What causes "Lightroom Classic Not Syncing (Photos Stuck Syncing)"?

Originals are missing or on a disconnected drive and there are no Smart Previews to upload A corrupt file that can never finish uploading A phone or tablet started an upload and was closed before it finished Classic tries each file four times per session and then gives up until restart The first sync after upgrading to Classic 13.3+ runs a migration that can take hours to days Server-side sync problems at Adobe

How do I fix "Lightroom Classic Not Syncing (Photos Stuck Syncing)"?

1. Find the stuck photos: Back up your catalog first Open Preferences > Lightroom Sync (Lightroom Classic > Settings on Mac) and expand Sync Activity Double-click a listed photo to jump to it in the Filmstrip Also check the Catalog panel for an 'All Sync Errors' collection and hover over photos for details 2. Relink missing originals or remove corrupt files: If a photo shows an exclamation mark, reconnect the drive or relink the file If a file is corrupt, delete it from the catalog and re-import a good copy Restart Lightroom Classic so it retries the files 3. Finish or cancel uploads on the device that started them: Open Lightroom on the phone or tablet that imported the photos Keep the app open on Wi-Fi until uploads complete, or cancel them 4. Clear partial uploads on Lightroom web: Go to lightroom.adobe.com and look under All Photos for 'Sync Issues' albums Delete photos that can't be completed (export them first if you need them) Empty the Deleted folder only if you have local copies 5. Sign out and back in: Sign out of Lightroom Classic and the Creative Cloud desktop app Restart the computer Sign in to both again and unpause sync from the Activity Center (click the Identity Plate) 6. Rebuild Sync Data as a last resort: In Preferences > Lightroom Sync, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) Click Rebuild Sync Data and accept the warning; Classic restarts Open the Activity Center and unpause syncing Expect it to take a long time on large libraries; Lightroom Queen advises using it only when Adobe support asks

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Lightroom Classic Not Syncing (Photos Stuck Syncing)

Workaround available Mac, Windows Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

Stuck sync is usually caused by a few photos whose originals are offline or corrupt, or by an upload that a phone never finished. Find those photos in Preferences > Lightroom Sync, relink or delete them, and restart Classic. Rebuilding sync data is a last resort.

Most likely fix: Find the stuck photos.

Symptoms

The cloud icon keeps saying 'Syncing X photos' for hours or days, the count never drops, or edits and ratings made on mobile never show up in Classic.

Why it happens

Originals are missing or on a disconnected drive and there are no Smart Previews to upload
A corrupt file that can never finish uploading
A phone or tablet started an upload and was closed before it finished
Classic tries each file four times per session and then gives up until restart
The first sync after upgrading to Classic 13.3+ runs a migration that can take hours to days
Server-side sync problems at Adobe

How to fix it

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

1. Find the stuck photos
1. Back up your catalog first
2. Open Preferences > Lightroom Sync (Lightroom Classic > Settings on Mac) and expand Sync Activity
3. Double-click a listed photo to jump to it in the Filmstrip
4. Also check the Catalog panel for an 'All Sync Errors' collection and hover over photos for details
2. Relink missing originals or remove corrupt files
1. If a photo shows an exclamation mark, reconnect the drive or relink the file
2. If a file is corrupt, delete it from the catalog and re-import a good copy
3. Restart Lightroom Classic so it retries the files
3. Finish or cancel uploads on the device that started them
1. Open Lightroom on the phone or tablet that imported the photos
2. Keep the app open on Wi-Fi until uploads complete, or cancel them
4. Clear partial uploads on Lightroom web
1. Go to lightroom.adobe.com and look under All Photos for 'Sync Issues' albums
2. Delete photos that can't be completed (export them first if you need them)
3. Empty the Deleted folder only if you have local copies
5. Sign out and back in
1. Sign out of Lightroom Classic and the Creative Cloud desktop app
2. Restart the computer
3. Sign in to both again and unpause sync from the Activity Center (click the Identity Plate)
6. Rebuild Sync Data as a last resort
1. In Preferences > Lightroom Sync, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows)
2. Click Rebuild Sync Data and accept the warning; Classic restarts
3. Open the Activity Center and unpause syncing
4. Expect it to take a long time on large libraries; Lightroom Queen advises using it only when Adobe support asks

This guide also covers

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