Status icon and messages

aliases:
  - Sync status icon
  - Sync Icon
  - Sync Log
  - Activity log
description: This page explains the Obsidian Sync status icons and provides details about the sync activity log.
mobile: true
permalink: sync/messages
publish: true

Obsidian Sync provides several elements to indicate sync status, mainly the Sync status icon and Sync activity log. Details about version control in Obsidian Sync are covered in the Version history page.

Sync status icon

The Sync status icon is located in the Status bar on the desktop version and in the right sidebar on mobile and tablet. The icon reflects various sync states:

• Synced: Obsidian Sync has fully synced your files. This icon is typically green.
• Syncing: Obsidian is currently updating the remote vault. This icon is usually purple.
• Paused: Syncing has been paused, but Obsidian is still connected to the remote vault. The icon is typically purple.
• Disconnected: The Sync core plugin is active, but the local vault is not connected to a remote vault. This icon is typically red.

Clicking or tapping the icon opens a context menu with the following options:

• Pause (or Resume if paused)
• Version history (Greyed out if not viewing a note)
• Open Sync log
• Deleted files
• Sync settings

Sync activity log

Obsidian Sync includes a detailed sync log that tracks all interactions between your local files and the remote vault. The log shows uploads, downloads, deletions, and any issues like merge conflicts or connectivity problems.

Access the activity log:

• Click the sync status icon in the status bar
• Go to Settings → Sync → Activity log
• Use Command palette → Sync: Open activity log

The log provides timestamps and details for each sync operation, making it useful for troubleshooting sync issues.

The Sync log does not persist after Obsidian is closed. If you encounter an issue, ensure you copy the log before closing the app.

The log categorizes messages into the following types:

• General messages
• Error messages
• Skipped messages
• Account messages

You can filter the Sync log by All, Errors, Skipped, and Merge Conflicts. Additionally, you can search the Sync log using the search box in the Sync window.

We have included some of the likely messages you have come across below. The list is not exhaustive. If you are experiencing an issue and have a sync log message you are not sure about, contact Obsidian support.

General messages

These are common day-to-day messages you might encounter.

Connecting to server

Obsidian is trying to connect to your remote vault's Sync server.

Connected to server. Detecting changes...

Obsidian has established a connection and is comparing the local vault with the remote vault to determine if changes are needed.

This message can also indicate other potential Sync issues. If you see it repeatedly and believe there are still items to sync, contact Obsidian support.

Fully synced

• The local and remote vaults are fully synchronized.

Merging conflicted file

A conflict was detected during syncing, and the file was merged rather than overwritten. See conflict resolution for more information. If the merge is unwanted, you can restore previous versions via Version history or File recovery.

Rejected server change

The changes on the remote vault are older than the version on your local device, so the local version is kept and the remote change is ignored.

Error messages

These are messages detailing an error in syncing a file.

Out of memory

This issue typically occurs on mobile devices when there isn't enough storage space or memory available to download a file. It's most common with large files, such as videos.

Skipped messages

These are messages detailing what was skipped, and potentially why.

Unable to download file with illegal name

The file name uses a special character or naming convention that the receiving operating system cannot store. Rename the file on its source device, then let Sync upload the renamed file again.

For vaults synced across different operating systems, avoid the following in file and folder names:

• Characters commonly reserved by file systems, such as /, \, :, *, ?, ", <, >, and |
• A space or period at the end of the name
• Windows reserved device names, such as CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1 through COM9, or LPT1 through LPT9
• Characters Obsidian uses for links, such as #, ^, [, and ], if you want link-friendly note names
• Multiple periods . in a file name, or emoji, both of which some Android devices may reject

When in doubt, use letters, numbers, regular spaces inside the name, hyphens -, underscores _, and one period before the file extension.

Account messages

These are messages related to a change in your subscription or account.

Vault limit exceeded

Your account has exceeded the maximum storage size. Attachments and version history contribute to this size. Even if your vault seems smaller than the limit, older versions and files can push it over.

To reduce vault size:

1. Open Settings → Sync.
2. Use the options under Vault size over limit to remove large files.

Vault not found

{"res":"err","msg":"Vault not found."}

This error may occur in these cases:

1. The vault was deleted from another device.
2. The sync subscription was inactive for over 30 days, causing the remote vault to be removed.
3. The subscription was canceled or refunded, resulting in the remote vault's deletion.

In these cases, you'll need to disconnect from the remote vault and create a new remote vault, ensuring your local data is preserved.

Failed to authenticate: Your subscription to Obsidian Sync has expired

Your account is now in a fully expired status as we were unable to process the payment on file.

To continue using Obsidian Sync, you will need to resubscribe within your account.

Failed to authenticate: Not logged in

Obsidian Sync has detected that you are not currently logged in. You will need to log back in on the app in the Account section of Settings.

In some cases, a community plugin can also prevent Obsidian Sync from being able to confirm your account's login status. Please enter Restricted mode and try again.

Network messages

Disconnected from server

Unable to connect to server

Obsidian Sync has disconnected from the Sync server for an unknown reason. Sync will attempt to reconnect to the server periodically.

On iOS, this message displays as the following error:

Null is not an object (evaluating 'this.socket.send')

It means exactly the same as the Unable to connect to server message, and is not in any way indication that something else is wrong.