12 Ways to Fix Google Drive Not Syncing on Windows 10 Problem

Situations of Google Drive Not Syncing Windows 10

Google Drive and its file uploading/backing up/syncing tool installed on local the device (desktop, laptop, phone, notebook, etc.) have served Google users very well until Win 10 released. While computer users are cheering up of upgrading freely from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 as well as upgrading their Google Drive local app, they are upset to find that their new Google Drive not syncing on the new Windows 10.

“On upgraded Windows 10, where google drive stopped synchronizing, with the tray icon missing, although no errors would appear even when i attempted to run it from the start menu…”

“Transparent icon and no menu on clicks.”

“Almost gave up on GDrive altogether...”

“Google Drive synced properly until I upgraded my security by adding a verification code step.”

“I can’t wait any more...off to OneDrive or Dropbox...unbelievable.”

“Google Drive WILL NOT LOAD!! See attached screenshot. Just keeps spinning and never loads.”

It seems that it due to the new Google Drive is not compatible with the new Win10 operating system. Changes to one part are fine, but changes to both parts will probably cause problems. They have no time to fit each other.

More detailed causes maybe something goes wrong while installing or updating; Google Drive is recognized as malware/spyware or something evil to the OS by Windows Firewall or antivirus software, or Google Drive just gets conflicted with Microsoft OneDrive for Microsoft does not want other’s kids to play at its playground.

How to Fix Google Drive Won’t Sync Windows 10?

I have searched through the Internet and gathered workarounds provided by some Google Drive users which have helped some of them to solve their google drive doesn't sync on Windows 10 problems. The following are the most applicable ones.

Solution 1. Reinstall Google Drive

There may be something corrupted in your Windows Registry. It is recommended to uninstall the current unworkable Google Drive from your computer completely with a third-party uninstaller like Cclean.

Eliminate anything and everything to do with Google Drive from your device, googledrivesync.exe, gsync.exe, etc. Try to cheek through registry directories to delete all files related to Google Drive. Delete ALL the leftover files even in Recycle Bin. Whatever, just delete everything you can come up with related to Google, maybe even Chrome.

Thus, you can have a clean reinstallation of Google Drive. You can choose to install the version you just get rid of; you can install the very latest version for it may have solved the Google Drive not Syncing Windows 10 problem; you can just install the older version from which you upgraded to the useless version; or, you may try this old version provided by a user and tested well by a great of many users.

During installation, the Windows Firewall or other antivirus software on your computer may prevent you from installing Google Drive. In such a situation, you can turn off the Firewall or disable the antivirus program and keep the process going. After reinstallation, you can turn on the security and disable the automatic update/upgrade of the Google Drive/Synchronize for the PC. Then, the new installed Google Drive should work.

Solution 2. Change Language to English (Applies to non-English computers)

The problem may be the LOCALE of the program. Check the log file to confirm the problem. If it is so, entered this command into CMD:
set LANG=en_US and then: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Drive\googledrivesync.exe", restart it and it can work!

If a command prompt is difficult for you, then, you can do like this:

1. Change the language to the English United States from Control Panel. (In the middle the OS makes an update of the language package).
2. Then restart the computer, sign in with the user when Google Drive asks for the User and Password.
3. Finally, configure the language back to your own language, restart the PC and then Google Drive should works as it should be!

Solution 3. Turn off Firewall and Antivirus

Just as mentioned above, it may be the Windows Firewall or third-party antivirus (such as Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, McAfee, and IObit) which cause Google Drive not syncing Windows 10. Therefore, temporarily shut off Windows Firewall/Antivirus software and turn the security lever all the way down through “Control Panel”－“Internet”－"Security".

Solution 4. Delete Google Drive Data

Delete folder "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Google\Drive" and then install Google Drive.

Solution 5. Run GDrive as Administrator

One of the reasons why Google Drive not syncing Windows 10 is the lack of administrator privilege. As Windows supports creating several accounts, it’s possible that the Backup and Sync application does not have the admin privilege. Just re-run the application as Administrator. Right Click on the google drive app on the Start menu > More > Run as Administrator. Or, use Administrator privilege when installing Google Drive.

Solution 6. Rename googledrivesync.exe

Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Drive\" and rename the "googledrivesync.exe" file to any other name like "googledrivesync123.exe". Then, rename the shortcut. Run it again and it will work.

Solution 7. Restart Backup and Sync Manually

Sometimes, restarting Backup and Sync could resolve backup and sync not syncing problems. To do so, find the system tray, click on the sync icon and select “Quit Backup and Sync” option. To start it, click “Search”, enter “Backup and Sync” and launch it.

Solution 8. Do Settings to GDrive

Google Drive may change settings on your computer. This change is only needed ONCE (maybe again after an update of Google Drive). If your Google Drive not working Windows 10, it would be better to get settings done again or just reset to defaults.

Solution 9. Enable JavaScript in Web Browser

If you encounter Google Drive won't sync problem on Internet Explorer, have you tried using Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc. browser to check if GDrive works or not? This looks to be a web browser issue and not a Google issue. If Google Drive works on other web browsers, it may be Internet Explorer blocking scripts or some such. Internet Explorer is notoriously bad with compatibility. Go to solve it by “Explorer menu > Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom level”. When the "Security Settings - Internet Zone" dialog window opens, look for the "Scripting" section. In the "Active Scripting" item, and select "Enable". Then it's done.

If Google Drive not syncing Windows 10 still exist, try to confirm that you have not blocked it on IE. Go to the “Privacy” tab - “Settings” - “Sites”... to set cookies for specific websites. Choose to always allow Google.

Solution 10. Update Windows

1. Connect your computer (or device) to your modem (bypass the router).
2. Turn off your firewall and antivirus on the computer.
3. Install the latest Windows updates and restart.
4. Download and install the latest version of Drive Sync.

Solution 11. Use Correct Account

Nowadays, many of us are using multiple Google accounts to manage their personal or business files. If you happen to encounter Google Drive does not sync files and folders problem, you need to confirm whether you are signed incorrect Google account or not in Backup and Sync application. Confirm if the account is the one that you are syncing files from.

Solution 12. Switch to Other Clouds to Solve Google Drive not Syncing Windows 10

If all the methods above do not work after trying them one by one, you may need to use other clouds to replace Google Drive. You can select Dropbox, OneDrive, MEGA and etc as an alternative. But there comes a question on how to transfer files from Google Drive to other clouds?

Luckily, you can try MultCloud, a FREE cloud to cloud file transfer tool that can transfer files from one cloud to other clouds without downloading and uploading.

Let’s take OneDrive as an example. You can create one “Cloud Transfer” task, select Google Drive as the source, select OneDrive as the destination, click “Transfer Now” and wait for the process to transfer from Google Drive to OneDrive.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, you can learn 12 free ways to fix Google Drive not syncing Windows 10 problem. Hope some ways above could be useful to you. Should you have any other problems, you can leave a comment to us and we will respond to your questions shortly.