Can't sync Obsidian folder with iCloud.

Hi there,
I’m having an issue where any file I put in the Obsidian folder isn’t uploading from my local device to the cloud. If I put the same file in another folder, everything works fine. It seems like the problem is with the Obsidian folder on iCloud, which is preventing me from using the Obsidian application.

What I’m trying to do

Reinstall the app, disable and enable app syncing with iCloud, disable and enable iCloud on the device, sign out of iCloud. I contacted Apple support. They said they have no problem with the Obsidian app.

I don’t think I ever run into that :thinking:
(Except, temporarily, after trying to enable the “keep downloaded” feature on the Obsidian folder on one of my older device :woman_shrugging: )

Could be potentially helpful to mention which device(s) are concerned by the issue you’re facing, what OS and maybe what type of files ? :woman_shrugging: :blush:

Also, just to be sure, are you putting the files in iCloud Drive > Obsidian > Your Vault Folder or iCloud Drive > Obsidian ?

Applies to all my devices.

  • MacBook Pro 2015, macOS 12.7.6
  • iPhone 13, iOS 18
  • iPad 10, iOS 18
    The file can be anything, text, image, pdf, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter which way: iCloud Drive > Obsidian > Your Vault Folder or iCloud Drive > Obsidian. Anything added to the Obsidian folder gets stuck at the synchronization stage.

I’m wondering whether your iCloud issue is caused by running the latest versions of iOS and iPadOS (which support Keep Downloaded) on your iPhone and iPad, and an old version of macOS (4 generations behind the current version) on your MacBook.

I know the 2015 MBP is in vintage status, but I’d at least try backing up the MacBook, then updating to macOS 12 Monterey, which Mactracker says is the last officially available version for the 2015 MBPs, and see if that helps. Unfortunately, you may find that your OS versions across your devices are still too far apart for reliable iCloud syncing.

The issue occurred on iOS 17, so it’s unlikely to be related to the latest iOS updates.

I have the latest version of software for my MacBook.

I tried disabling iCloud and logging out of iCloud on all devices. And I tried logging in on iPhone and iPad first, it must have been version 18, but the vault still did not sync. But thanks for the advice. I’ll try it again just to be sure, following your advice.

It’s much more likely that the problem is coming from using iCloud to sync your iDevices running modern versions of iOSiPadOS with a Mac running an outdated version of macOS.

You can’t update a 2015 MacBook Pro to the latest version of macOS unless you resort to something like OpenCore Legacy Patcher. (If you decide to do that, make sure you read all the caveats and warnings and understand the risks.)

Thanks for your advice. So far I’ve set up the sync via GitHub and everything is working fine.

I used the OpenCore Legacy Patch to update my old 2012 Mac mini.

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