Uploading a WhatsApp backup to Google Drive can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of your backup and your internet connection speed. In most cases, a full WhatsApp backup should complete uploading in under an hour.
What factors affect WhatsApp backup upload time?
The time it takes to upload a WhatsApp backup depends on several key factors:
- Size of the backup – Larger backups with more data like photos and videos will take longer to upload.
- Internet connection speed – Faster internet speeds will allow backups to upload quicker.
- Network conditions – Factors like network congestion can slow upload speeds.
- Device performance – Older, low-end devices may upload backups slower.
- Number of files – Backups with more individual files and media will take longer.
- Google Drive quota space – Low Drive storage space can affect backup upload speed.
How big are WhatsApp backups?
WhatsApp backups vary in size depending on how much data you have in the app. Here are some typical WhatsApp backup sizes:
- Less than 100MB – For users with minimal WhatsApp data and usage.
- 100MB to 500MB – For average and moderately active users.
- 500MB to 1GB – For very active users with lots of media files.
- 1GB to 5GB – For extremely active users with years of WhatsApp data.
If your WhatsApp backup contains a lot of photos, videos and audio files shared over years of usage, it can balloon up to multiple GBs in size.
How long should a typical WhatsApp backup take to upload?
Here are estimated WhatsApp backup upload times based on common backup sizes and internet speeds:
| Backup Size | 50Mbps Internet | 10Mbps Internet | 2Mbps Internet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100MB | 1-2 minutes | 5-10 minutes | 25-40 minutes |
| 500MB | 5-10 minutes | 25-35 minutes | 2-3 hours |
| 1GB | 10-15 minutes | 45-60 minutes | 4-6 hours |
| 2GB | 20-30 minutes | 1.5-2 hours | 8-12 hours |
As you can see, at fast 50Mbps internet speeds, even large 2GB backups should upload in under 30 minutes. But at slow 2Mbps internet, backups over 1GB can take many hours to finish uploading.
Tips to speed up WhatsApp backup uploading
If your WhatsApp backups are taking a long time to upload, here are some tips to help speed up the process:
- Use a stronger WiFi or cellular data connection if available.
- Pause and resume the backup upload if you lose connectivity.
- Clear cache and close other apps using bandwidth.
- Try connecting your phone to a computer to upload via USB.
- Enable WhatsApp’s low data usage option.
- Delete old chats and media to reduce backup size.
- Schedule backups to upload overnight when idle.
- Consider using a third-party backup service for faster speeds.
Making backups smaller before uploading and using the fastest available network can significantly reduce WhatsApp backup upload times.
What happens if a WhatsApp backup gets interrupted?
If your WhatsApp backup upload gets interrupted due to bad connectivity or your phone battery dying, the upload will simply pause.
Once you restore network connectivity or phone power, open WhatsApp again and the backup will resume from where it left off.
WhatsApp is designed to be resilient to network disruptions during backup uploads. It will keep retrying to upload the backup data from the point of interruption.
However, if the interruption caused data corruption in the backup, WhatsApp may require you to redo the entire backup process.
Can you speed up WhatsApp backup restore?
Restoring a WhatsApp backup from Google Drive to your phone can also take some time, just like uploading. Here are some tips to speed up restore time:
- Use WiFi instead of mobile data for faster speeds.
- Temporarily pause other app activity on your device.
- Avoid using your phone during the restore process.
- Delete large files like videos before restoring to reduce size.
- Check for app updates to ensure optimal performance.
- Restart your phone before restoring for more RAM.
The fastest way to restore your WhatsApp backup is directly from a local file on your computer. But on mobile, the above tips can help reduce restore time.
Can I see WhatsApp backup status?
Yes, WhatsApp provides a backup status screen where you can view details on your most recent backup:
- Last backup date and time
- Backup size
- Included data types (chats, calls, photos, etc)
- Backup destination (Google Drive or Local)
To check your backup status in WhatsApp:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings
- Tap Chats > Chat Backup
- View the “Last Backup” section
Monitoring your last backup status is useful to confirm your chats and media are being properly stored.
Should I backup WhatsApp over WiFi or Mobile Data?
It’s generally recommended to backup and restore WhatsApp only when connected to a WiFi network, rather than mobile data.
Reasons it’s better to use WiFi include:
- Faster speeds – WiFi is much faster than mobile data for completing backup uploads and restores quickly.
- No data usage – WhatsApp backups can consume large amounts of mobile data which may result in overages.
- Battery efficiency – Uploading/downloading over WiFi uses less battery than mobile data.
- Data limits – Public WiFi hotspots often don’t have data limits.
Unless you have an unlimited mobile plan with excellent coverage, WiFi is ideal for WhatsApp backups.
How to reduce WhatsApp backup size
If your WhatsApp backups are too big, here are some ways to reduce their file size:
- Delete old chats you don’t need
- Remove media like photos, videos and audio files
- Use a third party app to compress your backup
- Export chats to a ZIP file to exclude media
- Disable backing up of very large video files
- Enable the low data usage setting in WhatsApp
Purging your chats and media, compressing the backup file, and optimizing WhatsApp settings can help shrink backups down to more manageable sizes for quicker uploading.
Is there a maximum WhatsApp backup size?
WhatsApp currently does not enforce any maximum file size limits for backups. However, Google Drive where backups are uploaded to does have storage quotas:
- 15GB free storage for all Google services
- Option to purchase up to 30TB of additional Drive storage
So while your WhatsApp backups can technically be as large as 30TB, you may run into the 15GB free Drive limit for combined storage of Gmail, Photos, Docs and other files.
The recommended maximum backup size is 2-3GB before you risk hitting Google Drive constraints. You can always buy more Drive storage if needed.
Do WhatsApp backups use my Google Drive storage?
Yes, any WhatsApp backups uploaded to Google Drive will use your overall Google Drive storage quota, including:
- 15GB free Drive storage
- Paid Drive storage upgrades up to 30TB
WhatsApp will reserve a portion of your Drive capacity exclusively for backups, so it won’t interfere with documents or other files.
You can check your overall Drive usage under Drive Settings to monitor available backup space. Compressing backups can help minimize storage footprint.
Can I password protect my WhatsApp backup?
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not currently offer the ability to password protect your backups natively.
However, there are some third party apps that claim to provide password protection for WhatsApp backups such as:
- LockMyPix
- Crypt7
- ChatLock
These apps may apply encryption, passwords, and other security measures to backups. But keep in mind this protection only works if restoring via that same third party app.
Otherwise, your Google Drive based WhatsApp backups remain accessible just with your Google account login. Adding two-factor authentication provides additional security.
Should I use WhatsApp or Google Drive backup?
WhatsApp gives you the option to backup your chats and data either to Google Drive or Local Storage on your device. Here’s a comparison:
| Google Drive Backup | Local Storage Backup | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity | Up to 30TB with paid Drive plans | Limited to your phone’s local storage |
| Automatic backups | Yes, configurable on WiFi | Requires manual backups |
| Remote accessibility | Yes, from any device | No, only on one device |
| Ease of migration | Simple to move between phones | Need local transfer between phones |
For most users, Google Drive backup is recommended for its automated backups, remote availability, and ease of restoring when switching devices.
How to create localized WhatsApp backups
If you need to create localized WhatsApp backups for multiple countries or languages, here are the steps:
- Install WhatsApp on a separate device for each locale.
- Use a SIM card and phone number local to each country.
- Set the device language to match each location.
- Create separate WhatsApp accounts and local contacts.
- Backup each localized WhatsApp instance to its own Google Drive.
This will generate distinct WhatsApp backups for each region that you can then restore to users in those specific countries.
Useful for global enterprises that need to segregate WhatsApp data by geography due to privacy and regulatory reasons.
What gets backed up in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp backups contain the following data from your account:
- Chat history and messages
- Media files – photos, videos, audio
- Contact names and numbers
- Call history
- Settings and preferences
- Group info and participants
- Stickers and emojis
Essentially all of your WhatsApp account data, settings, media and communications can be backed up for a complete restore later.
Account credentials like your mobile number are not included in the backup.
Conclusion
In summary, uploading a WhatsApp backup to Google Drive can take as little as a few minutes for small backups on fast connections, to several hours for large multi-GB backups on slower networks.
There are many factors like internet speed, backup size, device performance and network conditions that influence upload time.
Strategies like only backing up on WiFi, disabling media backups, deleting old data, and compressing backups can help speed up the process. With optimal settings and connectivity, most users should be able to complete a full WhatsApp backup in under an hour.