KARO
Revit Worksharing Guide7 min read

Revit sync with central failed: how to find the cause and keep your work

Why Synchronize with Central fails or hangs in a workshared model, how to save your changes first, and which fix to try for each cause.

By(Architect & Revit API Developer)
Updated: October 2026Revit 2023 - 2027
Quick answer

First, protect your work: do not close Revit and do not delete the local file. Use File > Save As > Project to save a copy of the open local under a new name in a separate folder. If the local turns out to be damaged, you can open that copy with Detach from Central and preserve your unsaved changes.

Fastest diagnosis: verify network connectivity to the central file path in Windows Explorer, confirm write permissions to the central model folder and its backup folder, check that no teammate is currently synchronizing or holding borrower locks, and test whether a freshly created local file synchronizes normally.

01Network & Path

The central model path cannot be reached

A local file remembers the exact path of its central model. If the server is offline, the VPN has dropped, or the central was opened through a mapped drive letter that is different on your machine, Revit cannot reach the central and the synchronization fails.

Fix

Open the central model folder in Windows Explorer from the same machine. If it does not open, fix the connection first. Agree on one path for the whole team, preferably a UNC path such as \\server\projects\..., instead of drive letters that differ between workstations.

Quick Check

Ask a teammate whose sync works which path they open the central from, and compare it with the path you used when you created your local.

02Permissions

You can read the central folder but not write to it

Synchronizing writes to the central model and to its backup folder next to it. If your account only has read access, or a folder was copied with new permissions, opening works but every synchronization fails.

Fix

Ask IT to confirm that your account has modify rights on the central model folder and on the backup folder Revit created beside the central file. Avoid moving central models between servers with copy tools that drop permissions.

Quick Check

Try to create and delete a small text file in the central folder. If Windows refuses, the problem is permissions, not Revit.

03Team Activity

Another user is synchronizing, or a crashed session still holds elements

Revit lets one synchronization write to the central at a time, so a large sync by a teammate can make yours wait or time out. A user whose Revit crashed still owns the elements and worksets they borrowed, and others cannot edit those elements until ownership is released.

Fix

Wait a few minutes and synchronize again. Ask the user who crashed to reopen their local file and use Relinquish All Mine (or synchronize with relinquish options checked). Check Collaborate > Worksets to see who owns which workset.

Quick Check

If the failure disappears when you retry a few minutes later, it was another synchronization in progress.

04Local Copy

The local copy is out of date or damaged

A local file that was copied manually instead of created from central, restored from an old backup, or kept for weeks without synchronizing can drift too far from the central. Revit then cannot reconcile it and synchronization fails even though other users sync normally.

Fix

After saving a copy of your work under a new name, rename the old local and create a new one: open the central model with Create New Local checked. Open the saved copy with Detach from Central, copy the unsynchronized elements with Copy to Clipboard, paste them into the new local with Paste Aligned, then synchronize.

Quick Check

If a brand new local created from central synchronizes without errors, the old local was the problem.

05Model Health

The central model itself is too large or damaged

Heavy central models with exploded CAD, thousands of warnings, unused families and unpurged imports take longer to save and are more likely to fail during synchronization. Repeated failures for everyone on the team point to the central, not to individual locals.

Fix

Have everyone synchronize and close. Open the central with Audit checked, purge unused content, then synchronize with Compact Central Model selected. Keep the file size and warning count on a weekly checklist so the problem does not return.

Quick Check

If every team member sees slow or failed syncs on the same day, schedule an audit of the central model.

06Cloud Worksharing

Cloud worksharing models in Autodesk Docs

For cloud models the central lives in Autodesk Docs, so the synchronization depends on your internet connection, on being signed in to your Autodesk account in Revit, and on your project permissions in Autodesk Docs.

Fix

Check that you are signed in at the top right of Revit, that the project is reachable in a browser, and that your role in the project allows editing. Then retry the synchronization. Do not save a cloud model to a local folder and keep working there; that breaks the link to the central.

Quick Check

If the model opens from the Home screen but sync fails, check your sign-in status and project permissions first.

Sync failures are often the first sign of a model that is getting harder to keep healthy. The 10 Revit model health rules cover the habits that keep central models small and stable, and the CAD cleanup guide shows how to remove one of the most common sources of bloat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my work if synchronize with central fails?

Not if you keep Revit open and save a copy of the local under a new name first. Your changes stay in the local file until a synchronization succeeds. Only deleting or overwriting the local file loses them.

Why can I open the central model but not synchronize?

Opening needs read access, synchronizing needs write access to the central folder and its backup folder. A permissions change or a read-only network share produces exactly this behavior.

How do I create a new local file in Revit?

Use File > Open, select the central model, make sure Create New Local is checked and open it. Revit creates a new local copy in your local files folder. Do not copy central files manually in Windows Explorer.

What does Compact Central Model do?

It rewrites the central file to remove unused space when you synchronize, which reduces file size. It takes longer than a normal sync, so run it when the team has closed the model.

Related ModelGuard guides

Stop model damage before it reaches central

Karo.ModelGuard asks for a reason or blocks exploding CAD, fake dimension overrides and deleting links, levels and grids, and writes every decision to a shared team log. It does not fix existing warnings; it stops the actions that create them.

Explore Karo.ModelGuard (14-Day Free Trial)Read 10 Model Health Rules