video provides a detailed example of workflows where you may encounter files or folders in a sync pending state.
Alternative Solutions for Folders that are Not Syncing
Methods of resolving folders which are not syncing (make sure that Desktop Connector is running at the time):
Add a new file to the folder and see if it syncs.
- If it does sync proceed to section Files that are not syncing. The folder is in a good state and the issue is file related.
- If it does not that indicates a bad folder proceed to next step.
COPY the folder to a local disk location (as a backup of the data), then COPY the folder back to update the folder and kick the system to sync the folder.
Unselect /Reselect the impacted project from the Project Selection dialog. This is a last resort. This method will lose cache and unsync'd changes from the entire project.
Reset Desktop Connector: This is a last resort. This method will lose cache and unsynced changes from every selected project. These steps should be taken to identify unsynced data so they are not lost.
Use Copy as opposed to Move . A Move would act as a Delete from the original location once the folder is successfully moved. We do not want to Delete since that would lose version history of the files in the folder, so we want to perform a Copy in this scenario.
Alternative Solutions for Files that are Not Syncing
Often files that are not syncing are caused by activity in the workspace while Desktop Connector is not running. When files have the pending sync icon status and do not sync, that may be an indication of a corrupted file. These files should be identified in the Diagnostics Logs explained in Online Help topic Collecting and Viewing Sync Data.
Methods of resolving files which are not syncing (make sure that Desktop Connector is running at the time):
Add a new file to the folder and see if it syncs.
- If it does not that indicates a bad folder.
Go to section Folders that are not syncing because the issue is likely the folder is bad.
- If the files do not sync proceed to the next step.
Open one of the unsynced files, make a small edit, save the file: Often this is enough to cause a problem file to sync.
- If there are numerous unsynced files go to step 3.
Copy one or more unsynced files to a local disk location and then copy the files back into DC to create an updated version: Often this is enough to cause a problem file to sync.
Make local copy of all files reported in the UnSyncFileData.txt as a backup so you do not lose unsynced edits.
Unselect /Reselect the impacted project from the Project Selection dialog. This is a last resort. This method will lose cache and unsynced changes from the entire project. Once the project is resubscribed, copy the files back into the project. These steps should be taken to identify unsynced data so they are not lost.
Reset Desktop Connector: This is a last resort. This method will lose cache and unsynced changes from every selected project. These steps should be taken to identify unsynced data so they are not lost
Use Copy as opposed to Move . A Move would act as a Delete from the original location once the folder is successfully moved. We do not want to Delete since that would lose version history of the files in the folder, so we want to perform a Copy in this scenario.
Related Concepts: