If BeeStation for desktop has stopped syncing on Windows 11, identify which feature stopped before you change any setting. BeeStation moves files through several separate mechanisms, and each fails for different reasons. Repairing the wrong one is how a working folder gets disturbed.
Start with two basic checks: confirm the app is running and signed in, and confirm the PC has not been asleep. BeeStation for desktop pauses all syncs and backups while the computer hibernates, and resumes only after it wakes.
From there, this guide narrows the cause in a fixed order: feature, environment, folder, network, then app state.
Start Here: Identify Which BeeStation Feature Is Actually Failing
BeeStation for desktop is not a single sync engine. Open the app from the system tray and check which panel reports the problem: Stream My Files, or a task listed under My Computer. Note the direction, the exact status text, and whether the same files appear correctly in BeeFiles on the web.
| Feature | Where it lives | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Stream My Files | BeeStation for desktop, left panel | On-demand access to My Files on BeeFiles from File Explorer |
| Sync with BeeFiles (two-way sync) | Settings → My Computer | Changes apply to both the PC folder and BeeFiles |
| Back up to BeeFiles (one-way sync) | Settings → My Computer | PC folder to BeeFiles only, restorable later |
| BeePhotos backup | Settings → My Computer | PC folder to BeePhotos, backup only |
| Cloud service sync | BeeStation web portal | Third-party cloud service to BeeStation, not your PC |
| Local network access | BeeStation settings | Direct access over your local network, outside the desktop app |
Two mix-ups are worth ruling out immediately. A file visible in BeeFiles but absent from your PC folder is expected if that task is one-way backup rather than two-way sync. And a photo missing from BeePhotos is a backup question, not a BeeFiles sync question.
Before changing anything, write down four things: the panel showing the error, the exact status wording, how many files are affected, and whether the newest version sits on the PC or on BeeStation. The last one matters later.
Confirm Your Windows 11 Setup Is Inside Supported Limits
BeeStation for desktop supports Windows 11, but several environment conditions fall outside official support and will not resolve by retrying. Confirm your CPU instruction set, Windows edition, network stack, and how you launch the app. Then confirm your library sits inside the documented file and task limits.
| Condition | Official status |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Supported |
| Windows on ARM | Not supported |
| Windows Server | Not supported |
| CPU instruction set | An AVX-capable CPU is required |
| IPv6 connection | Not supported |
| Running the app as administrator | Not supported on Windows |
| Total files that can be synced | Up to 500,000 |
| Sync and backup tasks on Windows | Up to 63 |
AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) is a CPU instruction set required by the desktop app. Check whether the processor supports it, especially on an older machine.
The two ceilings matter more than they look. A large photo or project library can approach 500,000 files without feeling large in gigabytes, and the count applies across everything you sync, not per folder. Tasks accumulated over time can also reach the 63-task ceiling unintentionally.
If your network runs IPv6 only, the desktop app is outside its supported configuration. And if you have been launching the app with elevated privileges to work around a permission problem, that is not supported on Windows either — the permission issue needs a different fix.
Finally, confirm both the desktop app and BeeStation are up to date. Compare your installed version with the current Windows release on the official BeeStation downloads page.
Isolate a Folder, a File, or an On-Demand Misread
Create a small test file inside the affected folder and watch what happens. If it syncs, the problem is scoped to specific files rather than the whole task. If nothing moves at all, the task itself or the folder selection is the more likely cause.
The check takes 5 steps.
- Create a small plain text file in the affected folder and wait for its status to change.
- If it syncs, look at what the stuck files share: unusually long paths, unusual characters, very large archives, or files open in another application.
- Open Settings and confirm the affected folder is still the one selected in the task. A folder renamed or moved in File Explorer is no longer what the task points to.
- Check that your Windows account has write permission on the source folder and its parent.
- Check whether the folder also sits inside another sync client’s folder, such as OneDrive. Two clients managing the same files is a configuration to untangle, not a fault to repair.
One misread is common enough to call out. Files inside Stream My Files are stored primarily on BeeStation and use local storage only temporarily, when you open, edit, or upload them. If a file has not been accessed for a long time, the system may free that local space automatically. A file showing as online-only is behaving as designed.
You can also free space manually: right-click the file, select BeeStation, then Free up space. That removes the local copy while keeping the file on BeeStation. Check the sync status icons before concluding anything is missing.
If you move files out of a synced folder as a test, copy them to an unrelated location first. Moving files out of a two-way sync folder changes what is stored on both sides.
Separate a PC or Network Problem from BeeStation Background Work
Sign in to BeeStation in a browser and check the same files from a second device. If the web portal is responsive and current, that points more strongly to a PC-side issue. If the device itself is slow to respond, BeeStation may be working through background processing rather than failing.
BeeStation reports a busy state while it handles background work. Generating thumbnails, indexing files for BeeFiles, and preparing version history are among the processes that can occupy the device, particularly after a large upload or an initial import. Slower sync progress during these periods can reflect queued background work rather than a sync failure.
There is no fixed waiting time to quote, since it depends on what is queued. Check whether progress is still moving by comparing pending item counts over several minutes.
On the network side, keep changes minimal. Synology documents the ports BeeStation uses, while also stating that internet access requires no additional network settings. Do not change router port-forwarding rules unless Synology Support specifically identifies a connection-path issue.
Two points are worth checking rather than assuming. IPv6-only connections are outside official support for the desktop app, so that is a real constraint. Security software and VPN clients can interfere with any sync client, but that does not make either the cause here — observe whether behaviour changes instead of treating them as confirmed culprits.
Restart Safely, and Decide Your Source of Truth First
Work from the least disruptive action to the most. Pause and resume the task, then quit and relaunch the app, then restart the PC, then restart BeeStation. Ending or recreating a task is not part of this sequence — treat it as a separate decision with its own checklist.
The safe restart order takes 4 steps.
- Pause the affected task in BeeStation for desktop, wait a moment, then resume it.
- Quit BeeStation for desktop from the system tray and launch it again. Confirm you are still signed in to the same Synology Account.
- Restart Windows. Hibernation and sleep pause syncs, so allow time after the PC is fully awake before judging the result.
- Restart BeeStation, and give it time to finish background processing before evaluating sync progress again.
The Source-of-Truth Checklist
Before you end or recreate any task, settle one question: which copy is authoritative. In a two-way sync task, changes are applied to both the PC folder and BeeFiles, so this decision should be made deliberately rather than discovered afterwards. Work through the four points below first.
- Compare both sides. List the affected PC folder and the matching folder in BeeFiles. Note where the newest versions live and whether either side holds files the other does not.
- Name the source of truth. Decide explicitly whether the PC folder or BeeFiles holds the version you intend to keep, and write it down.
- Secure an independent copy. Copy the authoritative side somewhere outside any sync task, such as a separate drive. An independent copy is unaffected by whatever the task does next.
- Read the on-screen warning. When you end or edit a task, the app describes what will happen. Act on that text rather than on an assumption about the task’s behaviour.
BeeStation also supports backing up to an external location, a reasonable way to hold that copy. Check the manufacturer’s official documentation for supported drive conditions before relying on a particular drive.
For an independent USB backup copy, a standard desktop drive such as the WD Elements 8TB provides the required capacity and USB connection. Format the drive with a file system listed in Synology’s current software specifications before relying on it.
Please check the Amazon product page for the latest price and availability.
Export Diagnostic Logs and Hand the Case to Synology Support
If sync still will not run, stop changing settings and collect evidence instead. Export the diagnostic log from BeeStation for desktop, record your app version, Windows build, the exact time of failure, and the affected paths, then open a case with Synology Support rather than continuing to experiment.
The handoff takes 3 steps.
- Click the ^ arrow at the bottom-right of your Windows desktop to show hidden tray icons.
- Right-click the BeeStation for desktop icon and select Export diagnostic log.
- Attach the log to a support case with your app version, Windows 11 build, the time of failure, the affected folder paths, and the steps that reproduce it.
Diagnostic logs can contain file paths and other metadata about your system. Send them to Synology Support directly rather than posting them on a public forum or community thread.
If the diagnosis points to something software cannot resolve — a consistently unresponsive device, or a library that has outgrown the capacity or file-count limits above — replacement or a larger model becomes reasonable. That is a hardware decision, and it belongs after support has reviewed the logs.
If support confirms that replacement or additional capacity is the sensible next step, the current BeeStation 4TB and BeeStation Plus 8TB are the closest in-family options.
Please check the Amazon product page for the latest price and availability.
Readers who need more control, capacity, or redundancy than BeeStation’s simplified design offers may be better served by a full multi-bay NAS. Our comparison of the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Pro with Synology’s own 4-bay models covers that decision.
How We Researched
This article is based on Synology’s official BeeStation documentation: the desktop sync and on-demand access support articles, the software specifications, the system busy article, the network ports article, the backup and restore article, and the diagnostic log export article. Official sources were reviewed on 26 August 2026.
Community reports were reviewed only as candidate symptom leads. Because the confirmed threads did not establish the same desktop-sync pattern across independent reports, no community claim is used as evidence for a product-wide cause.
Fixory has not conducted hands-on lab testing of BeeStation or BeeStation for desktop. Every support condition, limit, and procedure above is attributed to official Synology documentation. Because Synology updates its software and documentation over time, confirm current requirements on the official pages before acting on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three questions matter around BeeStation sync on Windows. The first concerns what happens to your files when a task ends, the second concerns file visibility in File Explorer, and the third concerns which troubleshooting advice actually applies to this app.
Will deleting a sync task delete my files?
Do not assume either answer. The outcome depends on the task type and on what the current app interface tells you when you end the task. Read the on-screen warning, confirm whether the task is two-way sync or one-way backup, and secure an independent copy of the authoritative side before you proceed.
Why do my files show as online-only in File Explorer?
That is expected behaviour for Stream My Files. Those files are stored primarily on BeeStation and occupy local storage only temporarily, when you open, edit, or upload them. If a file has not been accessed for a long time, the system may free the local copy automatically. The file itself stays on BeeStation.
Is BeeStation for desktop the same as Synology Drive Client?
No. They are separate applications for different product lines, with different features, limits, and support conditions. Troubleshooting steps written for Synology Drive Client, BeeDrive, or a DiskStation NAS do not reliably apply to BeeStation for desktop, and file or path limits documented for one should not be assumed for the other.
Conclusion
Many BeeStation sync problems can be investigated without touching the task itself. Identify which feature stopped, confirm your environment sits inside the documented support conditions, isolate whether the issue is folder-wide or file-specific, then work through the restart order from least disruptive to most.
Ending or recreating a two-way sync task can affect both sides, so decide which copy is authoritative, read the app’s current warning, and secure an independent copy first. Software troubleshooting and a single storage device are not a substitute for a backup strategy.
