Are you having problems with iCloud synchronization?
There may be several reasons why iCloud is not syncing properly. Please try the following steps, as they may already solve the problems:
- Please make sure iCloud is enabled and that you are logged in with the same iCloud account on all your devices. On macOS and iOS/iPadOS, “Sync this Mac/iPad/iPhone” must be enabled in System Settings › [your Apple account] › iCloud › Drive. Additionally, Ulysses must be enabled in “Apps Syncing to iCloud Drive.” Ulysses must also be enabled in Settings › [your account] › iCloud › Saved to iCloud › See All. More information can be found here.
- To guarantee that the iCloud background synchronization services are up and running, please cold-boot your iPhone/iPad and restart your Mac. To rule out issues due to low battery and bad reception, you should be connected to Wi-Fi and your charger. If you are using a cellular network (4G, LTE, 5G, E), please go to iOS Settings › “Cellular” and ensure “Cellular Data” is enabled. Then scroll down to “Cellular Data,” find “Ulysses” in the list of apps, and toggle on “iCloud Drive.” If iCloud syncing is slow while you’re on a mobile device, please check whether Low Data Mode is activated.
- Please verify you don‘t exceed your iCloud storage limit. Otherwise, Ulysses is not able to sync your subscription or your sheets and groups across devices.
- If the problem only occurs in the Projects section, please make sure that this section is enabled in the library. On iPad/iPhone, open Ulysses' Settings by tapping the gear icon in the library. Then, select Edit Library. On Mac, go to Ulysses › Settings… › Sidebar. Additionally, please verify that your project is synced via iCloud and not stored locally. More on that in our Projects guide.
- If you checked everything, but your sheets still don’t finish (or even begin) syncing, please contact our support team.
Please be aware that all iCloud syncing is handled using Apple’s background services. Therefore, our capabilities and insights regarding iCloud problems are limited: Ulysses is not able to force a sync, for example. To test if iCloud is fully functional, please open Finder on your Mac and add a random file from your personal Documents/Downloads folder (DOCX, PDF, JPEG) to the “iCloud Drive” folder and check if it shows up in the Files app on your iPhone/iPad and vice-versa. If the file is not synchronized across your devices, your iCloud setup might be corrupted in general, and you should contact Apple's iCloud support directly. In very rare cases, iCloud might be slow or even inaccessible due to server issues. You can look up its status anytime on Apple's system status page.
Also, please note that Ulysses uses iCloud only to synchronize data across devices. iCloud is not a backup service—this is done using Time Machine.
Why is there no Ulysses folder in iCloud Drive?
iCloud Drive is Apple’s solution for providing file storage in the cloud – similar to Dropbox or Google Drive. While Ulysses uses iCloud to sync your sheets, it does not provide a public folder on iCloud Drive to display those sheets. This does not mean that your sheets are not in the cloud. They’re just not visible in the iCloud Drive folder.
How can I manually transfer Ulysses’ sheets or groups between devices?
On Mac, you can simply drag a sheet or a group from Ulysses to Finder or your Desktop. If you drag out a group, you can then compress the folder by right-clicking it and selecting “Compress <Folder>.” You can then send the sheet file or the zipped folder via Mail to your iOS device. Open the file in Ulysses on iOS to import it.
To transfer from iPad/iPhone to Mac, touch and hold the sheet or group you want to transfer. Tap “Share” and use a share action such as AirDrop, Message or Mail to send it to your Mac. Finally, drag the sheet file or the unzipped folder into Ulysses on Mac.