Mac mini desktop not syncing

Hi HeatherDracut,

Thanks for connecting with us here in Apple Support Communities. It appears that you may be using iCloud Drive to sync your desktop and documents. Let's make sure that everything is set up correctly. See: Use iCloud Drive to store documents on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Store your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click [your name] at the top of the sidebar. If you don’t see your name, click Sign in with your Apple ID to enter your Apple ID or to create one.

2. Click iCloud on the right, click iCloud Drive, then click Options.

3. If you don’t see Options, make sure iCloud Drive is turned on.

Select Desktop & Documents Folders.

4. Click Done.

After you select Desktop & Documents Folders, your Desktop and Documents folders are moved into iCloud Drive. They also appear in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar.

If that's set up correctly, then let's see if the issue happens in safe mode. This will help us determine if the issue is related to start up items on your Mac mini. See: How to use safe mode on your Mac

How to use safe mode

Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.

3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”

4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

Intel processor

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 

3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.

Kind regards.