# Sync issue with pCloud

**URL:** <https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [7 October 2023 06:50 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032 "2023-10-07T06:50:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [7 October 2023 06:50 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/1 "2023-10-07T06:50:48Z")

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Hi, I've discovered (likely due to me changing file locations on my laptop) I've disconnected from my Webav database - now getting the message on trying to re-establish:

"_Error. Please check that URL, username, password, etc. are correct and that the sync target is accessible. The reported error was:_

_The WebDAV implementation of pcloud is incompatible with Joplin, and as such is no longer supported. Please use a different sync method._"  
vn Joplin 2.12.18 (prod, win32)

Sync Version: 3  
Profile Version: 43  
Keychain Supported: Yes  
Revision: a0a4a81  
Windows 10  
Webdav - pCloud

Note I normally sync across 3 devices in total and so have a fallback database of notes, and have just backed up to a .jex file.  
Hoping for a resolution / advice please.

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**Author:** ![tomasz86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@tomasz86](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/tomasz86)\
**Post date:** [7 October 2023 07:15 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/2 "2023-10-07T07:15:17Z")

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If you search the forum for "pcloud", you will surely find a more detailed answer and explanation, but the message is clear. If you want to continue with the synchronisation, you need to use a different sync provider. Or you can, at least temporarily, stay at the older version of Joplin for the time being until you manage to find a compatible one and migrate your data to it.

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**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [7 October 2023 07:32 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/3 "2023-10-07T07:32:32Z")

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Really? Thanks for your response. There's nothing on the forum to suggest that a recent update to Joplin has rendered the function to synch with pCloud obsolete. So what have I missed? This setup worked until days / weeks ago.

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**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [7 October 2023 10:39 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/4 "2023-10-07T10:39:34Z")

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If you want you can enable it again by opening database.sqlite in your profile, and setting the key `sync.allowUnsupportedProviders` to `1` in the `settings` table (or add the key if it's not already there). We no longer support pCloud because it can cause too many problems once you get to a certain number of notes.

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**Author:** ![MisterEShopper](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/mistereshopper/32/7794_2.png) [@MisterEShopper](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/MisterEShopper)\
**Post date:** [9 October 2023 16:07 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/5 "2023-10-09T16:07:20Z")

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I contacted pCloud's Technical Support regarding Joplin and pCloud's WebDAV. This is their response.

"We have a very basic version of WebDAV implemented, with no additional features. I can put in a request, but then I would need to know what Joplin needs, or what the issues with the pCloud WebDAV are that causes Joplin to be incompatible. We are not aware of numerous issues with our WebDAV implementation."

What does Joplin need as a compatible implementation of WebDAV, or what issues does Joplin have with pCloud's WebDAV?

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**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [9 October 2023 16:40 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/6 "2023-10-09T16:40:19Z")

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There's a thread about it in the forum

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**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 04:23 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/7 "2023-10-12T04:23:14Z")

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Thanks MisterEShopper, laurent.

The hint for me is that "it's all too hard". Disappointing.  
I'm out of my depth tweaking a sqllite dbase.

My options are to quit Joplin or to find an alternative hosting mechanism.  
Thanks again.

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**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 04:25 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/8 "2023-10-12T04:25:29Z")

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which forum? Joplin or pCloud?  
Thanks

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**Author:** ![tomasz86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@tomasz86](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/tomasz86)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 06:51 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/9 "2023-10-12T06:51:34Z")

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Please check [https://joplinapp.org/faq/#the-following-webdav-hosts-are-not-supported](https://joplinapp.org/faq/#the-following-webdav-hosts-are-not-supported) and the linked forum topic about pCloud. In short, their WebDAV implementation is flawed. It may work for a small number of notes but is bound to fail with larger amounts of data.

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**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 07:47 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/10 "2023-10-12T07:47:44Z")

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Thanks.

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**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 07:53 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/11 "2023-10-12T07:53:11Z")

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I found back the list if issues, which was actually in GitHub:

> <https://github.com/laurent22/joplin/issues/7661#issuecomment-1401811903>
>
> pcloud is a popular cloud service, however their WebDAV implementation is broken… and have been so for a long time. The only reply we got from them was essentially blaming Joplin, even though the apps sync fine with dozens of other standard WebDAV services.
> 
> There's two problems with this:
> 
> \- Users incorrectly think that it's a problem with Joplin and come for us for support. It uses our resources and it makes it look like Joplin is unreliable, even though it's not possible on our end to fix the issue
> 
> \- Although their implementation is broken, it stills works well enough that a user might rely on it, not realising that they are losing notes or that some data get corrupted.
> 
> So we should deal with it on our end: if pcloud is detected, we immediately stop sync and throw an error explaining the situation. For example: 
> 
> \> pcloud has a faulty WebDAV implementation and as such Joplin no longer supports it. Please use a different sync method.
> 
> That way the user is immediately alerted and can switch to a different sync target without committing to pcloud.
> 
> Edit: We don't know the full story - it's possible that for certain use cases, pCloud work fine, maybe for small notes or not many notes, so some users might already be using it. Because of this, we should add an option in Advanced settings - "Allow sync with pCloud" (with a description). Off by default. If On, we allow sync but at the user's own risks. It means we remain backward compatible for users who are currently synchronising with pCloud.
> 
> Edit: In fact, we can have a migration step - if during the upgrade we detect the user is using one of the unsupported implementations, we automatically set the Advanced option to "true".
> 
> \# Implementation
> 
> Based on the discussion in this thread, this is what we need to implement:
> 
> 1. Create a black list of WebDAV providers - at this point it will only be pcloud and jianguoyun
> 2. When the user tries to sync with these (including when clicking the button "Check synchronisation configuration"), throw an error message from the synchronizer: "The WebDAV implementation of PROVIDER is incompatible with Joplin, and as such is no longer supported. Please use a different sync method."
> 3. Add a hidden setting "sync.allowUnsupportedProviders" (defaults to -1)
> 4. Add a migration step - when the app starts, and sync.allowUnsupportedProviders is -1, check the current sync settings. If it's currently synchronising with one of the unsupported provider, set sync.allowUnsupportedProviders to 1. Otherwise, set it to 0. This is so we don't break sync for people who are already synchronising with pcloud or jianguoyun
> 5. If sync.allowUnsupportedProviders is 1, we bypass the WebDAV black list

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gbossley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@gbossley](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/gbossley)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 07:56 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/12 "2023-10-12T07:56:20Z")

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Thanks. Sounds like a circular bame game... 🤔

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 09:22 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/13 "2023-10-12T09:22:24Z")

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As mentioned above you're free to keep using it with that special setting

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [12 October 2023 09:22 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/sync-issue-with-pcloud/33032/14 "2023-10-12T09:22:27Z")

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Closed on 12 October 2023 09:22 UTC