If your cloud storage isn't syncing Scriptation files between your devices, work through the iCloud checks first — most cases are iCloud, and most iCloud problems come down to three things: your file isn't actually in iCloud Drive, iCloud Drive is turned off on one of your devices, or your devices are signed into different Apple IDs. If you're on Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive instead, skip to the section at the bottom.

iCloud sync — work through these in order

1. Confirm the file is in iCloud Drive (not On My iPad / iPhone)

Files in the On My iPad or On My iPhone section are local to that device only and will not sync to iCloud.

To sync a file, copy it into the iCloud folder.

2. Make sure iCloud Drive is enabled on every device

If iCloud Drive is toggled off on any device — iPad, iPhone, or mac — that device won't sync.

On iPad or iPhone

1. Close Scriptation, then open Settings from your home screen.
2. Tap [your name / photo] at the top of the menu.
3. Beside Saved to iCloud select See All.
4. If iCloud Drive is set to Off, enter that menu and toggle on Sync this iPad/iPhone.
5. Go back to the Saved to iCloud list.
6. Scroll down and turn the Scriptation toggle on.
7. Reopen Scriptation.

On mac

1. Quit Scriptation.
2. Open Apple menu → System Settings.
3. Click [your name] at the top of the sidebar, then click iCloud.
4. Under Saved to iCloud, click Drive and toggle on Sync this Mac.
5. Reopen Scriptation.

If you're seeing an "iCloud disabled" warning inside Scriptation, follow iCloud disabled message? Here's how to enable it.

3. Confirm the same Apple ID is signed in on every device

If your iPad is on one Apple ID and your mac is on another, iCloud will never sync between them. See How do I check which Apple ID is logged into my device?.

4. Give iCloud time to sync

iCloud uploads can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes depending on file size and network speed. If you just made a change, wait a minute and check the other device.

5. Restart your devices

Close Scriptation, then turn both devices off and back on. This resets the iCloud connection and clears most temporary sync hiccups.

6. Check the Scriptation sub-folder on mac

Scriptation creates a dedicated Scriptation sub-folder inside iCloud Drive. On iPad and iPhone, tapping the iCloud icon opens that sub-folder automatically. On mac, you need to click into iCloud and then into the Scriptation sub-folder to see your files.

7. Sign out of iCloud and back in

If steps 1–6 don't resolve it, sign out of iCloud on the affected device, restart, and sign back in. This forces a fresh iCloud handshake.

8. Contact Apple

As a third-party developer, we have limited control over iCloud itself. If you can't sync any files in any app (not just Scriptation), the issue is iCloud, and Apple can help — contact Apple Support.

iCloud folder showing as empty?

If Scriptation says you don't have any folders in iCloud, or the Scriptation subfolder appears empty even though you know files should be there, this is usually a temporary glitch rather than lost data. Before assuming anything is gone:

1. Sign in to iCloud.com in a browser and open iCloud Drive → Scriptation. Sometimes a conflicted copy of a file gets saved with a slightly different name (for example, with your device name appended) — if you see one, your file (and annotations) are likely still there.
2. Check that iCloud Drive is still enabled on the device showing the empty folder (see step 2 above), and restart the device to refresh the connection.
3. Send us a short screen recording of what you're seeing, along with your device and OS version, through our Troubleshooting Portal so we can dig further — this has occasionally been reported alongside broader OS-level sync hiccups affecting multiple cloud providers, not something changed on our end.

Going forward, it's a good habit to periodically confirm your work is actually making it to the cloud: use the three-dot menu (⋯) next to a file and select Sync to Cloud to manually push it up, or simply switch away from Scriptation and back to confirm your latest notes are still there.

Same issue on Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive?

If your file isn't syncing across devices and you're using a third-party cloud provider, the diagnosis is usually slightly different. Work through these in order.

Same issue on Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive?

If your file isn't syncing across devices and you're using a third-party cloud provider, the diagnosis is usually slightly different. Work through these in order.

1. Confirm the file is in a cloud folder — not local storage

A file only syncs if it lives in a cloud folder. Files in the On My iPad or On My iPhone directory are 100% local to that device and won't sync anywhere.

On Scriptation for mac, files aren't stored inside the app — they live wherever you opened them from (Desktop, Downloads, or a cloud folder). To make a file available on other devices, click Select File and drag the file into a cloud folder.

2. Make sure every device is looking at the same cloud provider

Sync only works when every device is reading from the same cloud provider. If you saved the file to Dropbox on your iPad but only have iCloud connected on your mac, you won't see it.

3. Check that your provider's sync is actually running

Open the Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive app on the affected device and make sure sync is active and not paused. A paused provider stops uploads in both directions — common cause of a file that uploaded on one device but never appeared on another.

4. Check your network

A flaky Wi-Fi or cellular connection can leave one device with stale files. If you've been moving in and out of Wi-Fi, give your provider a minute to catch up after you reconnect.

Common causes of sync issues, at a glance

Most cross-device syncing problems come down to one of these:

• The file was never fully saved on the originating device. On iPad/iPhone, files save when you switch tabs or close the document. On Mac, files save when you close them or manually save (⌘+S). If neither of those happened, there's nothing yet to sync.
• Different Apple IDs are signed in across devices. This is especially common on Mac, where it's easy to overlook. See How do I check which Apple ID is logged into my device?
• A file is stored locally (On My iPad / On My iPhone, Desktop, Downloads) instead of inside a connected cloud folder, so it has nothing to sync to.
• No internet connection at the time of saving. If a device isn't online when a file is saved, syncing won't happen until it reconnects.
• The same document was being edited on two devices at once, which can create a conflicted copy instead of a clean sync. Working on a document from only one device at a time greatly reduces this risk.
• iCloud reliability. iCloud is the least reliable of the supported cloud providers and doesn't offer version history. Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive are recommended instead.

If none of these resolve it, a quick delete and reinstall of the app has also been known to fix persistent cases where files aren't loading or appearing correctly across devices — see Should I Delete and Reinstall Scriptation?

Still stuck?

Tap the Send us an email button at the bottom of this page. Include your Scriptation version, iOS/macOS versions, which cloud provider you're using, and the name of the file that isn't syncing.

What's Next

iCloud disabled message? Here's how to enable it
How to sync files across devices with Cloud Storage
I have a conflicted copy. What do I do now?
How often are files uploaded to the cloud?

Updated on: 04/08/2026