Resetting Desktop Connector version 16.x to default to resolve local cache issues

Autodesk Support

Sep 27, 2024

Products and versions covered

Users reported that, after installing Desktop Connector version 16 or newer, one or more of the following happens:

Desktop Connector 16.x crashes on startup.
Errors reported as “Failed to connect the syncroot”.
Projects that the member hasn’t subscribed to are still being shown in File Explorer.
Desktop Connector's workspace is not in the expected location (i.e. %userprofile%\DC\ACCDocs).
The ACCDocs connector is showing duplicates of the same account/hub.
The ACCDocs connector is showing folders with a name “_C”.
Network consumption inconsistencies and local cache issues occur.

Use one of the two methods below to reset Desktop Connector and put the install back into a clean state:

The following steps will only remove files from the local machine and will not delete data in the cloud. Confirm that there are no changes made locally which haven’t been synced to the cloud before following these steps. See Collecting and Viewing Sync Data for further help.
To resolve sync issues, try the Troubleshooting Tool first. See: Files not syncing as expected in Desktop Connector.

Method 1: Use the Reset Utility for guidance during the reset process.

Method 2: Reset Desktop Connector manually:

Exit/shut down Desktop Connector.
Open File Explorer.
Double-click to run the ShellCleanup.exe script to unregister the Desktop Connector drive (C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Desktop Connector\ShellCleanup.exe). Note: running the ShellCleanup tool will only work if logged in as a Windows user (it does not support SYSTEM account).
Delete any of the following Desktop Connector workspace cache locations if they exist:
- %userprofile%\DC\ACCDocs.
- %userprofile%\DC\Fusion.
- %userprofile%\DC\ADrive.
- %userprofile%\ACCDocs.
- %userprofile%\Fusion
- %userprofile%\ADrive
Manually delete existing Desktop Connector databases:
- Delete the entire “Data” folder to remove local databases (\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Desktop Connector\Data).
Delete the folder or folders that start with “DesktopConnector.Applicat_Url_” (i.e. C:\Users\%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\DesktopConnector.Applicat_Url_3jj2w2iynvqiiebej5jo1rt0nhfjfaur).
Start Desktop Connector.
If the user is a BIM 360 or ACC Docs project member, go to Select Projects and select the projects to use.