Here are the quick answers to what happens if you disconnect WhatsApp from Google Drive:
You stop backing up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive
The main purpose of connecting WhatsApp to Google Drive is to create backups of your WhatsApp chats. So if you disconnect the two, your chats will stop being backed up to Google Drive automatically. This means you won’t have any chat history stored externally if you lose your phone or need to reinstall WhatsApp.
Your existing backups remain in Google Drive
Disconnecting WhatsApp from Google Drive does not delete your existing backups. Any backups created when WhatsApp was still connected will remain safely stored in your Google Drive account. You just won’t create any new backups after disconnecting.
You lose access to features that rely on Google Drive backup
Some WhatsApp features rely on your chats being backed up to Google Drive. For example, if you get a new phone and want to transfer your chat history, you need to have a Drive backup. Other features like maintaining chat history when switching phones or restoring deleted chats also require a Drive backup. So disconnecting WhatsApp means losing access to these useful features.
Your chat media like photos will no longer be backed up
When WhatsApp is connected to Google Drive, not just your chats but also chat media like photos and videos get backed up. After disconnecting, any new media sent or received won’t be saved to your Drive storage anymore.
You may see constant backup notifications
Once you disconnect backup, WhatsApp will no longer know whether your chats are being safely stored externally. This causes it to regularly prompt you with notifications to backup chats manually. You can dismiss the notifications, but it could be annoying to see them constantly.
It frees up Google Drive storage used by WhatsApp
WhatsApp backups can take up a considerable amount of space in your Google Drive account. For example, a frequent WhatsApp user could have backups taking up over 1 GB of Drive space. Disconnecting WhatsApp frees up this space for you to use for other files and documents.
You lose access to WhatsApp on Web/Desktop without phone
To use WhatsApp Web or Desktop apps that mirror your phone’s chats, you need an active Google Drive backup of your chats. Without it, you cannot independently access WhatsApp from Web or Desktop if your phone is off or unreachable.
It stops using your Drive storage quota for backups
WhatsApp backups to Drive originally did not count against your Google Drive storage limit. But since 2020, they do take up your Drive quota. So disconnecting backup stops WhatsApp from eating into your available Drive storage.
You may see warnings about losing backup
When you go to disconnect WhatsApp backup in settings, it will show you warnings about losing your backup and chat history. This is simply to inform you of consequences and ensure you really want to disable backup.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Disconnecting stops new backups but existing backups remain
- You lose access to backup-reliant features like chat restore
- Your Drive storage used by WhatsApp is freed up
- You may constantly see backup prompts from WhatsApp
- Consider risks before disconnecting your chat backup
So disconnect WhatsApp from Google Drive backup only if you are sure you don’t need chat history and can deal with the consequences. For most users, keeping backup enabled is recommended.
How much Google Drive storage does WhatsApp use?
| WhatsApp User Type | Approx. Backup Size |
|---|---|
| Light user (texts only) | 100 MB |
| Moderate user (some media) | 500 MB |
| Heavy user (lots of media) | 1-2 GB |
As you can see from the table, lighter WhatsApp users may only have backups around 100 MB. But frequent users who exchange a lot of photos and videos could have backups up to 2 GB or more in size.
What happens to my existing WhatsApp backups if I disconnect?
Your existing WhatsApp backups in Google Drive remain untouched if you disconnect the app from Drive. The backups already created will still be available in your Drive storage and can be used to restore chats if needed. WhatsApp will just stop creating new backups after being disconnected.
Can I access my Drive backups after disconnecting WhatsApp?
Yes, you can still restore chats and media from existing WhatsApp backups in Google Drive even after disconnecting the app. Just re-connect WhatsApp to Drive temporarily to access the backup and restore it.
Will disconnecting WhatsApp delete my chat history?
No, disconnecting WhatsApp from Google Drive will not delete or wipe your current WhatsApp chat history on your phone. Your local on-device chats will remain intact. Only your chat history backups on Google Drive will stop being updated going forward.
Can I manually backup WhatsApp chats without Google Drive?
Even after disconnecting Drive backup, you can still manually create backups of your WhatsApp chats and media locally on your device storage. But this requires remembering to create new backups periodically before your chat history is overwritten.
Should I disable WhatsApp backup to save storage space?
If WhatsApp backups are taking up too much of your valuable Google Drive storage, you can consider disabling backup. But first try managing your backup size by excluding large videos or using a lower backup frequency. Disabling backup completely just to save storage space is generally not recommended.
What’s the best way to back up WhatsApp chats?
The best and easiest way to back up your WhatsApp chats is to enable automatic backups to Google Drive. This provides an external copy of your chats that is regularly updated, secured, and easy to restore from if needed. For most users, keeping Drive backup enabled is the recommended practice.
