Resolve a kDrive synchronization conflict

This guide details possible solutions when the kDrive desktop app icon (desktop application on macOS / Windows / Linux) turns orange, indicating that there has been a synchronization conflict.

Preamble

• Refer to this other guide if you notice a problem even though the kDrive desktop app icon is green‍.

What is a synchronization conflict?

The "conflict" files are created when…

1. … a file is edited simultaneously from both sides, whether locally or on the kDrive web (its size and/or date are different); the local file is then renamed to "conflict" and the one from kDrive is downloaded
2. … files/folders are created/moved simultaneously from both sides with the same name in the same folder; the local file/folder is then renamed to "conflict" and the one from kDrive is downloaded
3. … a file is edited on one side and one of its parent folders is deleted on the other; the edited file is then moved and renamed as "conflict" in the root of the drive
4. … the resolution of a conflict involving the movement of a file/folder cannot be completed, this file/folder is then moved and renamed to "conflict" in the root of the drive
   

In cases 1 and 2, you can…

• … keep both files locally, knowing that the "conflict" file is not synchronized with kDrive
• … on the local disk, delete the "conflict" file if it is the least up-to-date of the two
• … on the local disk, delete the non-"conflict" file if it is the least up-to-date of the two, then rename the "conflict" file to sync it online via the kDrive application
• … on the local disk, merge the two files into the non-"conflict" file and then delete the "conflict" file

In all cases, please always make sure to keep the most up-to-date version on the kDrive online.

Note that this case can also occur when the computer application is uninstalled and then reinstalled while keeping the configuration, and modifications are made to the drive in the meantime. To avoid this, it is recommended not to uninstall the kDrive application while keeping the configuration (other recommendations are presented below).

How to display conflicts?

To display the conflicting files:

1. Left-click on the desktop app icon in your computer's notification area (top right on macOS, bottom right on Windows and a double left-click in the taskbar on Linux).
2. Click on the information button at the top.
3. Click on the listed event to view its details:
   
4. Conflicts and errors are displayed in 2 separate tabs allowing you to view unsynchronized data:
   
   
    
5. The first tab allows you to resolve conflicts:
   
6. You will then need to choose how to resolve the conflict by deciding to send the local version
   1. on the server (= sync)
   2. or to the computer's recycle bin
      

Avoiding synchronization conflicts / blacklist

The recommendations:

• Do not work on the same file simultaneously (unless you are working online on a Word, Excel or PowerPoint document).
• Synchronize your offline changes before modifying the same files online
• Avoid creating folders that have the same name as folders that you are not synchronizing on a device

A blacklist conflict may also occur if problematic characters are found among the names of synchronized files, such as the tilde ~, the slash (forward slash) / or backslash \ and certain file types like System Volume Information and certain extensions like .idlk,.parms.db,.directory, ._* etc.

If necessary, to manually resolve certain synchronization conflicts that would not have been resolved automatically:

1. Open the two files.
2. Compare the differences.
3. Retrieve the information from the conflict file (the one with the exclamation mark) into the base file.
4. Delete the unsynchronized conflict file (the one with the exclamation mark and the mention conflicted copy):