When you finally have the time to sit down and ready to open your Steam, this message stops you from going forward:

The “unable to sync Steam Cloud error”

How frustrating is that?

You can of course ignore this message and click the PLAY GAME button to continue, but it’s not encouraged by Steam, as you could risk losing data or progress if there are conflicts between the cloud and your local files. Don’t worry; there are some proven fixes for this problem, and we have gathered them here for you to try.

Try these fixes for Steam Cloud unable to sync error

You don’t have to try them all; simply work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick to fix the unable to sync error on Steam Cloud for you.

  1. Verify the integrity of game files
  2. Repair Library Folders
  3. Check Windows firewall
  4. Change your network settings
  5. Update device drivers
  6. Add Steam to your antivirus exception list
  7. Disable conflicting software programs

1. Verify the integrity of game files

Corrupted or missing Steam files will stop your games from running or launching, and also cause errors with cloud syncing. To see if this is the case, you can verify your game files in this way:

  1. Launch the Steam app and navigate to the LIBRARY tab, then right-click your game and select Properties.
  2. Click Installed Files, and click Verify Integrity of game files.
  3. Then wait for the process to be done – it could take several minutes.
  4. When the verification is done, launch Steam and try your game again to see if the unable to sync with Steam Cloud error is fixed. If not, please move on to the next fix.

2. Repair Library Folders

You can try to repair the Steam Library Folders for the damaged file to be fixed by Steam, and therefore fix the unable to sync with Steam Cloud error. To do so:

  1. Open Steam, and select Settings.
  2. Select Downloads, then click STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS.
  3. Select the drive that you use to download the game that’s having the corrupt disk error. Then click the three-dot icon and select Repair Folder.
  4. Run Steam and try to run the game again, to see if the unable to sync error with Steam Cloud still persists. If the problem is still not fixed, please move on to the next fix below.

3. Check the Windows firewall

Certain firewalls may prevent Steam from talking to its servers. In other words, your Windows Firewall might be interfering with the connection between your computer and Steam’s servers, and thus the Steam Cloud unable to sync error. To see if this is your case, you can temporarily disable your firewall for testing purposes.

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Then copy and paste control firewall.cpl and click OK.
  2. From the left menu, select Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
  3. Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) for Domain network, Private Network and Public network. Then click OK.
  4. Run Steam again to see if the Steam Cloud unable to sync error still remains. If so, please move on to the fix #4 below. If the unable to sync error is gone, then please go to fix #3.1 to see how to add Steam as an firewall exception.

3.1 Add Steam to your firewall exception

If the Steam Cloud unable to sync error is gone, then your firewall is stopping your computer from talking to Steam’s server, so you’ll need to add Steam as an exception. To do so:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + R keys simultaneously to open the Run box.
  2. Type control firewall.cpl and hit Enter.

  3. From the left navigation pane, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

  4. Scroll down and check if Steam is on the list. If it isn’t, proceed to add it to the exception list.
  5. Click on the Change settings button.

  6. Click Allow another app….

  7. Click Browse… and go to the installation folder for Steam.



    If you don’t know what the installation folder is for your Steam, simply right-click on its shortcut and select Open file location.
  8. Find steam.exe and click on it. Then click Open.

  9. When it’s located, click Add.
  10. Now make sure Steam is added to the list and tick Domain, Private, and Public. Once you’re done, click OK.

Now open Steam to see if the Cloud unable to sync error is gone. If it isn’t opening, try the next fix below.

4. Change your network settings

If you use your ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) default DNS server, you might encounter issues like a crowded cache, which could cause Steam Cloud unable to sync error. There are two things you can do: flushing your DNS cache or switching to a public DNS server to solve the problem. We recommend trying both options:

4.1: Flush your DNS

4.2: Switch to a public DNS server

4.1 Flush your DNS

By flushing your DNS, your DNS cache will be cleared. When your PC needs to access a website, it’ll need to obtain the address from the DNS server again. This may solve the Steam Cloud unable to sync error if the DNS cache data is invalid or corrupt. Here’s how:

  1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run box.
  2. Type cmd, then press Shift and Enter at the same time. If prompted for permission, click Yes.
  3. Copy ipconfig /flushdns, and paste it in the pop-up window. Then press Enter.
  4. Your DNS cache is successfully cleared.

4.2 Switch to a public DNS server

We also recommend using a public DNS server to test the issue. Here we’ll use the Google DNS server as an example, since it’s fast and secure. Here’s how:

  1. On your taskbar, right-click the network icon, then click Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Click Change adapter options.
  3. Right-click the network you’re using, then click Properties.
  4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click Properties.
  5. Select Use the following DNS server addresses, fill in the Google DNS server addresses as below, then click OK.

    Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
    Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

  6. Then run Steam again to see if the Cloud unable to sync error is fixed. If the problem still remains, please move on.

5. Update device drivers

Outdated or incorrect device drivers could also be the culprit to the Steam Cloud unable to sync problem, so if the above two methods don’t help to fix it, it’s likely that you have a corrupted or outdated graphics driver. So you should update your drivers to see if it helps.

If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 steps (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
  3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
    Note: You can do it for free if you like, but it’s partly manual.
  4. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support. If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Launch Steam again and see if the latest device drivers help to fix the Cloud unable to sync error. If this fix doesn’t work for you, try the next fix, below.

6. Add Steam to your antivirus exception list

The Steam Cloud unable to sync error may also be caused by your third-party antivirus application. Since the third-party antivirus application hooks very deep into your system, it may interfere with Steam.

Since Steam consumes a lot of memory and CPU usage when running, many third-party antivirus applications may regard it as a potential threat and Steam may not run as expected. You can try adding Steam as an exception to your third-party antivirus application. 

Please consult your antivirus documentation for instructions if you aren’t sure know how to do it.

7. Disable conflicting software programs

Sometimes, Steam can be a bit sensitive about certain programs running in the background. Here’s a list of software that could most likely interrupt the proper launching of Steam and its services:

  • NZXT CAM
  • MSI Afterburner
  • Razer Cortex
  • Anti-virus or anti-spyware software
  • VPN, proxy, or other firewall and security software
  • P2P or file-sharing software
  • IP filtering or blocking software
  • Download manager programs

So before you start Steam, make sure to close all unneeded applications.

  1. Right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
  2. Select each resource-hogging application and click End Task to close them one by one.

Then run Steam again and see if the Cloud unable to sync issue is fixed.

The above is what we have for the Steam Cloud unable to sync error. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.

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