Top 11 Fixes for Google Drive Not Syncing on Android

Many Google Drive users reported that when importing files from Android app, those files do not show on PC or other devices signed in using same Google Drive account. Meanwhile, other users are complaining that their Google Drive account files are not available on their Android phones.

We’ve compiled a list of troubleshooting tips to help you resolve syncing issues with the Google Drive app for Android.

1. Restart the phone

Restart your Android phone before continuing with the troubleshooting process. It is one of those magical solutions that works without resetting anything or messing with settings. If you are using Wi-Fi, restart your modem as well.

2. Activate synchronization

You must allow Sync in your Google Account settings to allow the Google Drive app to sync all content. To check if Google Drive sync is turned on or not, go to phone settings and tap Accounts.

Tap on your Google account and tap on the account sync option. You will find various services that can synchronize with your phone. Enable the toggle next to Drive if it’s disabled.

3. Check the internet connection

The problem is often your Internet connection. So check if other apps are working properly or not. If the problem also occurs for other applications, troubleshoot your Internet connection. Try switching to Wi-Fi from mobile data and vice versa.

4. Refresh the application

If you swipe down on the Google Drive app, it refreshes the app. If a file download is stuck or you don’t see any new files, swipe down from the top of the screen to refresh the app. Hope this should help sync files properly.

5. Activate the transfer on mobile data

The Google Drive app gives you the choice to download everything via Wi-Fi and allows you to save your mobile data. So if this setting is enabled, your files will be downloaded or updated only over Wi-Fi.

If your phone is using mobile data, nothing will sync. You may have chosen this setting by mistake. To disable this setting, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Launch the Google Drive app for Android.

2nd step: Tap the three bar icon at the top.

Step 4: Deactivate the button next to “Transfer files only via Wi-Fi”.

6. Update the application

Such issues often arise due to a bug in the application itself. To resolve this issue, go to the Play Store and update the Google Drive app. For future use, learn how to tell if the app needs an update on Android and iPhone.

7. Disable battery saving mode

Turning on battery saver mode often restricts various features of your phone and syncing is one of them. To check if battery saver mode is affecting Google Drive syncing, go to Settings> Battery> Battery saver. Turn it off.

Advice: Battery saver can also be turned off from the Quick Settings panel.

8. Clear cache and data

Clearing cache and data on Google Drive and its related apps (Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides) has been one of the most effective solutions to fix the sync issue. While clearing the cache only removes temporary files and has no effect on actual files, clearing data resets the Drive app settings to their default values. You can do this from the app as well as from the phone settings.

To clear the Drive app cache, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the Google Drive app for Android.

2nd step: Tap Settings on the left sidebar.

Step 3: Tap Clear cache.

Step 4: Restart your phone.

Here are the steps to clear the settings cache:

Step 1: Go to phone settings and tap Apps.

2nd step: Tap Drive.

Step 3: Tap Storage.

Step 4: Press the Clear Cache button.

Step 5: Restart the phone.

If the sync issue persists, tap Clear data or Clear storage in step 4, depending on the option available.

Likewise, clear the cache and data of other Google Drive services, if they are installed on your phone. This includes the Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets apps for Android. It will also help you troubleshoot syncing issues with the Google Drive app for Android.

9. Uninstall the Google Drive app

You can also try uninstalling the Google Drive app to fix the sync issue. However, since Google Drive is preinstalled on most Android phones, it is not possible to uninstall it entirely. You can uninstall the most recent updates as shown below or temporarily disable the app as shown in the following fix.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from Google Drive.

Step 1: Go to Settings and go to Apps.

2nd step: Tap Drive below the apps list.

Step 3: Tap the three dots icon at the top. Select Uninstall updates.

Step 4: Restart the phone after uninstalling the updates.

Step 5: Install the latest version of the Google Drive app from the Play Store.

To note: Any changes made to the Drive app since stopping syncing will be lost when you uninstall or disable the app.

10. Disable the Google Drive app

To deactivate the Drive app, follow the following route:

Step 1: Launch settings on your phone and tap Apps.

2nd step: Tap Drive.

Step 3: Touch Disable.

Step 4: Restart the phone

Step 5: Follow steps 1 and 2 again. Press Activate to activate the application.

11. Reset application preferences

If uninstalling the app also doesn’t work, you need to reset all settings on your phone. Treat this as the last resort.

This can be accomplished by using the Reset Preferences feature in the app. Before doing so, find out how the feature affects your settings after you use it. After learning what happens when resetting all settings, do the following:

Step 1: Go to Settings then to System (or General Management).

2nd step: Tap Reset.

Step 3: Tap Reset app preferences or Reset settings.

Unleash the power of Google Drive

We hope the solutions provided above have helped to resolve the syncing issues with the Google Drive app on your phone. If you have successfully reset items in Google Drive, you can get the most out of the Offline feature and use some files even when your phone is not connected to the internet.