Fix problems with syncing to your computer

If some or all of 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.
• Backup and Sync stuck on 'Preparing for Sync'.
• Backup and Sync client stops suddenly.

Find the Backup and Sync icon .

• Mac: In the top-right toolbar.
• Windows: In the bottom-right toolbar.

Restart Backup and Sync

After you restart Backup and Sync, it will take some time to complete.

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. Click More Quit Backup and Sync.
3. Reopen Backup and Sync.

Reinstall Backup and Sync

After you reinstall Backup and Sync, it will take some time to complete.

1. On your computer, go to the Backup and Sync download page.
2. Download the most recent version of Backup and Sync.
3. During the installation, click Yes when you’re asked to replace your current version.
4. Choose a new Google Drive folder and sync your files.

It will take some time for your files to sync.

Disconnect and reconnect your account

After you disconnect and reconnect Backup and Sync, it will take some time to complete.

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. Click Error - Google Drive folder is missing.
3. Click Disconnect account.
4. Sign in again. You will be asked to choose a new location for the Google Drive folder.

It will take some time for Google Drive to sync.

Restart your computer

After you restart your computer, it will take some time for Backup and Sync to complete.

Mac

1. At the top-left, click the Apple menu.
2. Click Restart…
3. To confirm, click Restart.

Windows 10

1. At the bottom-left, click or tap the Start button.
2. Click or tap Power.
3. Click or tap Restart

Windows 8 & 8.1

1. At the top-right, next to Search, click or tap the power icon.
2. Click or tap Restart.

Windows 7

1. At the bottom-left, click the Start menu icon.
2. Next to 'Shut down', click Restart.

Error messages

You may see the following errors in Google Drive:

• An unknown error has occurred: Restart Google Drive sync.
• An unknown issue occurred and Google Drive needs to quit: Restart Google Drive sync.
• Authorisation failure: You no longer have permission to view the file. Contact the owner.
• Connection failure: Check your Internet connection. Click Retry all or restart Backup and Sync.
• Backup and Sync quits unexpectedly: Reinstall Backup and Sync.
• This file is a link to an online Google document. It cannot be changed. You can only change Google documents when online. Make a copy of the original document online and select it for syncing.
• The file on your computer is missing: Restart Backup and Sync.
• This file points to an invalid online Google document: The original file is no longer in Google Drive. Remove from the folder on your computer and restart Backup and Sync.
• Some files can't be synced: Manually sync files.
• Syncing is stuck: Restart Backup and Sync.
• Unable to complete sync: Disconnect and reconnect your account.
• You do not have enough Google storage for this file. Please buy more storage: Purchase a larger storage plan.
• You do not have permission to sync this file: Contact the owner of the file.
• You only have permission to view this file, so your changes cannot be synced: Contact the owner of the file and request the ability to edit.
• Your Google Drive folder is missing: Locate or replace your missing folder.

Fix error messages

Locate missing folder 

After you locate your missing folder, it will take some time for Backup and Sync to complete.

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

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. On the error message, click Locate.
3. Select your folder in its new location and click Open.
4. Google Drive will reconnect.

If you renamed your Google Drive folder

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. On the error message, click Locate.
3. Select your renamed version and click Open.
4. Google Drive will reconnect.

If you deleted your Google Drive folder

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. Click Error - Google Drive folder is missing.
3. Click Disconnect account.
4. Sign in again. You will be asked to choose a new location for the Google Drive folder.

If you don’t want to sync that folder anymore

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. On the error message, click Stop syncing this directory.
3. Backup and Sync will re-sync your files.

Manually sync files

After you manually sync files, it will take some time for Backup and Sync to complete.

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. Click View # unsyncable files.
3. Click Retry all.
4. If this doesn't work, restart Google Drive sync.

Hard drive running low

Drive for desktop won’t work if your hard drive is too full. If you receive an error message that your hard drive space is running low, free up space.

1. On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
2. Delete files that you don’t want from the drive specified in the error message.
3. Restart Drive for desktop.

Mount point errors

When using Drive for desktop, you stream Google Drive to your computer. The entry point for your Drive content is called a mount point, and each account needs a different mount point.

Mount point in use by another account

Make sure to select different mount points for each Google account. The first account should have a mount point of '/Google Drive' and any other accounts should use a unique ID, such as '/Google Drive[account name]'.

Mount point in use by another device (Windows)

If you use Drive for desktop on Windows, you will get a notification telling you that Google Drive is temporarily mounted to a different location because your selected location is unavailable. You can choose to continue using Drive for desktop with the temporary mount point. If you want to use your selected location, quit Drive for desktop and disconnect the other device.

Mount point in use by another device (macOS)

If you use Drive for desktop on Mac, you might get an error message telling you that your selected mount point is unavailable. To use Drive for desktop, free up your selected mount point and try again.

No mount points available

You might get an error message if mount points are unavailable for one or more of your Drive for desktop accounts. You can continue using Drive for desktop without loading all of your accounts, or you can quit and try again.

Mount point can’t be changed (macOS)

If you use Drive for desktop on Mac and use File Provider to access your files, your mount point can’t be changed. Your mount point location is determined by File Provider.

Mount point failure

If something goes wrong with your mount point and Drive for desktop can’t launch, try restarting your computer.

Send feedback

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
2. Click More Send feedback.
3. Type your feedback.
4. To give us insight into what is wrong, click Include system data.
5. Click Submit.

Send an error report to Google

If you are unable to solve your problem, you can send an error report to Google.

Step 1: Get a Report ID for Google Drive

1. On your computer, click Backup and Sync .
   • On a Mac, the icon is found in the menu bar at the top-right of your desktop screen.
   • On a Windows computer, the icon is found in the taskbar at the bottom-right of your desktop screen.
2. While holding down the Shift key, click More .
3. Click Enable diagnostic mode.
4. Click Start logging.
5. Reproduce the problem that you experienced. For example, you may get an error when you add a file to the Google Drive folder on your computer. Repeat that action while logging is active. When you’ve finished, click Send report to Google.
6. When the report is sent, you’ll get a Report ID.

Step 2: Post the Report ID to the Google Drive Help forum

Important: Do not post any personal information on the forums, such as email address, phone number or financial information.

1. Go to the help forum. At the moment, the forum is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
2. At the top-right, click New Topic.
3. For 'Question', type 'Drive Sync Client Log'.
4. Below 'Question', type your Report ID and a description of your issue. You can include screenshots, OS versions or any other data you think may help.
5. Click POST.