After changing your Notion workspace plan, you may notice that syncing stops working across devices. This happens because the authentication token associated with your workspace is invalidated when the plan changes. This article explains why the token breaks and provides the exact steps to re-authenticate your workspace and restore syncing.
Key Takeaways: Re-Auth Steps for Notion Sync After Plan Change
- Settings & Members > Workspace > Change Plan: Initiating a plan change triggers a token reset that can break sync.
- Log out and log back in on each device: Forces Notion to request a fresh authentication token from the server.
- Clear browser cache and cookies: Removes stale session data that may prevent the new token from being accepted.
Why a Plan Change Breaks Notion Sync
When you change your Notion workspace plan, the server invalidates the existing authentication token for that workspace. This token is a piece of data that proves your device is allowed to sync with the workspace. Once invalidated, any device still holding the old token will fail to sync. The failure can show as a persistent “Sync failed” error, missing updates, or a stale view of the database.
The token invalidation is a security measure. It prevents unauthorized access after a plan change, which may involve different permission levels or billing status. The desktop app, mobile app, and browser extension each store their own copy of the token. Therefore, you must re-authenticate on every device separately.
Plan Change Types That Trigger Token Invalidation
Not all plan changes cause sync issues. The following actions are known to invalidate tokens:
- Upgrading from Free to Plus or Business
- Downgrading from Business to Plus or Free
- Switching from monthly to annual billing
- Changing the workspace owner
- Adding or removing a payment method
Any of these actions triggers a server-side token reset. The device-side token remains unchanged until you log out and log back in.
Steps to Re-Authenticate and Restore Sync
Follow these steps on each device where Notion is installed. Do not skip the logout step — simply refreshing the app does not replace the token.
- Log out of Notion on the device
Open Notion. Click your profile picture or initials in the top-left corner. Select “Log out”. This removes the old token from the local storage. - Close Notion completely
On Windows, right-click the Notion icon in the system tray and choose “Quit”. On macOS, press Cmd+Q. This ensures no background process holds on to the old session. - Clear the app cache
On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to%AppData%\Notion\Cache. Delete all files inside the folder. On macOS, open Finder and go to~/Library/Caches/Notion. Delete the contents. This removes any cached data that might conflict with the new token. - Reopen Notion and log in
Launch Notion again. Enter your email address and password. If you use single sign-on, select the SSO option. After logging in, Notion fetches a new token from the server. - Verify sync status
Open any page in the workspace. Check the top-right corner for the sync indicator. It should show a green checkmark or the word “Synced”. If you see a red exclamation mark or “Sync failed”, repeat steps 1 through 4.
Browser Extension Re-Auth
If you use the Notion browser extension, you must re-authenticate it separately. Right-click the extension icon in the browser toolbar. Select “Manage extension” or “Options”. Look for a “Log out” or “Disconnect” button. Click it, then log back in with your credentials.
Mobile App Re-Auth
On iOS or Android, open the Notion app. Tap your profile icon in the top-left corner. Scroll down and tap “Log out”. Close the app completely by swiping it away from the recent apps list. Reopen the app and log in again.
If Notion Still Has Issues After Re-Auth
Sometimes re-authenticating is not enough. The following issues may persist and require additional steps.
Sync indicator shows “Offline” after re-auth
This usually means the device cannot reach the Notion servers. Check your internet connection. If you are behind a corporate firewall, ensure that notion.com and all subdomains are allowed. Also check that your system time is correct — an incorrect time can cause token validation to fail.
Multiple workspaces show stale data
If you belong to more than one workspace, each workspace has its own token. You must re-authenticate for each workspace individually. Log out of all workspaces by clicking the workspace switcher in the top-left corner and selecting “Log out of all workspaces”. Then log back in to each one.
Desktop app fails to sync after re-auth but web version works
This indicates a corrupted local installation. Uninstall Notion completely from your computer. On Windows, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Find Notion and click Uninstall. On macOS, drag the Notion app from the Applications folder to the Trash. Then reinstall Notion from the official website and log in again.
Notion Plan Change Sync Fix: Desktop vs Web vs Mobile
| Item | Desktop App | Web Version | Mobile App |
|---|---|---|---|
| Token storage | Local app data folder | Browser cookies and localStorage | App sandbox storage |
| Re-auth method | Log out from app menu | Log out from browser, clear cookies | Log out from profile menu |
| Cache clear location | %AppData%\Notion\Cache (Windows) or ~/Library/Caches/Notion (macOS) | Browser settings > Clear browsing data | App settings > Clear cache (iOS) or Settings > Apps > Notion > Storage > Clear cache (Android) |
| Sync indicator | Top-right corner of window | Top-right corner of browser tab | Top-right corner of screen |
After re-authenticating on all devices, your Notion workspace should sync normally. If you manage a team workspace, remind each member to re-authenticate their devices as well. For future plan changes, consider performing the change during a low-activity period to minimize disruption.