Having your WhatsApp chats and media backed up can provide peace of mind in case you lose your phone or switch to a new device. However, sometimes the backup process can get stuck, leaving you unable to access your chat history. Thankfully, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and fix a stuck WhatsApp backup.
Quick Fixes to Try
If your WhatsApp backup is stuck, here are some quick things to try that may resolve the issue:
- Force close and reopen the WhatsApp app
- Restart your phone
- Check that you have enough free storage space on your phone
- Connect your phone to a power source if the battery is low
- Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp
- Clear the app cache and data for WhatsApp
Often, simple steps like closing and reopening the app, restarting your device, or ensuring you have enough free storage are enough to unstick a backup. If those don’t work, moving on to the advanced troubleshooting steps below may help.
Advanced Troubleshooting Steps
If quick fixes don’t get your backup moving again, here are some more advanced troubleshooting steps to try:
Check Your Internet Connection
Make sure that your phone is connected to a stable internet connection, either via WiFi or mobile data. Backups can get stuck if the connection drops out or is too slow. Try switching to a different network if needed.
Toggle Auto Backup Settings
Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and toggle the ‘Auto Backup’ option off, wait a few minutes, then toggle it back on. This may give the backup process a ‘fresh start.’
Change the Backup Frequency
In Chat Backup settings, change the frequency to back up your chats. For example, switch from ‘Daily’ to ‘Weekly’ backup. The next weekly backup may go through where daily backups are failing.
Check Storage Usage on Your Phone
Insufficient storage space can cause backup failures. Check your phone storage usage under Settings > Storage and free up space or expand it if needed. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 2GB of free phone storage.
Clear Cache and Data for WhatsApp
Wipe the app cache and data by going to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage > Clear Cache/Clear Data. This erases temporary files and resets the app to default.
Disable Battery Optimization
Some phones limit background app activity to save battery life. This can interfere with backups. Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp by going to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Battery > Optimize Battery Usage > All apps > WhatsApp > Don’t Optimize.
Unlink and Relink Google Drive
If you back up to Google Drive, try unlinking then relinking your Drive account in WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Backup account. Then trigger a manual backup.
Factory Reset Your Phone
As a last resort, a factory reset will wipe your device and potentially resolve any software issues causing backup problems. Remember to backup important data elsewhere before resetting.
Preventing Backup Issues
Following certain best practices can help avoid stuck backups in the future:
- Keep your phone software up to date
- Maintain adequate free storage space on your device
- Use a stable WiFi or mobile data connection for backups
- Adjust backup frequency to daily or weekly as needed
- Create reminders to manually trigger backups occasionally
- Limit notifications during backup windows to avoid interruption
- Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp
Recovering From a Failed Backup
If your chat history is lost due to a failed backup, there are a couple of options to try recovering it:
Restore From an Earlier Backup
If you have backups enabled, you may be able to restore chats from an earlier successful backup by uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp and restoring during setup. You’ll lose any chats since the last good backup.
Use a Chat History Extractor
Third-party apps like Dr.Fone and iMyFone can sometimes extract chat histories from Android and iOS devices and restore them to WhatsApp. Use reputable paid versions for best results.
Reach Out to Contacts
Let your WhatsApp contacts know you lost your chats and ask them to share recent media or conversations again where possible.
Conclusion
Stuck WhatsApp backups can be frustrating but are often fixable. Quick fixes like restarting your device and verifying internet connectivity can get things moving again. For persistent issues, toggling backup settings, freeing up storage, wiping app data, and disabling battery optimization may resolve backup failures. Avoid problems altogether by keeping software updated, maintaining free space, and using stable connections for backups. With some time and troubleshooting, your chat history should be preserved.