Quick Fix for Work Folders Not Syncing

What to do if Work Folders are not syncing? This article will show you how to solve this problem and introduce a better way to sync files.

Delia

by Delia Updated on December 26, 2022

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What are Work Folders

Work Folders is a sync feature between server and clients, the server-side devices must be Server system, the clients devices can be Windows 7/8/10 and so on.

When you install this feature, there will be a folder (called Sync Share) on the desktop. It allows Windows users to store and access work files on personal PCs and corporate PCs from anywhere.

Install Work Folders

Fixes to Work Folders not syncing

However, you may find that Work Folders is not working sometimes. There is an instance.

 

We have a client which uses Work Folders. It has worked relatively well since we took it over. Now, it has some issues when it is syncing. It doesn't go any further when it sits at 83.3KB. And the users are informed that folders have been synced successfully. But when you look into the folder, there are folders still waiting to be synced.

There are some fixes for Work Folders not syncing:

Fix 1: Work Folders sync stopped password needed

Password policy is an admin configuration on the server, and enforced on the client. It enforces the following configuration on user PCs and devices, you can check if the device meet the policy.

  • Minimum password length of 6

  • Autolock screen set to be 15 minutes or less

  • Maximum password retry of 10 or less

Fix 2: Work Folders sync stopped can't encrypt files

If the admin requires the files to be encrypted on the client, Work Folders will try to create encrypted folder. If the encryption fails, user will see the failure, and ask to use a different path. Sync may fail for the following reasons that you can check and correct if you find the reason.

  • If the folder is on a USB drive, and the drive is not supporting encryption.

  • There is an existing Work Folders folder, and the folder is encrypted by other keys.

  • If the device is domain joined, you may also search (then fix) expired/revoked certificate in the “Default Domain Policy”, that can prevent encryption on the client.

Fix 3: Work Folders sync stopped conflict files

When the same file is getting modified on different devices, conflicting files will be generated. You can check the following reasons one by one.

  • If user has changed file on one device without closing it, the file will not sync to the server.

  • If the server lost the sync metadata database, client and server will need to compare the file sets to determine what to sync. Any differences found between the client and the server will generate conflicts.

An easier way to sync files

Work Folders can help you sync files between the network server and your computer, however, it may fail to sync for some reasons. Therefore, you’d better choose a free and professional file sync software to replace it. I think AOMEI Backupper Server is a good choice.

It allows you to synchronize files/folders to other locations, such as an external hard drive, NAS, and removable USB flash drive, etc. In addition, it also supports Scheduled Sync such as day by day, week by week, month by month.

What’s more, it has an important feature called Real-time Sync. It allows you to automatically sync changed (added, modified or removed) files & folders to the target device without delay.

Now, follow the steps to learn how to sync files with this software.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper, install and launch it.

Download Free TrialWin Servers & PCs
Secure Download

Step 2. Click Sync and Basic Sync subsequently.

File Sync

Step 3. Click Add Folder>Share/NAS>Add Network Share or NAS Devices subsequently to select the file or folder you want to sync.

Add Folder

Step 4. Click the second box next to add the destination location.

Add Sync Destination

Note: Click Schedule Sync on the bottom left corner to set Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event Triggers, or USB plug in.

Schedule Settings General

Step 5. Click Start Sync to sync files right now or the next schedule time.

Start Sync

Conclusion

Actually, Work Folders is not a good way to sync files because its creation process is very complicated. And sometimes, you may encounter problem like “work folders is not syncing”. Perhaps you can try to fix it, there is no guarantee that it will be successfully repaired every time. Therefore, Syncing files with AOMEI Backupper Server is a better choice.

In addition to sync feature, this software still supports backup feature. To backup files, you can use File Backup or Cloud Backup. The second one comes along a cloud drive - AOMEI Cloud and 1TB free storage in 15 days after you registry an AOMEI account.

Delia
Delia · Editor
Delia owns extensive experience in writing technology-related blog posts, and has been a part of AOMEI since 2020 to provide expertise in data security and disaster recovery. She works with Windows operating systems, SQL databases, and virtualization platforms such as VMware and Hyper-V, specializing in troubleshooting and advising on data protection and migration.