sync is not launching.

Question

when i cllick on sync, nothing happens; the icon does not spin at all

Answer 1

Hello VaughnFitzpatrick-9707, thanks for reaching out.

Just to make sure I point you in the right direction — when you click on Sync, which app or feature are you referring to? For example:

• Microsoft Edge sync (bookmarks, passwords, settings)?
• OneDrive file sync?
• Windows Settings sync?

A quick clarification will help me give you the right steps right away.

Answer 2

Use the following steps to troubleshoot sync not starting.

1. Verify the sync client is running
   • Open Task Manager.
   • On Windows 11, check Background processes for Microsoft OneDrive Sync Service (OneDrive.Sync.Service.exe).
   • If it is not running, the list/sync process is not active and might be blocked by organization policy. In that case, see your admin or the guidance under Lists sync policies in the referenced article.
2. Check whether the list or content is supported for sync
   • Enable Web App Logging as described in the SharePoint list sync article.
   • Open the browser console and look for a log line that starts with Found list.
     • If no Found list line appears, the sync process has not yet picked up the list; wait for silent configuration/sync to occur.
     • If the Found list line includes unsynced:true, the list is not supported by List sync by design and will not sync.
3. If sync should be supported but still does nothing
   • Confirm OneDrive.Sync.Service.exe is running and the Found list line does not contain unsynced:true.
   • If both are true and clicking Sync still does nothing (no spinning icon, no progress), this indicates a client-side issue. Follow the Contacting Support path in the SharePoint list sync article or open a support ticket so logs can be reviewed.

If the problem is instead OneDrive file sync (not SharePoint lists) and the icon never shows activity, use the OneDrive sync troubleshooter for Windows from the OneDrive article and follow the steps under OneDrive work/school sync error or OneDrive personal sync error.

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References:

• Common issues syncing Microsoft SharePoint lists offline
• Fix OneDrive sync problems
• Diagnose and fix Microsoft Edge sync issues