A transfer failed

When a transfer shows Failed in Data Transfers, select it: the details pane says in plain English what happened, lists up to five of the files that weren't copied, and keeps the last lines of its log. Sort out what the message points to, then click Run again (or Sync again). Only files that changed or didn't arrive are sent the second time.

What you might see

The details card starts with a short summary. The most common ones:

Each summary also says how much was copied — "Copied … files (…) and checked … items." — and lists what wasn't under "Not copied:".

Two states aren't failures and sort themselves out:

• Waiting for drive — the transfer is waiting for a drive to come back. Use Check drive once it's plugged in.
• Needs space — the destination is full. Free some space and click Try again, or Move to another drive.

Files that were still being written when they were copied are handled for you: the transfer finishes as Completed and says it's fetching them again, or that "They'll be copied on the next run."

%% caption: Recovering from a failed transfer
flowchart TD
  A[Transfer shows Failed] --> B[Select it and read the summary]
  B --> C{What does it point to?}
  C -->|Files changing| D[Let them settle]
  C -->|Permission| E[Check the account with Test connection]
  C -->|Out of space| F[Free space or pick another destination]
  C -->|Connection| G[Check your internet connection]
  D --> H[Click Run again or Sync again]
  E --> H
  F --> H
  G --> H
  H --> I{Completed?}
  I -->|No, same message| J[Contact support with diagnostic logs]

How to fix it

1. Open Data Transfers… from the More menu and select the failed transfer.
2. Read the summary and the Details: line. The Log card below shows the last lines of the transfer's log.
3. Deal with what it names — space, the account's permissions, your connection, or files that were in use.
4. Click Run again — Sync again for a sync. For most transfers it appears once a transfer has completed, failed or been cancelled. "Runs this transfer again with the same settings. Only files that changed since last time are sent."
5. If an account needs signing in again, see When an account needs signing in again.

See also: Data Transfers · Sync again and Run again · Files that change while they're being transferred · What happens to transfers when you restart · Something's not working: start here