Google Drive for desktop not syncing? Check the account and the error

Open the Drive icon in the Windows taskbar or the Mac menu bar. Check the account, then look for sync activity and error notifications. In your browser, use the same Google account and check the same Drive folder. Open the file and look for the latest change. If your edit exists only on the computer, make a local copy outside any synced folder before you troubleshoot.

If sync is paused, resume it in the Drive menu. Make sure Drive opens in the browser on the same computer. Then use Settings → Quit in the Drive for desktop menu, reopen the app, and watch the sync status. If the app reports that a folder was moved or renamed, use the Locate option in that notification to point Drive to the actual folder.

If you lost access to a shared file, ask its owner to restore the permission needed to make changes. For a space error, check which storage is full. Drive for desktop shows available space on your computer. Check Google Account storage separately on the web. Mirroring keeps a full local copy of My Drive. Streaming uses less disk space, but the files you own still count toward Google storage.

If you reach the point of disconnecting the account, follow Google’s troubleshooting guide to check Lost & Found. Copy any files there to a safe location outside synced folders first. Disconnecting deletes that folder and removes offline files for a streaming account. After you reconnect, create a small text file in the affected Drive folder if you have permission. Confirm you can open it from the same folder on the web, then check the original file again.