This article covers common issues with Google Drive sync in ProBackup, including connection problems, files not syncing, missing sheets and storage limits.
Unable to connect your Google account
If the connection to Google Drive fails, try one of the following solutions.
Skip and connect later
If the connection fails during onboarding, you can skip it and connect later. Your backup already started when you clicked Start Backup, so skipping doesn't affect it.
Click Skip for now (or Skip to dashboard).
Once logged in, go to Settings > Google Drive and click Connect.
"Missing Drive Permissions"
You didn't grant ProBackup access to Google Drive. Click Connect again and tick all the boxes on Google's consent screen.
"Google Drive Apps Disabled"
Your Google Workspace administrator doesn't allow external apps to access Google Drive. Ask your Google admin to:
Sign in to the Google Admin console.
Go to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs and make sure Drive and Docs are ON for everyone.
Under Features and Applications, in the Drive SDK section, check Allow users to access Google Drive with the Drive SDK API.
You can also continue without Google Drive. Your data is still backed up to ProBackup's servers.
Reset Google permissions
If your Google account was previously connected to ProBackup, you may need to remove the old connection before reconnecting.
Click on ProBackup (it may be listed as Pro Backup sync to Google Drive).
Remove its access (Google shows Remove access or Delete all connections..., depending on your account).
Return to ProBackup, go to Settings > Google Drive and click Connect again.
Google connection lost
If ProBackup can no longer access your Google account (for example, because access was removed), the sync stops and we email you. Go to Settings > Google Drive and click Reconnect.
Files are not syncing to Google Drive
By default, file syncing is disabled because it can consume significant Google Drive storage. To enable it:
Go to Settings > Google Drive.
For each app, make sure Sync records to Google Sheets is on.
Switch on Sync files to Google Drive and confirm with Enable.
Make sure you have sufficient storage available before enabling this option.
Note: After enabling file sync, it may take several days for all existing files to sync completely.
Folders or sheets are missing
If your Google Drive sync is incomplete, for example with missing folders or sheets, click Resync folders for that app in Settings > Google Drive.
ProBackup creates a new top-level folder and syncs everything into it. This can take over a day.
Afterwards, delete or rename the old folder to avoid confusion.
You can use Resync folders once every 7 days.
For a single incomplete sheet, click [click to resync] in cell A1 of that sheet instead.
Google Drive is full
If your Google Drive runs out of space, ProBackup stops syncing data and emails you. ProBackup does not automatically delete older files to free up space. To resolve this, you can:
Upgrade your Google plan – increase your storage by upgrading your Google Workspace plan (or Google One for a personal Google account).
Add more Google users – each additional Google Workspace licence includes extra storage space.
Free up existing storage – delete old emails in Gmail, remove files from Google Drive, clear photos from Google Photos, or empty your trash folder.
Stop syncing files – switch off Sync files to Google Drive for apps whose attachments you don't need in Drive.