How to Fix Google Drive Not Syncing Files on Windows and Mac

The Google Drive for Desktop application keeps your local computer folders synchronized with the cloud. However, syncing can freeze unexpectedly with status alerts like 'Syncing 1 of 4,812 files...', 'Can't sync [filename]', or generic connection errors.

Whether syncing is stalled due to file locks, proxy firewall blocks, or corrupt local database caches, follow this step-by-step guide to get Google Drive syncing normally again.

Step 1: Pause and Resume Syncing

A simple sync state restart frequently unjams temporary network hiccups:

1. Click the Google Drive icon in the Windows Taskbar system tray (bottom-right) or Mac Menu Bar (top-right).
2. Click the Settings Gear icon.
3. Click Pause Syncing.
4. Wait 10 seconds, click the Gear icon again, and select Resume Syncing.

Step 2: Check for File Name and Length Incompatibilities

Google Drive can fail to sync individual files if their names contain characters prohibited by Windows or macOS:

• Avoid special characters: < > : " / \ | ? *
• Ensure file paths do not exceed 260 characters on Windows.
• Close open documents (e.g., Excel or Word) that may be temporarily locked by local applications.

Step 3: Clear Corrupt Google Drive Local Cache

If Google Drive continues to hang on the same file, clearing the local temporary sync cache forces the desktop client to re-evaluate remote and local files without deleting cloud data.

On Windows 10 & 11:

1. Right-click the Google Drive icon in the taskbar and select Quit Google Drive.
2. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
3. Paste the following path and press Enter:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS

1. Delete the folder named with long alphanumeric numbers (this is the local file cache).
2. Relaunch Google Drive for Desktop from the Start Menu.

On macOS:

1. Click Google Drive in the menu bar and choose Quit.
2. Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, and enter:

~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS

1. Delete the cache folders and restart the Google Drive app.

Step 4: Disconnect and Re-authenticate Account

1. Open Google Drive preferences by clicking the Gear icon > Preferences.
2. Click the Gear icon inside Preferences at the top-right.
3. Click Disconnect account next to your email.
4. Confirm disconnect. This unlinks your account without deleting cloud files.
5. Re-open Google Drive, log into your Google Account in the browser, and re-select your sync folders.