Fix problems in Drive for desktop

If some or all your files are not syncing between your computer and My Drive, you can try to fix the problem.

Basic troubleshooting

Here are some general problems you might see:

Files not syncing between your computer and My Drive.
Drive for desktop stops or quits suddenly
Unknown error occurred

Some ways you can resolve these types of error include:

Checking your internet connection
Restarting Drive for desktop
Restarting your computer
Disconnecting and reconnecting your account
Reinstalling Drive for desktop

Restart Drive for desktop

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
1. Mac: In the top menu bar, click Settings Quit.
2. Windows: In the bottom right taskbar, click Settings Quit.
Reopen Drive for desktop

Disconnect and reconnect your account

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
Click Settings Preferences.
Click Settings and find the account you want to disconnect.
Click Disconnect account.
If you have files that are in the process of being uploaded, you'll be prompted to wait for them to sync.
Sign in again. Choose a new location for the Google Drive folder.

Reinstall Drive to desktop

On your computer, go to the Drive download page.
Download the most recent version of Drive for desktop.
Install the application.

Fix error messages

You don’t have enough storage

You need enough Google and local storage to sync files. Local storage includes your hard drive and any other removable devices (USBs, external hard drives, etc.) that you use.

If you don’t have enough Google storage, free up space or get more storage from Google One. If you sync changes to a file you don’t own and the owner doesn’t have enough storage, the changes won’t sync. To sync changes, reach out to the file owner to either transfer ownership or ask them to manage their storage.

If you don’t have enough local storage, free up space.

You don't have permissions to sync files

You don’t have sufficient Google Drive permission to sync changes you’ve made.

To sync these files, contact the owner of the file or folder you want to sync and request access. If the file or folder is in a shared drive, contact the shared drive’s admin or manager for access.

Your computer won't allow you to sync files

Drive for desktop needs permission from your computer to sync files.

To sync these files, give full disk access or Apple Photos access by changing your Security & Privacy settings in System Preferences. You can also check permissions on the file.

Your disk space is low

If you use Drive for desktop and get a low disk space error:

To make space, delete files on the drive listed in the message, for example, C: drive in Windows.
Exit Drive for desktop.
Restart Drive for desktop.

Files are too large or too small

These items can’t be backed up to Google Photos:

Photos larger than 200 MB or 150 MP
Videos larger than 10 GB
Files that are smaller than 256 x 256 pixels

If your file is too large, you can:

Reduce size of photo/video
Delete photo/video
Move photo/video to a non-syncing folder

If your file is too small, you can:

Delete photo/video
Move photo/video to a non-syncing folder

Can’t locate folder

If you moved the Google Drive folder to a new place on your computer

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
On the notification, click Locate.
Select your renamed version click Open.
Google Drive will reconnect.

If you renamed your Google Drive folder

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
On the notification, click Locate.
Select your renamed version click Open.
Google Drive will reconnect.

If you deleted the folder you are mirroring your My Drive to

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
On the notification, click Stop syncing this directory.

If you don’t want to sync that folder anymore

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
Go to Preferences select the folder and uncheck Drive and/or Photos.

After you locate your missing folder, it will take some time for Drive for desktop to complete.

Can’t locate files in the cloud

Changes can’t be synced because the file has been deleted or moved to trash in Drive web.

To sync changes, restore the item from Drive trash. If the item isn’t in trash, you can remove it from the syncing folder and add it back. If you don’t want to sync changes and want to resolve the error, delete the file from your computer.

Can’t locate files on your computer

Changes can’t be synced because the file may have been deleted or moved to trash on your computer.

To sync changes, restore the item from your computer’s trash.

Files exceed bandwidth, upload, or download limits

Some files can only be downloaded a certain number of times.

In these cases, Drive for desktop will automatically retry, which will likely sync the file.

Can't upload Google files

The Google file you’re trying to upload may be invalid. To resolve the error, delete the invalid .gdoc file on your computer.

Fix a corrupted directory on Mac

Important: You need to be an administrator for your computer and enter your computer password to complete these steps.

If you use Drive for desktop on MacOS Mojave or High Sierra, permissions required to sync Drive files can get corrupted.

To resolve this issue:

On your computer, click Finder Applications.
Open the Utilities folder.
Click Terminal.
Enter sudo kextcache -clear
Press Return.
Enter sudo mv /private/var/db/KernelExtensionManagement /private/var/db/KernelExtensionManagementBackup
Press Return.
Enter sudo kextutil -l /Library/Google/DriveFS/dfsfuse.kext
Press Return.
Launch Drive for desktop.

Can't load account

Some reasons your account won't load include:

You aren’t connected to the internet.
You don’t have any available drive letters (Windows only).
Your proxy settings don't allow Drive for desktop to run.
Your admin doesn’t allow Drive for desktop for your organization or on your device.

To load your account:

Make sure you’re connected to the internet.
Free up a drive letter and restart the application (Windows only).
Disconnect and reconnect your account.
Contact your administrator.

Didn’t get default mount point

Another device uses the mount point you selected, so Drive for desktop selects the next available drive letter. To use the drive letter you picked, disconnect the device that uses that letter.

File-upload error

Your original file isn’t accessible, but a copy of the file with your edits exists under its original parent file.

This error happens when you:
- Try to sync local changes incompatible with changes in the cloud.
- Delete or move the original file.
- No longer have permissions to edit that file.
- Move a file into a deleted folder or a folder you don’t have permission to edit.
To sync your changes, make sure you can access the original file. To get access, ask:
- The owner of the file or folder.
- The shared drive’s admin or manager if the file or folder is in a shared drive.

Drive for desktop encountered a problem and stopped

Certain virus detection and security software can interfere with the operation of Drive for desktop.

If you have virus scan software on your computer and repeatedly get the error "Drive for desktop encountered a problem and has stopped," exclude Drive for desktop from your virus scan.

For Windows:

Exclude the Google Drive directory:
- The directory is usually G:\ , but may change.
Exclude the application data directory:
- %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS

For macOS 12.1 and up:

Exclude the Google Drive directory:
- ~/Library/CloudStorage/[your email address]
Exclude the application data directory:
- ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/DriveFS/

For macOS 12.1 and lower:

Exclude the Google Drive directory:
- /Volumes/GoogleDrive
- The directory may be in another location you set up.
Exclude the application data directory:
- ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/DriveFS/

Send feedback

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
Click Settings Send feedback.
Type your feedback.
To give us insight into what is wrong, click Include diagnostic logs.
Click Submit.

Send an error report to Google

Learn how to capture Google Drive for desktop logs for support.

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