I recently purchased 2TB of Google Drive storage and installed the desktop app on my PC. Since I use both a desktop and laptop, I thought it would be smart to sync my Documents folder and some AppData directories (Local and Roaming) to share game saves and settings between devices. For some reason, I couldn’t sync the LocalLow folder.
Something went wrong during the sync process and it completely destroyed my system. My taskbar icons turned blank and wouldn’t launch applications. Quick access shortcuts vanished. All browser login sessions were lost along with saved passwords. Startup programs like Discord and Steam stopped working entirely. Even after reinstalling Steam, it couldn’t detect my games and kept showing corruption errors.
I used System Restore to go back 7 days which fixed the taskbar and startup apps. Steam can see my games again but several of them just show a black screen on launch when they worked perfectly before. My browser still hasn’t recovered any saved logins or passwords.
This is really frustrating since I paid for a service that’s supposed to protect my files, not corrupt my entire system.
Same thing happened to me two years ago with OneDrive - made the exact same mistake. Google Drive desktop syncs AppData like any regular folder, but Windows needs exclusive access to those files. When Drive locks files during sync while your programs are running, you get the corruption you just experienced. Your browser passwords are gone for good - those encrypted files got corrupted during the sync conflicts. You’ll have to manually rebuild everything. For the games with black screens, clear their cache folders in AppData/Local (shader cache directories) and verify files through Steam. Never sync AppData folders with cloud services again. Use each game’s native cloud saves or something like GameSave Manager for manual backups instead. For browsers, export bookmarks and use the browser’s built-in sync rather than syncing the whole folder. Google Drive works great for documents and media, but keep system folders local. I learned this the hard way too, but at least System Restore saved you from reinstalling everything.
Yikes, that sucks. Yeah, syncing AppData will break stuff since those files are constantly being used. For the black screen games, try deleting the DirectX shader cache folders - that usually fixes corruption issues. Lesson learned though - just sync your Documents folder next time.
Syncing AppData folders with cloud services can often lead to complications, as they contain critical files that are not meant to be shared across devices. The issues you encountered seem to stem from conflicting files during the sync, which resulted in system corruption. In my experience, it’s best to keep syncing strictly to document folders while utilizing dedicated backup solutions for your system settings. Additionally, most games have their own cloud saving functionalities, which allow you to avoid syncing the entire AppData folder and its potential conflicts.
Had the same disaster 18 months ago when I synced my entire user profile with Dropbox. Here’s the problem: cloud sync treats system files like regular documents, but Windows keeps file locks and database checks that get trashed during sync.
Your taskbar corruption happened because Windows shell extensions need registry entries that point to exact file paths and timestamps in AppData. When Google Drive changes these during sync, the shell loses its references and everything breaks.
The browser password issue is brutal - those are encrypted database files that get permanently corrupted when modified during active sessions. No way to recover that data, unfortunately.
For your black screen games, clear shader cache and delete any .cfg or settings files in their AppData subfolders. Let them regenerate from scratch.
Going forward, use portable game save tools or just copy save files manually. Keep cloud services completely away from Users/AppData or Program Files. Learned this the expensive way myself.
Ouch, syncing AppData with Google Drive is asking for trouble. Drive wasn’t built to handle live system files that Windows constantly uses.
What happened is Drive tried syncing files while Windows was using them. Creates conflicts and corrupts stuff like registry entries - especially bad for browsers and games storing session data in AppData.
For the mess you’re in now, you’ll need to manually log back into browsers and reconfigure games. That black screen usually means corrupted shader cache or config files.
Here’s the thing though - you don’t need to sync system folders to share game saves between devices. I handle this exact situation with automation instead of risky folder syncing.
I use automated workflows that detect when games create new save files, then copy just those specific files to cloud storage. Same deal for browser bookmarks and app settings. Key is being selective about what syncs and when.
This prevents the corruption you hit while keeping important data synced. You can even backup saves before syncing so you never lose progress.
Latenode makes this selective file management pretty straightforward. Create workflows that monitor specific files, handle timing properly, and avoid touching critical system folders.