5 Complete Solutions for Steam Cloud Error [Fixed]
- When you encounter the Steam Cloud Error, chances are that it's either a server-related issue or has to do with Cloud Synchronization being disabled.
- To fix it, restart the Steam app, or retry syncing for the game that's throwing errors, amongst other methods here.
- Also, find out all about the Steam Cloud Sync Conflict issue.
Steam is an excellent platform for gamers. It offers more than a thousand titles, both paid and free. And with the Cloud Synchronization feature, users can play games across devices without losing progress. But, several users reported encountering the Steam Cloud Error.
The problem here is intricate and has to do with a lot of issues, but the worst part is that you risk losing your in-game progress if the error is not effectively handled.
To help save time and keep your progress from being lost, read the following sections to find out all about the Steam Cloud Error and the effective fixes for it.
Why do I encounter the Steam cloud error?
The error primarily points toward a problem with the Cloud Synchronization, which is generally due to a server-related issue. Hence, it’s recommended that you wait for a few hours and check if the Steam Cloud Error resolves by itself.
Another common reason why Steam may throw the error is if you have disabled Cloud Synchronization for a particular game or across all titles on Steam. And, when you re-enable it, the error is encountered since the game files have not been synced all this while.
Besides, the issue is not limited to your computer, and users across the globe are facing the Steam Cloud error. So, you can expect steam to release an update with a patch for the error in the coming days.
Now that you understand the underlying causes and what the error implies, let’s head to the solutions.
How do I fix the Steam Cloud error?
1. Restart Steam
Your primary approach when dealing with the Steam Cloud Error should be to restart the app. Oftentimes, it’s a minor bug that’s causing the error, and relaunching it should fix things.
Head to the Task Manager, terminate Steam or any related processes and then relaunch the program. Once done, check if the error is resolved. If not, head to the next method.
2. Enable Cloud Synchronization for all games
- Launch the program, click on the Steam menu at the top-left corner, and select Settings from the list of options.
- Navigate to the Cloud tab from the left.
- Now, tick the checkbox for Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for applications which support it, and then click on OK at the bottom to save the changes.
If you had previously disabled the Cloud Synchronization feature, enable it right away to resolve the problem. Once done making the changes, restart the app and check if the Steam Cloud Error goes away.
3. Retry syncing for individual games
- Launch Steam, select the game you are facing trouble with and click on Out of sync under the Cloud Status option.
- Click on the Retry Sync button in the prompt that pops up.
- Wait for the process to complete, and Cloud Status should now read Up to date.
Once the Cloud Status changes, the Steam Cloud Error would be fixed and you should have no trouble running the game from now on. Follow the same process for every title that throws this error.
4. Verify integrity of game files
- Launch Steam, right-click on the game throwing the error, and select Properties from the context menu.
- Now, go to the Local Files tab from the navigation pane.
- Click on the Verify integrity of game files button and wait for the process to complete.
Steam offers a great built-in troubleshooting method to effectively identify and eliminate problems with the game.
Verifying the integrity of game files will help fix a bunch of errors, including the Steam Cloud Error. If this doesn’t work, head to the last one.
5. Add an exception for Steam in Windows Firewall
- Press Windows + S to launch the Search menu, enter Control Panel in the text field, and click on the relevant search result that appears.
- Click on System and Security.
- Next, click Allow an app through Windows Firewall under Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click on the Change settings button.
- Now, click on Allow another app at the bottom.
- Click on Browse to locate and add Steam or you could paste the path to its launcher in the text field.
- Navigate to the location where the Steam launcher is stored, select it, and click on Open.
- Click the Add button.
- Finally, click OK at the bottom to save the changes.
In many cases, it was the Windows Firewall that blocked Steam’s attempt to connect to the cloud, thus leading to the Steam Cloud Error. Adding an exception for the app would do the trick here.
In case you have third-party firewalls installed, try disabling them or uninstalling the program itself to resolve things.
What is a Steam Cloud Sync Conflict?
The Steam Cloud Sync Conflict error appears when the program detects that the game files stored on the computer differ from the ones stored on the cloud.
This generally happens when you make changes to the game files on one device and before these changes could be uploaded to the cloud, try launching the same game on another device.
The error window itself will offer two ways to fix the issue, download the cloud file for the changes last made, or upload the set of games files from the current device. Choose the desired option based on the provided timeline, and the Steam Cloud Sync Conflict error will be resolved.
To avoid such errors in the future, make sure to sync files to the Steam Cloud on every device so that any changes or progress made on one automatically reflects on all other devices.
How do I force Steam cloud sync?
While Steam offers no built-in options to force cloud sync, there are a few workarounds that would come to your aid. The simplest one would be to close the game while you are connected to the web and have a stable Internet connection, and then wait for the files to be synced.
Make sure to not close Steam or turn off the computer too quickly since the sync process is running in the background, though it shouldn’t be long. Once that’s done, run Steam on any other system, and things here should be the same as on the first device.
How do I fix it if Steam is unable to sync?
NOTE
1. Check the Steam’s server status
In most cases, when Steam is unable to sync files, it’s likely that the servers are down. This doesn’t happen often, but before you begin troubleshooting the problem, make sure to verify if the servers are up and running.
There are a bunch of websites that collect data and inform users if the Steam servers are working fine. You could use either Steamstat.us or Downdetector. If both these report that the servers are up, try the next method.
2. Repair the Steam Library Folder
- Launch the program, click on the Steam menu at the top-left corner, and select Settings.
- Go to the Downloads tab from the navigation pane on the left.
- Click on the Steam Library Folders button at the top.
- Next, click on the ellipsis, and select Repair Folder from the options.
- Click Yes on the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, in case it appears.
- Wait for the repair process to complete.
Once done, Steam would be able to sync files to the cloud, and you wouldn’t face any issues while playing the same game on multiple devices.
How do I fix the Steam cloud error on Elden Ring?
The Steam Cloud Error on Elden Ring has been acknowledged by Bandai Namco, the publisher behind Elden Ring. Here, you would see the Steam Cloud Sync Conflict error window, and the publishers recommend that you choose either one of the options depending on the dates the changes were saved.
Also, since the problem is known both to Steam and the publishers, an update with a patch for it should be on the way. Though Steam automatically searches for pending updates each time it’s launched, you may manually force it through the Steam menu.
That’s all there’s to the Steam Cloud Error, the most effective fixes for it, and other similar problems related to Steam Cloud that you might encounter while playing games.
Also, find out what to do if Steam won’t go online and you are stuck in offline mode since this is one of the very issues that lead to cloud-related errors.
Do not forget to tell us which fix worked and the game you were facing the issue with, in the comments section below.
