google drive Code Sync Conflict Error

Fix Google Drive Error: Sync Conflict Error

Diagnostic Procedures

  • 1 Understand the cause of Google Drive sync conflicts
  • 2 Differentiate streaming vs mirroring settings
  • 3 Clean up duplicate files automatically via shell script
  • 4 Reset local cache database on Windows
  • 5 Reset local cache database on macOS

Fix Google Drive Error: Sync Conflict Error

Encountering a Sync Conflict Error in Google Drive occurs when the sync engine detects two or more differing versions of the same file edited concurrently. To prevent data loss by overwriting one user’s modifications, Google Drive creates duplicate files, appending the local computer’s hostname or user account to the filename (e.g. ProjectDoc (DESKTOP-5F82B9A).xlsx).

This guide details how to handle file versions, clean up duplicate conflicts, and reset the sync engine to prevent conflict loops.

What Causes Google Drive Sync Conflict Errors?

Sync conflicts generally happen due to the following behaviors:

  1. Concurrent Offline Edits: Two users edit the same file offline on separate devices. When both connect to the internet, their respective clients push changes simultaneously.
  2. Mirror Sync Mismatches: Using the “Mirror files” option, which downloads all files to the hard drive, making local edits more prone to overlaps compared to real-time “Streaming”.
  3. Multi-User Shared Editing: Editing non-collaborative files (like PDFs, ZIPs, or CAD drawings) at the same time. Unlike Google Docs/Sheets, these formats do not support live multi-user editing.
  4. Client Index Desynchronization: A local client’s database fails to register that a remote version has been updated, attempting to upload outdated file fragments.

Detailed Steps to Resolve Sync Conflicts

Follow these steps to clean up duplicate files and align the sync engine.

Step 1: Manage Versions via Google Drive Web (For Non-Native Files)

Instead of manually copying and pasting text between duplicates, use Google Drive’s built-in version manager to compare and promote the correct version.

  1. Open Google Drive in your web browser.
  2. Right-click the primary file and select File information → Manage versions.
  3. You will see a chronological list of all uploaded revisions, marked with the upload date and editor name.
  4. To view a version, click the three dots next to it and select Download.
  5. To promote an older or conflicting version as the current master copy, click the three dots next to it and select Keep forever or Set as current version.
  6. You can delete the duplicate conflict files from your disk.

Step 2: Locate and Delete Conflict Files (Terminal Scripts)

If a sync loop has created hundreds of duplicate conflict files with computer names appended (typically containing parentheses ( and )), you can find and remove them in bulk.

On Windows (Command Prompt):

First, run a command to list all duplicate files in the sync folder (replace G:\My Drive with your Google Drive path):

:: Find all conflict files containing parentheses in the filename
dir /s /b "G:\My Drive\*(*)*"

Verify the list. To delete them in bulk, run:

:: Delete the duplicate conflict files recursively
del /S /Q "G:\My Drive\*(*)*"

On macOS (Terminal):

List the duplicate files in your sync mount (replace the path with your actual Google Drive mount path):

# Locate duplicate conflict files containing parenthesis
find /Volumes/GoogleDrive/My\ Drive -name "*(*)*" -type f

Verify the list. To delete them, execute:

# Delete all located conflict duplicates
find /Volumes/GoogleDrive/My\ Drive -name "*(*)*" -type f -delete

Step 3: Switch From Mirroring to Streaming

Streaming files retrieves them dynamically from Google’s servers only when you open them. This minimizes local conflicts because files are not persistently hosted offline.

  1. Click the Google Drive icon in your taskbar system tray or menu bar.
  2. Click Settings (Gear Icon) → Preferences.
  3. Select Google Drive on the left menu.
  4. Select Stream files instead of Mirror files.
  5. Click Save and restart the application.

Step 4: Force Sync Engine Cache Purge

If the sync client is stuck in a conflict validation loop, wipe the database cache to force it to pull down clean server metadata.

On Windows:

:: Terminate Google Drive
taskkill /F /IM GoogleDriveFS.exe

:: Purge the local database cache folders
cd /d "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS"
del /F /S /Q Cache\*

:: Relaunch Google Drive
start "" "C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream\bin\GoogleDriveFS.exe"

On macOS:

# Terminate Google Drive
killall "Google Drive"

# Delete local cached data chunks
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/DriveFS/Cache/*

# Relaunch Google Drive
open -a "Google Drive"

Summary Checklist

  • Check Google Drive Web’s Manage Versions menu to restore prior revisions.
  • Clean up duplicate files containing hostnames using the command blocks above.
  • Shift the desktop sync method from Mirroring to Streaming in preferences.
  • Avoid concurrent offline editing on shared non-collaborative files (Word, Excel, CAD).
  • Purge the desktop sync engine cache using the terminal scripts to resolve stuck conflict loops.