Synchronize should also upload locally created files #8078
Description
Steps to reproduce
- Tab ... menu next to a remote folder and select "Synchronize"
- Wait for the download to finish
- Locally on the Android device change a file or create a new file/folder in the directory that was just "synchronized"
- Repeat step 1
Expected behaviour
- As the name "Synchronize" suggests, the locally changed or newly added file should be uploaded to the remote folder.
Actual behaviour
- Nothing get's uploaded
Conclusion
- The feature "synchronize" does in fact not synchronize anything but only downloads the remote folder to make it available offline. It should be labeled "Make available offline"
Environment data
Android version: 11
Device model: Galaxy tab S7
Stock or customized system: Stock
Nextcloud app version: 3.15.0
Nextcloud server version: 20
Reacted by Simon Weiss, Paul Tirk, Catty Steve, Lars Brinkmann, koukjo, Jarige, parcelcat, squid-f, Eliot Bendinelli, matthiasdanner and 54 more
Reacted by parcelcat, Jiří Štefka, Light Templar, alexdom, Matthew, Ismael Oliva, Lukas Mandok, George Böhnisch, Haroune Mohammedi and Prophet_Malik
Activity
tobiasKaminsky commentedon Mar 1, 2021
It also synchronizes content if the file is changed locally, but you are right that it does not upload newly added files.
[-]Synchronize is mislabeled[/-][+]Synchronize should also upload locally created files[/+]radry commentedon Mar 1, 2021
@tobiasKaminsky I intentionally named the issue that way because in the current state it is mislabeled and thus a BUG. This isn't a feature request for 2-way sync, we have other issues for that
tobiasKaminsky commentedon Mar 2, 2021
True, in short term we can rename it, so it is more clear.
Do you have an idea?
"Synchronize existing files" maybe?
radry commentedon Mar 2, 2021
I'm getting mixed information from you here you claim that downloaded files (which I think applies to "syncronize" too?) Do indeed synchronize.
Can you or someone else please elaborate what exactly "downloading" a remote file or using the "synchronze" function does?
As I explained in the issue, it seems to me that it only downloads remote files but doesn't consider changes to downloaded files, nor detects new files. This is really confusing.
tobiasKaminsky commentedon Mar 5, 2021
Sync on a folder does:
farynaio commentedon May 10, 2021
I agree with @radry, this is confusing that sync doesn't upload new files in synced folders. As all the files are synced this feature should be named "make available offline" or similar.
I also noticed while in airplane mode, synced files are read only, which literally kills the purpose of offline files.
Other than that, NextCloud is really impressive product.
weiss-d commentedon Aug 1, 2021
Was unhappily surprised when I realized, that
Syncdoesn't upload locally created files 😟I'll highly appreciate if you add this feature because syncing files across different devices is one of the main points of using NC for me.
joshgiesbrecht commentedon Dec 1, 2022
This feature, please!
squid-f commentedon Dec 12, 2022
Hi. iOS has been having it for a while. Is it really different (code wise) to activate it for Android as well?
7 remaining items
karussell commentedon Mar 16, 2023
What worked for me was to add a new folder under "Settings" -> "Auto upload". Now new files in this folder will appear automatically on the server. Really strange that this is so hidden.
belst commentedon Nov 29, 2023
I also need this, often times I need to modify/create some pdfs (taking notes during lectures for example) on my tablet and synchronize them as soon as a connection is available (it not always is)
Fmstrat commentedon Dec 5, 2023
The core feature of Nextcloud, with an issue open for 2.5 years?
Fmstrat commentedon Dec 5, 2023
This doesn't fully work. You can do this and set up folder sync for the folder, so you get downloads and uploads, but if you rename a file, now the server has 2 copies.
Solar-Simon commentedon Feb 8, 2024
Waiting for this since years, and really expected this to be a core feature of a cloud app.
My workaround is to use FolderSync
Unfortunately i don't find an app in F-Droid for that purpose.
erentar commentedon Feb 17, 2024
Waiting for this since years, and really expected this to be a core feature of a cloud app.
First suggested in November 2017 https://help.nextcloud.com/t/nextcloud-android-app-automatically-sync-files-folders/23123
I also am using obsidian with nextcloud and this makes it impossible
tsjordan-eng commentedon Feb 24, 2024
I'll just pile on this and say I figured out this didn't work the same way @erentar did: through Obsidian. I used @Solar-Simon's solution of FolderSync
sunjam commentedon Feb 24, 2024
Isn't this issue a duplicate of
tobiasKaminsky commentedon Oct 28, 2026
This is fixed via #17598
If something does not work, please create a new issue.