When a GoodSync job connects to Microsoft OneDrive, Office 365, or SharePoint, Microsoft may temporarily limit the number of requests that can be processed. This is known as rate limiting or throttling.
Throttling is controlled by Microsoft and is used to protect Microsoft 365 services from excessive activity. It does not normally indicate a problem with your GoodSync license, account password, or job configuration.
Error message
You may see an error similar to the following:
Rate Limit, Throttled by Microsoft (retry-after:5): Server says: Too Many Requests (status code 429) [activityLimitReached] The request has been throttled
You may also see one of these related Microsoft errors:
- 429 Too Many Requests: Microsoft received more requests than it currently permits.
- 503 Service Unavailable or Server Too Busy: The Microsoft service is temporarily overloaded, unavailable, or continuing to restrict requests.
What the error means
Microsoft applies usage limits to requests made by users, applications, and Microsoft 365 tenants. Throttling can occur when a job processes a large number of files, sends many requests within a short period, or runs alongside other applications using the same Microsoft account or tenant.
The retry-after value is returned by Microsoft and indicates how many seconds the application should wait before making another request. For example, retry-after:5 means Microsoft requested a wait of at least five seconds before retrying.
If requests continue while Microsoft is enforcing the limit, the throttling period may be extended. Persistent or excessive activity can also result in repeated 503 responses.
Recommended steps
1. Allow GoodSync more time to reconnect
Increasing the reconnect period gives GoodSync more time to retry the operation before the job is declared failed.
- Select the affected GoodSync job.
- Click Job > Options.
- Select Speed/Limits.
- Locate Total seconds for Reconnect attempts.
- Increase the value above the default of 120 seconds. For recurring throttling, a value such as 600 seconds can provide Microsoft more time to remove the temporary restriction.
- Click Save to apply the change.
Important: Increasing this value does not raise or remove Microsoft's usage limit. It allows GoodSync to continue reconnect attempts for a longer period before failing the job.
For more information, see Total seconds for Reconnect attempts.
2. Reduce the number of parallel threads
Multiple parallel threads send more simultaneous requests to Microsoft. Reducing the thread count can lower request volume and help prevent repeated throttling.
- Select the affected GoodSync job.
- Click Job > Options.
- Select Speed/Limits.
- Locate Run Parallel Threads in Sync, this many.
- Reduce the current value. If throttling continues, set the job to 1 thread, or clear the option to run the Sync sequentially.
- Click Save to apply the change.
Note: Reducing parallel threads may make the job take longer, but it decreases the number of simultaneous requests sent to Microsoft.
For more information, see Run Parallel Threads in Sync, this many.
3. Divide large datasets and stagger the job schedules
If one job processes a very large dataset, divide the data into multiple GoodSync jobs using separate, non-overlapping folders. Schedule each job to run at a different time so that only one job is actively accessing the Microsoft account or tenant whenever possible.
Important: Do not run all of the smaller jobs at the same time. Simultaneous jobs can increase Microsoft API activity and cause additional throttling.
4. Run large jobs during off-peak hours
Schedule large Analyze and Sync operations during nights or weekends for the region in which your Microsoft 365 tenant is hosted. Microsoft reports that throttling and performance slowdowns are more likely during peak usage periods.
5. Reduce competing Microsoft 365 activity
Other GoodSync jobs, the Microsoft OneDrive Sync client, migration tools, backup applications, security scans, and other services may use the same Microsoft account or tenant limits. When possible, pause or reschedule these processes so they do not overlap with the affected GoodSync job.
What to do while the job is being throttled
- Allow GoodSync time to retry the request.
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Avoid repeatedly stopping and immediately restarting the job.
- Additional requests may extend the throttling period.
- If the job fails after its reconnect period is exhausted, wait before running it again.
- Use a lower thread count and a staggered schedule before the next attempt.
If the error continues
If 429 or 503 errors continue after the changes above:
- Set the affected job to a single Sync thread.
- Temporarily stop other jobs and applications accessing the same Microsoft account or tenant.
- Run the job again during off-peak hours.
- Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to review the Service health page and Message center for Microsoft service incidents or notices concerning restricted application activity.
- If assistance is still needed, open GoodSync and select Help > Contact Support. Include the affected job logs and the approximate time when the throttling occurred.
GoodSync cannot remove or increase a rate limit enforced by Microsoft. However, GoodSync Support can review the job configuration and logs to help reduce the request rate and improve retry behavior.