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Bear Sync Stuck After Importing Notes

Workaround available macOS, iOS, iPadOS Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

After importing hundreds or thousands of notes, Bear's first iCloud upload can take hours, and iOS pauses it when the app goes to the background. Keep Bear open in the foreground on fast Wi-Fi until the syncing cloud icon disappears.

Most likely fix: Keep Bear in the foreground.

Symptoms

The two-arrow cloud icon spins for hours, other devices only show part of the library, or search is slow while the import is still syncing.

Why it happens

  • Large initial import (Evernote, Markdown folder, backup restore)
  • iOS suspends Bear in the background
  • Slow or metered connection; cellular sync disabled for iCloud Drive
  • Oversized notes or attachments that will never sync

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

  1. 1. Keep Bear in the foreground

    1. Plug in the iPhone/iPad and connect to fast Wi-Fi
    2. Open Bear and leave it on screen (disable Auto-Lock temporarily)
    3. Wait until the two-arrow cloud icon disappears from the sidebar

  2. 2. Allow cellular sync if needed

    1. iOS: Settings > Cellular
    2. Scroll to the bottom and enable iCloud Drive

  3. 3. Find notes that exceed the limits

    1. Split notes longer than 500,000 characters into smaller notes
    2. Remove or compress attachments larger than 250 MB

  4. 4. Import on Mac, not iPhone

    1. Run large imports on the Mac where Bear can stay open
    2. Let the Mac finish uploading before opening Bear on mobile devices

This guide also covers

  • bear sync stuck
  • bear sync taking forever
  • bear icloud sync slow
  • bear sync after import

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