Google Photos Backup Not Working? How to Get Your Photos Uploading Again

27 Aug 2026

Google Photos is designed to back up pictures and videos automatically, but when that process stops, it is not always obvious why.

The app may remain stuck on Preparing backup, show hundreds of items waiting, upload only when it is open or report that the backup is complete even though recent photos are missing online.

In most cases, the problem comes down to one of the following:

Backup has been disabled.
The wrong Google Account is selected.
Google Account storage is full.
The phone is restricting background activity.
The required device folders are not selected.
The internet connection is unstable.
A particular file cannot be uploaded.
The Google Photos app or phone software needs attention.

The important thing is not to start deleting photos or resetting the phone at random. Work through the checks in a sensible order and confirm that each picture is safely backed up before removing anything from the device.

First, Check the Backup Status

Open the Google Photos app and tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.

The message beneath your account should show a status such as:

Backup complete
Backing up
Preparing backup
Waiting for Wi-Fi
Backup is off
Account storage full
A number of items remaining

Tap the status for more detail.

Google recommends checking that Backup is enabled and that the correct Google Account has been selected before attempting more advanced troubleshooting.

1. Make Sure Backup Is Turned On

Open:

Google Photos > Profile picture > Photos settings > Backup

Confirm that Backup is enabled.

It can be switched off accidentally after:

Reinstalling the app
Changing phones
Signing into another account
Clearing app data
Restoring a device
Altering privacy settings

Turning Backup on should cause Google Photos to scan the device for eligible photos and videos.

Large libraries can take time to assess before uploading begins, so leave the phone connected to a reliable network while it prepares.

2. Check the Selected Google Account

Many people use more than one Google Account for work, personal email, school or family services. Google Photos may be backing up to a different account from the one you are checking on your computer.

Under:

Photos settings > Backup

Look at the account shown beneath Account and storage or Backup account, depending on your app version.

Then open Google Photos in a browser and sign in using that exact address.

Google Photos backs up to one Google Account at a time. Photos uploaded to another account will not automatically appear in the library you normally view.

3. Check Whether Your Google Storage Is Full

Each standard Google Account includes shared storage used by services including:

Google Photos
Google Drive
Gmail

When that allowance is full, new photos and videos cannot be backed up.

Google Photos may show:

Account storage full
Backup stopped
A warning beneath the profile picture
A list of items waiting to upload

Google also shows the amount of pending backup data that would be uploaded once sufficient space becomes available.

You can resolve this by:

Deleting genuinely unwanted items
Emptying the Gmail, Drive and Photos bins
Removing large files from Google Drive
Deleting emails with large attachments
Changing future uploads to Storage saver
Purchasing additional Google storage

Be careful when deleting through Google Photos. Deleting a synced picture from the app can also remove it from connected devices.

Do not delete your only copy simply to make room.

4. Confirm That Recent Photos Are Actually Missing Online

The Google Photos app shows both:

Images stored locally on the phone
Images already backed up to Google Photos

This means seeing a picture in the app does not necessarily prove that it has been uploaded.

Open the photo and swipe upwards or tap its information menu. Look for a message indicating whether it is:

Backed up
Waiting to back up
Stored only on the device
Not eligible for backup

You can also check from another device or through the Google Photos website. When the picture appears there, it has reached the cloud.

This is the safest verification method before using Free up space or deleting local files.

5. Check the Internet Connection

Google Photos needs a stable internet connection to upload reliably.

Try the following:

Open a website or stream a video to confirm the connection works.
Turn Wi-Fi off and on.
Move closer to the router.
Restart the router when other devices also have problems.
Test another trusted Wi-Fi network.
Temporarily test mobile data if your allowance permits it.

An internet connection can appear active while suffering from packet loss, weak signal or captive-portal restrictions.

Hotel, workplace and public Wi-Fi networks may require you to accept terms in a browser before apps can use the connection.

6. Check Mobile-Data Backup Settings

By default, Google Photos may wait for Wi-Fi to avoid using a large mobile-data allowance.

Open:

Google Photos > Profile picture > Photos settings > Backup > Mobile data usage

Depending on your device and app version, you may be able to control:

Whether photos can use mobile data
Whether videos can use mobile data
A daily mobile-data limit
Whether backups can continue while roaming

Video uploads can consume significant data. Avoid enabling unrestricted mobile backup unless you understand your network allowance and potential charges.

When the app says Waiting for Wi-Fi, it may simply be following the rules you selected.

7. Disable Data Saver During Testing

Android’s Data Saver can prevent or restrict background transfers.

Open the phone’s settings and search for:

Data Saver

Temporarily disable it and test Google Photos again.

Alternatively, allow Google Photos unrestricted data access. The exact route differs by manufacturer but may appear under:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Mobile data

Look for options such as:

Background data
Unrestricted data usage
Allow data while Data Saver is on

Do not disable every data-control feature permanently. First establish whether it is responsible.

8. Check Battery Restrictions

Some Android phones aggressively limit apps running in the background. Google Photos may therefore upload only while the app is open.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Battery

Choose a setting that permits background activity. The wording may include:

Unrestricted
Allow background activity
Not optimised
Do not restrict

Phone manufacturers may add their own controls, including:

Sleeping apps
Deep sleeping apps
Auto-launch management
Adaptive battery
Background usage limits
App power management

If backup starts whenever you open Google Photos but stops shortly after closing it, battery management is one of the strongest suspects.

9. Turn Off Battery Saver Temporarily

System-wide Battery Saver may reduce background activity and network transfers.

Disable Battery Saver, plug the phone into power and leave Google Photos open for several minutes.

When backup resumes, adjust the individual Google Photos battery setting rather than leaving all power-saving features disabled indefinitely.

On a very large first backup, keeping the phone charging can also prevent the process from pausing as the battery level falls.

10. Check Which Device Folders Are Included

Google Photos normally backs up the camera folder, but screenshots, downloaded images and photos from other apps may be stored elsewhere.

Open:

Google Photos > Profile picture > Photos settings > Backup > Back up device folders

Review folders such as:

Screenshots
WhatsApp Images
Downloads
Messenger
Instagram
Edited photos
Camera folders from third-party apps

Turn on only those that you genuinely want uploaded.

Google’s help documentation specifically recommends checking device-folder settings when pictures from particular apps or folders are missing.

Be cautious with messaging-app folders. They can contain large numbers of memes, duplicates and unwanted images that consume cloud storage.

11. Check Google Photos Permissions

Google Photos needs permission to access the photos and videos stored on your device.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Permissions

Make sure access to photos and videos is permitted.

On newer Android versions, you may have selected access to only certain pictures. That can prevent other images from being detected.

On an iPhone, open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Photos

Choose the appropriate access level. Limited access allows Google Photos to see only the images you selected.

Do not grant broader access than you are comfortable with, but understand that the app cannot back up files it is not permitted to read.

12. Keep the Google Photos App Open on iPhone

iOS places tighter controls on background activity than Android. A very large Google Photos backup may progress more reliably when:

Google Photos remains open
The iPhone is charging
The screen remains awake temporarily
The phone is connected to stable Wi-Fi
Low Power Mode is disabled
Background App Refresh is enabled

Open:

Settings > General > Background App Refresh

Confirm that it is enabled for Google Photos.

Also check:

Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode

Temporarily disable Low Power Mode during testing.

Do not leave the phone unattended with the display active for excessive periods. The purpose is to test whether iOS background restrictions are causing the delay.

13. Restart the Phone

Temporary operating-system or app problems can stop the upload queue.

Restart the device normally and reopen Google Photos.

After restarting:

Confirm the correct account is still selected.
Check that Backup remains enabled.
Connect to Wi-Fi.
Plug the phone into power.
Leave Google Photos open briefly.

A restart is unlikely to fix incorrect settings or full storage, but it can clear a stalled process.

14. Update Google Photos

Open the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and check for an update to Google Photos.

Updates can address:

Upload failures
Compatibility problems
Permission handling
Background-processing faults
Crashes
Problems introduced by phone updates

Also install available Android, Google Play system or iOS updates.

Restart the phone once updates have completed.

15. Clear the Google Photos Cache on Android

A damaged or oversized cache can contribute to strange app behaviour.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Storage and cache > Clear cache

Then reopen Google Photos.

Clearing the cache should not delete your photographs. It removes temporary app files that can be regenerated.

Do not select Clear storage or Clear data without understanding the difference. That resets the app and may require you to configure backup again.

16. Force Stop the App

On Android, you can restart the app process without rebooting the entire phone.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Force stop

Then reopen Google Photos and inspect the backup status.

Force stopping does not normally delete photos or account content.

This is useful when the app has remained stuck on the same item or status for a long time.

17. Identify a Photo or Video That Is Blocking the Queue

Sometimes one damaged, unsupported or unusually large file prevents smooth progress.

Google Photos supports common photo and video formats, but unsupported file types may not upload. Google advises checking the type and size of any file that fails to back up.

Look for:

A corrupted video
A partially downloaded image
A zero-byte file
An unusual camera format
A file created by an editing application
A video that never finished saving
A file stored on a failing memory card

Try opening the suspect file in another application. When it cannot be played or viewed locally, Google Photos may not be the underlying problem.

Move the file out of the camera folder temporarily and see whether the rest of the backup resumes.

18. Check File Sizes and Supported Formats

Google Photos applies limits to the files it can back up. Unsupported formats or files outside current size restrictions may be skipped.

Typical supported image formats include common types such as:

JPEG
PNG
WebP
HEIC or HEIF on compatible devices
Some RAW formats

Supported video types cover many common phone and camera formats, although compatibility can vary.

Do not repeatedly convert or recompress original media until you have preserved a safe copy.

When a specialist camera or editing application produced the file, export a standard JPEG or MP4 copy and test that version.

19. Check the Phone’s Local Storage

Google Photos uploads to cloud storage, but the app and operating system still need working space locally.

When the phone is almost completely full, it may struggle to:

Create thumbnails
Index new media
Process videos
Maintain app caches
Complete operating-system tasks
Download temporary data

Free some local space by safely removing:

Unused apps
Offline downloads
Old installation files
Duplicate exports
Cached media from streaming apps

Do not begin by deleting unverified photos.

Confirm that important media has backed up before removing it from the device.

20. Check the SD Card

On Android phones that use a microSD card, a failing or slow card can cause missing files and stalled backups.

Possible warning signs include:

Photos disappearing and reappearing
Files that cannot be opened
Camera errors
Very slow gallery loading
The card disconnecting unexpectedly
Corrupted thumbnails
Google Photos repeatedly scanning the same files

Copy important content from the card to another device as soon as possible.

Do not format a card containing the only copy of your photos.

A storage card problem must be resolved before cloud backup can be considered reliable.

21. Check the Date and Time

Incorrect date or time settings can affect account authentication, network services and the order in which photos appear.

Open:

Settings > System > Date and time

Enable automatic date, time and time zone where appropriate.

A photo with incorrect camera metadata may also appear much earlier in the library, making it seem missing.

Search by the image’s subject or browse around the date stored in its information panel.

22. Disable a VPN Temporarily

Some VPN, firewall, filtering or security applications can interrupt large background uploads.

Temporarily disconnect the VPN and test again.

When backup resumes, review the VPN application for:

Split tunnelling
Trusted Wi-Fi rules
Background-data restrictions
Google Photos exclusions
DNS filtering
Local-network access

Do not remove employer-managed security software from a work device without approval.

23. Check Whether Another Backup App Is Interfering

Phones may have several services monitoring the same camera folder, including:

Google Photos
OneDrive
Dropbox
Amazon Photos
A manufacturer’s cloud service
A work backup application

Running several simultaneous uploads can increase battery use, data consumption and file activity.

Pause the other services temporarily and test Google Photos by itself.

This does not necessarily mean that multiple backup services cannot coexist. It simply helps identify whether another app is creating temporary files, moving images or exhausting available bandwidth.

24. Clear Google Photos Storage Only as a Later Step

On Android, clearing app storage resets Google Photos locally.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Storage and cache > Clear storage

You will normally need to:

Reopen the app
Sign in or confirm the account
Re-enable Backup
Re-select device folders
Wait for the library to be scanned again

Cloud-backed photos should remain in the Google Account, and locally stored photos should remain on the device. However, you should still verify your files before performing any reset.

Take screenshots of the current settings first.

25. Reinstall Google Photos on iPhone

On an iPhone, removing and reinstalling the application can correct damaged app data.

Before doing so:

Confirm that local pictures are visible in Apple Photos.
Confirm which Google Account is being used.
Check backed-up pictures through a browser.
Record the current backup settings.

After reinstalling, grant the required photo permissions and select the correct account.

The app may need time to rescan the entire photo library even though many items are already online.

26. Do Not Keep Switching Backup Off and On

Repeatedly toggling Backup can force the app to reassess the library and make progress appear inconsistent.

Turn it off and back on once if you are correcting a setting, but avoid doing so every few minutes.

Leave the app enough time to:

Scan the media library
Compare local items with cloud items
Prepare previews
Begin uploading

A library containing tens of thousands of items can take considerable time to reconcile.

27. Understand “Preparing Backup”

Preparing backup does not necessarily mean that the app is frozen.

Google Photos may be:

Scanning the device
Checking which items already exist online
Reading a large video
Waiting for a network condition
Processing changes to device folders
Rebuilding its local database

However, when the status does not change for many hours under good conditions, try:

Checking account storage
Confirming the internet connection
Connecting the phone to power
Restarting the app
Restarting the phone
Updating Google Photos
Checking for a corrupt file
Clearing the Android cache

28. Understand “Backup Complete”

Backup complete refers to the folders and items Google Photos is currently configured and permitted to back up.

It does not necessarily mean:

Every image on the phone is included
Every messaging folder is selected
Files in inaccessible storage were uploaded
Another Google Account contains no additional pictures
The device has no unsupported files

When expected pictures are missing, check their individual backup status and the device-folder settings.

29. Do Not Confuse Archive, Locked Folder and Bin

A photo may have been uploaded but moved somewhere other than the main gallery.

Check:

Archive
Bin or Trash
Locked Folder
Recently added
The correct Google Account
Shared albums

A backed-up photo deleted from Google Photos normally remains in the bin temporarily before permanent deletion.

Locked Folder backup behaviour depends on your configuration and app version. Review its settings separately rather than assuming those files are included in the standard backup.

30. Be Careful With “Free Up Space”

The Free up space feature removes local copies that Google Photos believes have already been backed up.

It can be useful, but use it only after confirming:

The correct account is selected.
Backup reports complete.
Recent photos appear through a web browser.
Important albums are accessible.
You understand that local copies will be removed.

Google Photos will still display cloud copies in the app, which can make it easy to forget that the originals are no longer physically stored on the phone.

For irreplaceable family or business images, keep another independent backup as well.

A Safe Troubleshooting Order

Work through the problem in this sequence:

Check the backup status.
Confirm Backup is enabled.
Confirm the correct Google Account.
Check available Google storage.
Confirm that the missing item is not already online.
Test a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Review mobile-data settings.
Check photo permissions.
Select the required device folders.
Disable Battery Saver and Data Saver temporarily.
Allow background activity.
Restart the app and phone.
Update Google Photos and the operating system.
Clear the app cache on Android.
Look for a damaged or unsupported file.
Check local storage and any SD card.
Test without a VPN or competing backup app.
Reset or reinstall Google Photos only if necessary.

This approach protects your data while moving from simple causes to more disruptive fixes.

When the Problem Is Probably the Account

Suspect an account or cloud-storage issue when:

The storage allowance is full.
Backup works after switching accounts.
Photos appear under another Google address.
Gmail or Drive also reports insufficient space.
Every device using the same account has stopped uploading.

When the Problem Is Probably the Phone

Suspect the device when:

Another phone backs up to the same account normally.
Uploads begin only when the app is open.
The device has very little free storage.
The SD card is producing errors.
Google Photos repeatedly crashes.
Battery or data controls are unusually aggressive.

When the Problem Is Probably the Network

Suspect the connection when:

Backup works on mobile data but not Wi-Fi.
It works on another Wi-Fi network.
Other cloud services are also slow.
The status repeatedly changes to waiting for connection.
The problem occurs only on a workplace, hotel or public network.

Backups Should Be Verified, Not Assumed

A backup is valuable only when you know that it completed and that the files can be retrieved.

Periodically:

Sign into Google Photos through a browser.
Check several recent images.
Open a few older photos and videos.
Confirm that the correct account is in use.
Review account storage.
Keep another copy of irreplaceable files.

Google Photos is convenient, but it should not be the only location holding important family photographs, business evidence or original creative work.

Get Google Photos Back on Track

When Google Photos stops backing up, the cause is usually a setting, storage limit, network rule or background restriction rather than permanent data loss.

Start by checking the selected account and cloud storage. Then review permissions, device folders, battery controls and connectivity. Avoid deleting anything until you have confirmed that another safe copy exists.

A methodical approach is slower than pressing reset, but it greatly reduces the risk of turning a backup problem into a data-loss problem.

Hamilton Group can help with cloud storage, mobile-device configuration, data protection and reliable backup strategies for individuals and businesses.

Call 0330 043 0069 or visit hgmssp.com to speak with one of our experts.

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