SolNinja
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So I’ve been looking for possible solutions for accessing the grayed out worlds failing to sync, and I think I may have found a possible workaround using a file explorer. However, your world folder may not appear doing this method. Also, if you find your world folder, it may be an older save of the world like it was for me.
Be careful! This app can be risky as it’s accessing console files. Use at your own risk.
Other requirements: you’ll need a Windows Computer or Laptop to access Minecraft Bedrock PC, a USB Flash Drive, and Realms Plus which is a paid subscription within Minecraft Bedrock, and of course an Xbox. (I did this on a Series X)
Firstly, I download an app which is called “ADV File Explorer” on the Xbox Console. You can find it in the Microsoft Store. Then I download the ADV File Explorer (Full Trust) app which was provided within the main ADV File Explorer App. It should prompt you to download it at some point. I used this app to retrieve the world files which should be in this location:
Q:>Users>UserMgr1>AppData>Local>Packages>Microsoft.Minecraft>LocalState> games>com.mojang>minecraftWorlds
Note: “AppData” seems to have trouble being accessed on ADV File Explorer (Full Trust). To skip this and shortcut to “Local”, just select the white star icon on the left side menu of the screen within the app, then select “Local” in the box that appears next to the white star. Then continue to select the appropriate files to get to “minecraftWorlds”
Unless there is another way, unfortunately you have to go into the world folders that are random letters and/or numbers, and look at the world save pictures until you recognize a picture that matches the world you’re looking for. If the picture is not there, you could look at your Resource and/or Behavior Pack files and see if they match your world you’re looking for. Otherwise look at the properties of files like “level” and see if you can find a date on it anywhere below the “System.Date.Accessed” for reference.
After I found my world, I plugged a USB Flash Drive into the Xbox Console, then using ADV File Explorer (Full Trust) I found the USB Flash Drive in the app which was on the left side menu classified as “removable device”, or something along that name. Then I copied the world folder itself, then pasted it into the USB Flash Drive. After it said “100% complete” in the task bar, I unplugged the USB from the Xbox Console.
I then took the USB, and plugged it into my PC. Then I took the world folder out of the USB on the PC, then copied it, then put it into my Minecraft Bedrock world files which you can find by looking up how to do so on the Web.
I then loaded up Minecraft Bedrock on PC, and the world was there ready to go. It loaded as an older save, but better than nothing.
Then I uploaded the world to Realms by selecting “replace” on a Realms world slot on the PC. After it uploaded to Realms on the PC, I downloaded it off of Realms using my Xbox Console. Afterwards, the download completed, and the world was back on my Xbox without the need to sync it.
The point of me doing this was to dodge the syncing error entirely by downloading it off of Realms since the world is technically already on the Xbox, therefore creating a fresh copy of the world. Hopefully this works for someone other than me.
The syncing error “Failed To Sync World Data” happened to me after uninstalling Minecraft. When I reinstalled the game, I find my worlds greyed out, and settings reset as if I was a brand new user.
Oddly enough, most of the worlds (75MB at the most) sync correctly. However, my main world (about 667MB) does not sync, as well as older copies of it around the same size. The world in question does contain a few resource/behavior packs. Every world greyed out is in the local Minecraft world files as well.
My current platform is Xbox Series X. I tested this on an Xbox Series S as well. Here’s the difference between the two consoles attempting to sync the 667MB world:
Series X: The Xbox syncing message for the console appears hardly at all, but does not display a percentage for the progress when it does appear. Every other time, just the in-game syncing message for Minecraft appears, instead of the Xbox syncing message appearing with it.
Series S: The Xbox syncing message appears only once or sometimes twice in a day, along with the in-game syncing message for Minecraft, as well as a percentage on the completion of the sync. However, it takes an unusual amount of time to complete, (30-40+ minutes so far) and fails near the end of the syncing process.
I have attempted to upload the 667MB world to Realms using the “replace” button, but the “Failed To Sync World Data” message appears afterwards on either console.
In short, I encounter the in-game syncing error message every time I select the 667MB world on the Xbox Series X, and Series S consoles. This world is very important to me, and I’m so worried about future worlds having this issue. I’m just holding my breath hoping a fix comes soon. 😔
@Cael Hill, This one method I tried using ADV File Explorer on Xbox, for whatever reason, showed my older Minecraft worlds (that were deleted by me) still on my Xbox, and an older save of my current world that I couldn’t get to sync. If this doesn’t just work for me, it’s possible you could get your old worlds that were deleted back by transferring them to a USB Flash Drive using ADV File Explorer, then to a PC, and back on Xbox using Realms IF you wanted that. You may run into the same problem in the future though if you put it back on the console.
If that ends up working for you, (and it’s a big IF), or anyone else reading this, it could be a potential workaround. Again, I don’t see many up to date versions of the worlds, but it’s better to have an older save than nothing.
I put all the steps for me accessing these files in a few comments below. There are also guides on how to install the application on the web. You need the full trust version for the application to work.
Edit: If you have any world files you want to transfer from your USB Flash Drive when you’re on PC, you would definitely have to look up something like “how to access minecraftWorlds folder on MC Bedrock PC” since it’s not an obvious process. But once you find the location of them, copy the file off of the USB, and paste it into the world folder. Hopefully this helps!