How to fix Steam unable to sync?

If you want to know how to fix Steam unable to sync error, then we are here to break it down.

Few things in gaming can get you down quite like an error message. The stage is set for a great session, only for the rug to be pulled out from under you by some pesky problem. Steam is not immune to these kinds of issues and one of the common culprits is the unable-to-sync error message. This can happen when players try to launch a game with Steam Cloud. When it does occur you are completely blocked from playing the game until the issue is resolved.

This can be caused by a few different things, so there is no catch-all solution. However, it should be fairly simply to resolve if you follow the steps below. Let’s get into it.

How to fix Steam unable to sync?

We’ve listed the solutions that are most likely to solve your ‘unable to sync’ error message. Work your way down this list, checking if the error has been resolved after each.

• Check the Steam servers are up
• Very integrity of game files
• Run as administrator

Now let’s break those down in more detail. This list of solutions is for gaming devising running Windows. Because the ASUS ROG Ally can run Steam and uses Windows, these fixes will work on it. For the Steam Deck, however, the exact process of completing some of these fixes might be a bit different.

Check the Steam servers are up.

The ‘syncing’ that the error is referring to, is between your gaming system and the Steam Servers themselves. This means that there are two different ends that the issue could be occurring on. While it is fairly rare, the Steam servers do sometimes go down, which would explain the problem.

There are a number of different sites, from which you can check the status of the Steam servers around the world such as Steam Status. If you see that the server for your area is down, it is simply a waiting game until the syncing error will stop appearing. Normally these kinds of server issues are solved within a short time frame.

Very integrity of game files

If the servers are running, most likely the issue is on your end. One thing that can often cause a syncing error is corrupted game files. Corruption can occur for a number of reasons and tends to be random. The good news is that it is fairly easy to solve the problem.

To resolve this go to the Library, then right-click on whatever game is causing the error code and go to Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity of Games Files. Steam will begin to check each file is not corrupted and alter any that are. Once this process has finished, restart your computer and relaunch the game.

Run as administrator

Some users have reported that running Steam as an administrator has been resolving ‘unable to sync’ errors. To do this right-click on the Steam icon itself on your desktop and open the folder it is within. Find the Steam.exe file, right-click on it and select Properties > Compatibility > Run This Program as An Administrator. Press Apply then OK and launch the game.

If these steps have not resolved the problem you may need to contact Steam support. If the game is truly not functioning you could even refund it. You can find out how to refund a game on Steam here.