WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, used by over 2 billion people worldwide. A great feature of WhatsApp is its chat backup system, which allows you to save your chat history to Google Drive. This means if you ever switch phones or lose your device, you can restore your chat history from the backup. However, sometimes this backup system does not seem to work properly and your chats are not getting backed up to Google Drive as expected.
Common reasons why WhatsApp chat backup is not working
There are a few common reasons why your WhatsApp chats may not be getting backed up to Google Drive:
- You don’t have enough storage space on Google Drive – WhatsApp backups take up space in your Google Drive storage, so if you are low on space, backups may fail.
- Your Google account is disconnected from WhatsApp – For backups to work, your WhatsApp account needs to remain linked to your Google account.
- Background data usage disabled – WhatsApp relies on background data to run backups, so if this is disabled, backups won’t happen.
- Automated backups turned off – Backups only run if you have enabled automated backups in WhatsApp settings.
- Network connectivity issues – Backups require an internet connection, so network problems can prevent successful backups.
If any of these issues are present, your WhatsApp chats will not be able to successfully back up to Google Drive. Let’s look at each of these common backup issues in more detail and how to fix them.
Not enough Google Drive storage space
One of the most common reasons for WhatsApp backup failure is not having enough free storage space in Google Drive. WhatsApp chat backups can take up a considerable amount of storage space, especially if you have long chat histories or large media files.
WhatsApp backups are limited to a maximum size of 2GB per account. So if you already have a lot of files stored in your Google Drive account, your backup may fail to complete properly once it hits that 2GB limit.
To check if storage space is an issue:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Check if you see a message saying “Backups take up space in Google Drive. When you are low on space, backups will stop working.”
If you do get this message, you will need to free up storage space on Google Drive for your backups to start working again. Here are some tips to free up space:
- Delete large files you no longer need from Google Drive
- Download and remove files to free up space
- Upgrade to a larger Google One paid storage plan
- Reduce the size of your WhatsApp media before backing up
Once you have freed up at least 2GB of space, you can try restarting your WhatsApp backup in the Chat Backup settings. The backup should now complete successfully.
Google account disconnected from WhatsApp
In order for WhatsApp chat backups to work properly, your WhatsApp account needs to remain connected to your Google Drive account. If this connection gets broken for any reason, your backups will stop working.
There are a couple of scenarios where the Google account can get disconnected from WhatsApp:
- You log out of your Google account associated with WhatsApp. This breaks the link between the accounts.
- You restore your WhatsApp account on a new device but don’t log into the paired Google account. WhatsApp gets disconnected from Google Drive.
To resolve this, you simply need to link your Google account back to WhatsApp:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap on “Back Up To Google Drive” and log into the Google account you want to use.
WhatsApp will re-verify your account and reconnect to Google Drive. Once reconnected, your backups should start working normally again.
Background data disabled
For timely automated backups, WhatsApp relies on being able to use background data even when you are not actively using the app. If background data usage has been disabled either on your phone or for WhatsApp specifically, chat backups will fail to run.
Here’s how to check if background data is disabled:
- Go to your phone Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Mobile Data.
- Check that “Allow background data usage” is enabled.
If it is disabled, simply turn on the “Allow background data usage” option to allow WhatsApp backups to run automatically again.
You can also check your overall device settings to make sure background data is enabled across all apps:
- Go to Settings > Data Usage
- Toggle on “Allow background data usage”
With background data enabled, your WhatsApp backups should start running automatically on the set schedule.
Automated backups disabled
WhatsApp gives you the option to turn on automated daily backups to Google Drive. This is enabled by default, but sometimes users may have disabled this setting, stopping all backups.
To check if automated backups are disabled:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Check if the “Auto Backup” option is disabled.
If auto backup is off, simply toggle it on to resume daily auto backups to Google Drive.
You can also customize the auto backup frequency and timing if needed in this menu. Make sure to choose a frequency like daily or weekly to automate your chat backups.
Network connectivity issues
Backing up your WhatsApp chats requires an active internet connection. Problems with your network connectivity can prevent the backup from completing properly.
Issues like weak Wi-Fi signal, mobile data network problems or using a VPN/proxy can all interfere with WhatsApp connecting to Google Drive to run backups.
To rule out network issues:
- Check that you have a stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
- Try disabling your VPN or proxy to see if backups work normally.
- Toggle airplane mode on and off to reset network settings.
Once you have an active, stable internet connection, your WhatsApp backups should be able to complete without any connectivity problems.
How to troubleshoot WhatsApp backup issues
If your WhatsApp chats are still not backing up even after addressing the common problems above, here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve backup issues:
- Force stop WhatsApp and clear app data/cache
- Unlink and re-link your Google account
- Check Google Drive settings and update backup frequency
- Update to latest WhatsApp version
- Toggle Wi-Fi, data and airplane mode OFF and ON
- Restart your phone
These troubleshooting steps help reset WhatsApp’s connection to Google Drive and get your backups working again in most cases. Be sure to also check for any WhatsApp notifications about backup failures for specific details on any errors.
How to verify WhatsApp backups are working
Once you’ve fixed any backup issues, you should verify that your WhatsApp chats are now backing up properly to Google Drive.
Here are a couple ways to confirm your backups:
- Last Backup date/time – In WhatsApp go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Check the “Last Backup” time shown here.
- Google Drive backup folder – Open Google Drive and look for the WhatsApp folder. This should show your chat backup files from WhatsApp if backups are working.
- Chat history loss – Try uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp. When prompted restore from backup, your full recent chat history should restore.
If you see new backups on Google Drive and can successfully restore chats after reinstalling WhatsApp, your backups are running as expected.
How to reduce WhatsApp backup size
WhatsApp backups can take up a large amount of Google Drive storage space, especially if you have long chat history or media files. Here are some tips to reduce WhatsApp backup size:
- Delete old chats you don’t need backed up
- Back up chats without media to save space
- Export and then delete large chat attachments
- Clear cached data and files in WhatsApp
- Enable Google Photos backup for media files
- Compress images/videos before sending in chats
Following these best practices will prevent your WhatsApp backup size from ballooning and ensure backups complete successfully.
Best practices for WhatsApp backup
To avoid issues with WhatsApp backups failing, follow these best practices:
- Enable auto backup on Wi-Fi to conserve data usage
- Perform manual backups before updating devices or OS
- Check backup status periodically in Settings
- Keep chats trimmed to reduce backup size
- Delete old device backups you don’t need
- Link Google account securely to prevent disconnections
Following these tips will help ensure your WhatsApp chat history is always backed up reliably to Google Drive.
WhatsApp backup: Conclusion
WhatsApp chat backups are an essential tool to safeguard your chat history. However, backups can fail for a number of reasons – from connectivity issues to low storage space.
By understanding the causes of backup failures and following troubleshooting steps, you can get your WhatsApp chats backing up successfully again.
Be sure to monitor your backups regularly and turn on auto backup in your settings for hassle-free backups. With a stable connection and sufficient Google Drive storage, you can rely on WhatsApp to keep your chats protected.