How to troubleshoot when certain files are not copied from Egnyte to SharePoint

If files or folders from Egnyte are missing in SharePoint, work through the steps below in order. Each step explains what to check and what you should see. In many cases, the cause is not the sync itself: the file may not exist in Egnyte yet, or it may already be in SharePoint but in a different location than where you are looking.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Check which folders your sync pair syncs

Click: Log in to cloudHQ, open the Sync & Backup tab (https://www.cloudhq.net/synch), expand the group that contains your sync pair, and click the small arrow to the left of the pair.

You will see: The details of the pair — Source (the Egnyte folder) and Target (the SharePoint site, document library, and folder), with their full paths.

  • The missing file or folder must be inside the Source folder in Egnyte. A file in a different Egnyte folder is not synced by this pair.
  • Look for the file in SharePoint under the Target path. It is copied to the same relative folder inside the Target folder.

Step 2: Check that the sync is running

You will see one of the following lines in the Status section at the top of the dashboard: “Real time synchronization is running.”, “Some sync pairs are stopped.” or “Real time synchronization is not running – all sync pairs are stopped.”

Next, look at the round icon at the end of your sync pair’s row. It can appear in three different ways. Hover over the icon to see its tooltip, and click the small arrow to the left of the pair to read the message beneath it.

  • Green icon, “Sync running OK!”: The pair is running without errors. The pair details show:
    • During the first copy, a red message stating that the catalog of data and the initial data transfer are in progress (see Step 3).
    • Later, “All data is in sync. We continuously monitor for any changes; as soon as data is changed, it will be synchronized (copied).”
    • For some cloud services, also a note about how often the service is scanned.

    A green icon does not mean that every file has already been copied. If your file is missing, continue to Step 3.

  • ! Orange icon with an exclamation mark, “Sync is not enabled”: The pair is stopped, so nothing is being copied. The details say “Sync pair stopped”, often followed by the reason:
    • “Upgrade required” with an Upgrade here link: Your plan does not cover this sync pair.
    • “Sync pair stopped due to authorization error”: cloudHQ lost access to Egnyte or SharePoint. Open the Cloud Accounts tab and reconnect the account.
    • “Sync pair stopped due to storage full error”: The destination is full. Free up space in SharePoint.
    • Another reason shown in red, for example a message that Egnyte’s free API calls are used up (see How to check that your Egnyte to SharePoint sync pair is working properly).

    Click: Start in the pair details once you have resolved the issue. Start All Syncs starts all paused pairs. A pair that stopped because of an error shows the orange icon, not the red one.

  • × Red icon with a cross, “There is an error with this sync”: The pair is still running, but it has an error. The details show a red message:
    • “Sync pair running into authorization error”, with an Authorize button: Click it and reconnect the account.
    • “Sync pair running into storage full error”: Free up space in SharePoint.
    • A message from the cloud service explaining the problem, for example a limit that was reached. Follow the instructions in the message.
    • If the cause is unknown, the message asks you to email support@cloudhq.net.

    Files can be missing while this error is displayed, because the sync cannot copy anything until the error is resolved.

Step 3: Check if the initial transfer is in progress

You will see: A red message in the pair details: “Catalog of data and initial data transfer is in progress. We will send you an email as soon as the initial transfer finishes.” (Later: “The majority of data has been transferred and we are verifying the data.”)

  • If the message is there: Wait. cloudHQ copies older data first, so your file may still be in the queue. You will receive an email when the transfer finishes. See What is initial transfer of data?
  • If the message is not there: Continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Check the sync events of the pair

Click: The small arrow to the left of your sync pair, then View Sync Events.

You will see: The Synchronization Events page with the timeline for this pair, newest first. Use the date field to go back to the day the file was created or changed, and scroll down to load more events.

Look for the name of your file or folder. COPY NEW means a new file was copied, COPY means an existing file was replaced with a new version, and CREATE DIR means a folder was created. For a full list of event terms, see How to check that your Egnyte to SharePoint sync pair is working properly.

  • If your file or folder is in the events: Continue to Step 5.
  • If it is not in the events: Continue to Step 6.

Step 5: The file is in the events, but you do not see it in SharePoint

cloudHQ has copied it. The problem lies on the SharePoint side or in where you are looking:

  1. Open SharePoint in your web browser and go to the Target site, document library, and folder from Step 1. Make sure you are looking in the right place: the file sits in the same relative folder as in Egnyte.
  2. Check that your Microsoft 365 account can see the library and the folder (SharePoint site permissions).
  3. If you can see the file in the browser but not on your computer, check the app that syncs SharePoint to your computer (for example, the OneDrive app). It may be paused, or it may not have downloaded the file yet.

Step 6: The file is not in the events

cloudHQ did not see the file in Egnyte. Check the following:

  1. The file exists in Egnyte on the web. Open Egnyte in your web browser and look for the file in the Source folder. If the file exists only on your computer (for example, the Egnyte desktop app has not uploaded it yet), cloudHQ cannot copy it. Check the Egnyte desktop app and let it finish uploading.
  2. The file is in the folder you selected. cloudHQ syncs only the Egnyte folder you selected for the pair (Step 1). See Understanding Egnyte Private and Shared Folders.
  3. The connected Egnyte account can see the file. cloudHQ sees only what the Egnyte account connected to cloudHQ can see. On the Cloud Accounts tab, confirm that the account is connected and shows no authorization error.

Step 7: Check if cloudHQ is still copying

Open the sync events of the pair (Step 4) and refresh the page. If new events appear every few seconds, cloudHQ is copying, and your file may be in the queue. Wait until it finishes.

If events appear only rarely, check how often cloudHQ checks Egnyte (the granularity of the pair, under Modify Options) and your Egnyte API limits. Egnyte limits the number of API calls, and once the limit is reached, the sync becomes slow or stops. The steps are in How to check that your Egnyte to SharePoint sync pair is working properly.

Step 8: Check the sync options

Click: The small arrow to the left of your sync pair, then Modify Options.

You will see: The Synchronization Options page.

  • Exclude folders from sync: If this option is checked, make sure the folder containing the missing file is not on the excluded list.
  • One-way sync: The page states “Synchronization is one-way: only changes you make on the first service will appear in the second service.” A file created only in SharePoint is not copied to Egnyte, and vice versa — only changes made in Egnyte are copied.

Step 9: Check the files that have problems with sync

Click: On the dashboard, in Status, click the link View problems next to “<number> files have problems with sync”.

You will see: The Sync Conflicts and Problems page. It contains the following sections, and shows only those that have files:

  • Modify Conflicts
  • Files and folders detected as deleted
  • Files not synchronized due to a temporary error (the sync retries automatically)
  • Files not synchronized because one of cloud services does not support creation of files in a particular location

Look for your file. Next to each file, click Details to read the reason. If the page says “No conflicts.”, your file is not on the list. The number on the dashboard counts the problems across all your sync pairs, so it can be larger than what you see for a single pair.

One common cause in SharePoint is a path that is too long. SharePoint allows a maximum of 400 characters for the path of a file or folder. See Office 365 SharePoint and OneDrive for Business pathname limitations. A file whose path is too long, or whose name SharePoint does not accept, cannot be copied. Shorten the folder or file name in Egnyte.

Step 10: Contact support

If the sync is running, the initial transfer is not in progress, cloudHQ is not busy copying, and the file is in Egnyte but still not in SharePoint, contact us at support@cloudhq.net and include:

  • The address of the sync events page for your sync pair. It ends with the sync pair id: https://www.cloudhq.net/synch_events/<sync pair id>
  • The full path of the missing file or folder in Egnyte, and the path where you expected it in SharePoint.
  • The date and time when the file was created or changed.
  • Whether the file is visible in Egnyte in the web browser.
  • The text from Details in View problems, if your file is listed there.