Mac OS X: Resetting the SyncServices folder
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.6, OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, iSync
Symptoms
You may need to reset the SyncServices folder if a particular Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later user account is experiencing one of the following issues (while another user on the same computer works as expected):
- Unable to open or use the Sync menu.
- Unable to open iSync in a particular Mac OS X user account.
- SyncServer or Mingler are using excessive resources on your computer.
Note: Resetting the SyncServices folder is not an appropriate troubleshooting step to resolve iCloud issues.
Resolution
Important: Manually removing the SyncServices folder is strongly discouraged because this may lead to unexpected data loss.
Important: Prior to resetting the SyncServices folder, it is strongly recommended that you back up any important data which you sync regularly.
- For information about backing up in Mac OS X, see this article.
- For Information about backing up your iOS device, see this article.
- For information about manually backing up sync-related data, see this article.
Choose your operating system for steps to reset the SyncServices folder:
OS X Mountain Lion
- In the Finder, choose Utilities from the Go menu.
- Open Terminal.
- In the Terminal window, type or paste the following command on a single line:
/System/Library/Frameworks/SyncServices.framework/Versions/A/Resources/resetsync.pl full
- Press Return.
- Quit Terminal after the operation has completed (when Terminal returns to the command prompt with a $).
OS X Lion and Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
- If you see the Sync menu in the menu bar, skip to step 3:
- If you do not see the Sync menu in your menu bar, skip to step 7.
- Hold the Option key on your keyboard, then click the Sync menu in the menu bar:
if you see the Sync menu but you are unable to open it, skip to step 8. - Choose Reset Sync Services.
- Click Reset Sync History.
- Test for the original issue. If the issue persists, or if you are unable to open the Sync menu, follow these steps:
- In the Finder, choose Utilities from the Go menu.
- Open Terminal.
- In the Terminal window, type or paste the following command on a single line:
/System/Library/Frameworks/SyncServices.framework/Versions/A/Resources/resetsync.pl full
- Press Return.
- Quit Terminal after the operation has completed (when Terminal returns to the command prompt with a $).
Mac OS X v10.5
- Open iSync.
- Choose Preferences from the iSync menu.
- Click Reset Sync History.
If this does not resolve your issue, or if you are unable to open iSync, follow these steps:
- In the Finder, choose Utilities from the Go menu.
- Open Terminal.
- In the Terminal window that opens, type or paste the following command on a single line:
/System/Library/Frameworks/SyncServices.framework/Versions/A/Resources/resetsync.pl full
- Press Return.
- Quit Terminal after the operation has completed (when Terminal returns to the command prompt with a $).
Re-enabling sync-related settings after resetting the SyncServices folder in Mac OS X (v10.5.6 and later)
After you have reset the SyncServices folder, you may need to re-enable some Sync-related settings. Resetting SyncServices resets your Mac OS X User Account's Sync settings and any local history of updates and changes to Sync-enabled data. It won't change your current data sets, but it does delete the history of how the data arrived at its current state and disables some Sync-related settings. Here are a few things you should check and may need to turn back on if you plan on using them with Sync again:
- If you are syncing with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod via USB and iTunes, you will need to re-enable any settings for syncing data in iTunes, such as Bookmarks, Calendars, Contacts etc. You can check these settings in iTunes the next time you plug your device into your Mac.
- If you are syncing with a third-party application, you may need to reconfigure your sync options in those applications.
- Mac OS X will see your next sync as the first sync ever in your User, so you the next time you sync via iTunes, you will most likely see a dialog asking if you would like to: Merge Data, Replace Data on Device, or Replace Data on your Computer. In general, Merge is the default behavior for this dialog and is the preferred choice on first sync, unless you have a specific reason to choose one of the Replace options.
Additional Information
The SyncServices folder (~/Library/Application Support/SyncServices) is a key component of syncing in Mac OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion. This includes syncing with devices and third-party applications.
Twitter
Facebook