Sync not syncing bookmarks

Browser Support Sync
, ,
1

Good morning,
I have noticed that Sync is not working for bookmarks. Other features like extensions sync properly, but bookmarks always fail and display the attached error. I have approximately 2800 bookmarks:

Error: Restart@components/sync/service/data_type_manager_impl.cc:505, model error was encountered: Preexisting controller error on configuration

Based on other articles, I have tried the following steps:

  1. Deleting the sync chain and creating a new one. After the change, I got the same error.
  2. Checking the brave://sync-internals page for a “Clear Data” button. However, that button is not present on that page (see attachment).

I conducted my tests using the latest stable version of Brave on Fedora 41, installed via .rpm and on Windows 10 on different PCs.

image
image1638Ă—1049 230 KB

1 Like
2

@thalskarth While waiting for someone from Brave to drop by (with today being Christmas Eve, not sure when they’ll be active), figured I’d ask you the following:

  1. Does this error appear for both your devices or only on one?

  2. Have you since restarted either device?

  3. If you create a second browser profile on either device, does it work on there?

  4. Have you tried a sync chain on Brave Beta or Brave Nightly?

Yes, they have removed that from sync-internals. Instead they have two options added to the sync settings page. brave://settings/braveSync/setup or just Settings → Sync → Manage your synced devices

If you Leave Sync Chain it will just remove that device. If you Delete Sync Chain I do believe it erases it for all devices. Then you would try creating a new sync chain again.

Just a FYI, I tested in case was an issue on sync servers, but seems mine is working just fine:

image
image383Ă—189 3.55 KB

I don’t think anything at brave://components would matter, but you can try updating those just in case. And you could also install Brave on top of yours to do a manual update just in case there’s anything corrupt in it, at least on your Windows version. I can’t speak for how Linux works.

3

Hello,

I also have this exact same issue with the exact same error. I have my desktop and two phones on the sync chain. I am able to view my bookmarks that are on one phone on the other phone, as they are syncing properly. But I’m not able to see the bookmarks that I save on my phone on my desktop (because of the error of course).

I have already tried leaving the sync chain and rejoining it, as well as deleting it and creating a new one with all the devices. As well as attempting to start the same chain from the desktop as well as starting the sync chain from the phone to see if that was the issue. Still get the error.

I have also tried going to brave://sync-internals/ on the mobile browser to see if there was an issue but that doesn’t seem to be possible.

4

I don’t know what I did differently but I made it work. So there was an update today to brave, and I updated. But the issue still persisted. So on a whim I

  1. Removed all devices from the sync chain except the desktop
  2. Then deleted the sync chain from the desktop
  3. Closed brave
  4. Restarted the computer
  5. Opened brave and started a sync chain from the desktop
  6. Added my phone

It seems when I did that the only thing that started syncing on the choose what to sync was the bookmarks so I checked brave://sync-internals and it was green and seemed to be working and I didn’t touch it until it was done. I then re-enabled syncing everything SEE EDIT AT BOTTOM and it still is green and everything seems to be working. So while I don’t know if it will work in your case, if you follow those exact steps it may work for you. Here’s hoping.

Edit: Also I don’t know if it matters but what I did was make sure to enable to sync everything on both the phone and the PC or wherever you have on the same chain as simultaneously as you can just in case idk, that might be superstition but who knows.