> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Fix Personal Sync Errors > Fix Elephas Personal Sync errors: device waiting for approval or revoked, app too old, plan required, keys not delivered, and data that could not be decrypted. Personal Sync errors appear in **Settings › Sync** under **Status**. Each one says what happened and what to do. Most are fixed by approving a device from one you already use, updating Elephas, or checking your plan. Nothing on your computer is deleted by a sync error. Personal Sync is part of the Professional plan. ## Before you start * Keep at least one device that already syncs nearby. Approving a new or revoked computer happens on that device. * Make sure every device runs the latest Elephas. See [update Elephas](/docs/getting-started/update-elephas). * Sign in with the same Elephas account on every device, in **Settings › Plan & Billing**. ## Device and approval messages | Message | Cause | Fix | | - | - | - | | **This computer is waiting to be approved from one of your other devices.** | You asked to join Sync from this computer, and no synced device has approved it yet. | On a device that already syncs, open **Settings › Sync**. Under **Devices**, find this computer marked **Waiting for your approval**, click **Review**, and approve it only if the five words match exactly. | | **This computer has not been given the encryption keys yet. Approve it from one of your other devices.** | The approval did not finish delivering keys to this computer. | Open Elephas on an approved device and keep it open and online for a minute. If it stays, approve this computer again from there. | | **This computer was revoked from sync. Approve it again from one of your other devices.** | Someone revoked this computer from another device. | If you meant to keep it, approve it again from a synced device. If you did not revoke it, check your **Security History** on a synced device. | | **This computer's pairing can no longer continue. Start joining again.** | The join request expired or was replaced. | In **Settings › Sync**, start joining again with **Join from My Other Device**. | | **The enrollment expired. Start again.** or **The other device rejected this enrollment.** | The approval timed out, or the words were rejected on the other device. | Start joining again. Compare the words carefully on both screens. | | **Sync is already on for this account. Approve this device from one of your synced devices.** | You chose **This is my first device**, but this account already syncs elsewhere. | Choose **I already use Sync on another device** instead, then approve this computer from a synced one. | | **Sign in to your Elephas account on this computer first, in Settings › Plan & Billing.** | This computer is not signed in. | Sign in, then try again. | | **This computer's sync permission needs renewing. Sign in again, then choose Sync Now.** | Your sign-in or sync permission expired. | Sign in again in **Settings › Plan & Billing**, then click **Sync Now**. | | **Give this computer a name first.** | The device name is empty. | Type a name for this computer, then turn on Sync. | ## Version and plan messages | Message | Fix | | - | - | | **This version of Elephas is too old to sync. Update the app.** | Update Elephas on this computer from **Settings › Updates**. | | **Another of your devices runs a newer Elephas. Update this one to sync with it.** | Update this computer. | | **Sync needs a paid Elephas plan. Choose a plan in Settings › Plan & Billing; nothing on this device changed.** | Your plan is not active. Renew or choose a plan. See [when your plan ends](/docs/plans-and-billing/when-your-plan-ends). | | **Sync is part of the Professional plan.** | Your plan does not include Sync. See [upgrade your plan](/docs/plans-and-billing/upgrade-your-plan). | | **Your plan needs attention** (status) | Open **Settings › Plan & Billing** to see what changed. | ## Connection and data messages | Message | What it means | Fix | | - | - | - | | **The sync server could not be reached.** | You are offline, or a firewall blocks Sync. | Check your connection. Everything on this computer stays available, and changes sync when you are back online. | | **The sync server is busy. Elephas will try again shortly.** | Temporary. | Nothing to do. | | **Two devices sent the same change at once. Elephas will try again.** | Temporary. | Nothing to do. | | **The encryption keys have moved on. Elephas will fetch the current ones and try again.** | Keys changed, for example after a device was revoked. | Nothing to do. | | **A synced change did not arrive intact and was refused. Nothing on this computer was altered.** | A change failed its integrity check, so Elephas did not apply it. | Click **Sync Now**. If it repeats, [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support) with your log file. | | **Something synced here could not be opened with this computer's keys. Nothing local was altered.** | This computer received data it cannot decrypt, usually because its keys are out of date. | Click **Sync Now**. If it repeats, [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support) with your log file. | | **The search model is missing. Get it back in Settings › Downloads, then choose Sync Now.** | Synced documents need the search model to be indexed on this computer. | Open **Settings › Downloads**, download the **Search model**, then click **Sync Now**. | | **Elephas could not write to its local database. Restart the app; your data is untouched.** | A local storage problem. | Restart Elephas. See [Elephas won't start](/docs/troubleshooting/elephas-wont-start) if it continues. | | **Elephas could not reach the system keychain.** | Elephas could not read its sync keys from Keychain (Mac) or Credential Manager (Windows). | Restart Elephas, then your computer if needed. | | **Sync request failed. Try again.** | Something else went wrong. | Click **Sync Now**. If it repeats, contact support. | ## Steps Open **Settings › Sync** and read the message under **Status**. Use the tables above. Approvals happen on a device that already syncs. Updates happen in **Settings › Updates**. Click **Sync Now**. When everything has gone through, the status reads **Up to date** and **Nothing is waiting to leave this computer.** The steps are the same on Mac and Windows. ## How it works Personal Sync moves your Brains, documents and chat history between your own devices as end-to-end encrypted data. Each device has its own keys, and a new device only gets them after you approve it from a device you already trust, by comparing five words. That is why approvals cannot be done from a website or by support. Search indexes, AI keys and app settings are not synced. Each device builds its own index, which is why a missing search model stops synced documents from being indexed. Sync is separate from AI. Turning it on does not send anything to an AI provider. See [sync encryption](/docs/privacy-and-security/sync-encryption). There is no password reset and no recovery for Personal Sync. If you lose every synced device, your synced data cannot be recovered by anyone, including Elephas. ## Troubleshooting Open **Settings › Sync** on that device and click **Refresh** next to **Devices**. Make sure both devices are signed in to the same Elephas account and online. You cannot approve a new device without one. See [sync recovery](/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-recovery). The newer edit wins and the replaced value is kept under **Sync Conflicts**. See [sync conflicts](/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-conflicts). ## Related articles This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.