Google Photos not backing up? 9 fixes for Android and iPhone

Google Photos is the main backup for millions of phones, so a backup that silently stops is a real risk: the next lost or broken phone could take months of photos with it. The good news is that the app usually tells you exactly why it stopped, in plain words, at the top of its account menu. Start by reading the status, then work through the fixes below for Android and iPhone.

What the backup status means

• Backup complete: everything selected is backed up. Missing photos are probably in a folder that is not selected.
• Waiting for Wi-Fi or Waiting for connection: backup is set to Wi-Fi only, or there is no internet.
• Backup paused: usually battery saver, Low Power Mode, or the app being restricted in the background.
• Storage full: your 15 GB of free Google storage, or your plan, is used up.
• Preparing backup or Getting ready: the app is scanning a large library. Leave it on Wi-Fi and a charger.
• Backup is off: turn it on in Photos settings › Backup.

How to fix Google Photos not backing up

Backing up to the right account?

If you have more than one Google account, such as personal and work, photos may be backing up to the other one. In Google Photos, tap your profile picture and check the account shown next to Backup. Then go to photos.google.com in a browser signed in to that same account. If your photos are there, nothing is lost; switch the backup account in Photos settings › Backup if you want new photos to go elsewhere.

Samsung and other Android phones

• On Samsung, go to Settings › Battery › Background usage limits and remove Photos from Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps.
• In Settings › Apps › Photos › Battery, choose Unrestricted so the app can back up in the background.
• Check that Data saver is off, or that Photos is allowed unrestricted data.
• If you use Samsung Gallery, photos still back up through Google Photos as long as they are in a selected folder such as Camera.

Google Photos on iPhone

iOS limits how long apps can run in the background, so Google Photos on iPhone backs up best when the app is open, on Wi-Fi and charging. Give it Full Access to photos and keep Background App Refresh on. If you also use iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage, many originals are only in iCloud, and Google Photos has to download each one before uploading it, which is slow and can stall. Leave the app open on Wi-Fi and charging overnight, or download originals to the iPhone first if you have the space. See what to do when iCloud storage is full.

Some folders or photos never back up

• Other apps’ folders on Android: WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Downloads and Screenshots folders are separate from Camera. Turn each one on in Photos settings › Backup › Back up device folders.
• Locked Folder: items you move there are hidden and are not backed up unless you turn on backup for the Locked Folder in its settings.
• Very large files: photos over 200 MB or 150 megapixels and videos over 10 GB are skipped.
• Unusual formats: some RAW files and formats from older cameras may not upload; Google Photos shows a message for each one it skips.

Backed up, but not on your other phone or computer

Photos backed up from one phone appear everywhere you sign in with the same Google account, but there can be a delay. Check you are signed in to the same account on the second device, pull down to refresh the Photos tab, and give large uploads time to finish processing. On a computer, photos.google.com shows exactly what is in the cloud; if a photo is there, it is safe, even if another device has not shown it yet.

Photos missing after resetting or switching phones

After a reset or a new phone, sign in to Google Photos with the same account you used before, and give it a few minutes to load the library. If an old phone used Free up space, its photos live only in the cloud now, so they appear on the new phone as soon as you sign in. If photos are truly missing, check Trash in Google Photos, where deleted items stay for up to 60 days, and the Archive section, where some photos may have been moved out of the main view.

Storage full: your options

• See what is using the space at one.google.com/storage; Gmail and Drive share the same 15 GB.
• Switch backup quality to Storage saver to slow down how fast your space fills.
• Delete large videos, screenshots and blurry shots you do not need; Google Photos can suggest them for you in its storage tools.
• Upgrade to a Google One plan, which can be shared with up to five family members.

Google Photos or the phone’s Google backup?

They are related but separate. The Android backup in Settings › System › Backup saves apps, settings, messages and call history, and on most phones it relies on Google Photos for pictures. If Google Photos backup is off, the device backup can say everything is fine while your photos are not protected at all. That is why it pays to check the status in the Photos app itself, not only the backup screen in Settings. See how to back up an Android phone for the full picture.

Backup is very slow

• The first backup of a large library can take days on a normal home connection; keep the phone on Wi-Fi and charging overnight for several nights.
• Original quality uploads take much longer than Storage saver.
• Videos, especially 4K ones, are the slowest part of any backup.
• Check your home upload speed with a quick speed test. Upload is often much slower than download.
• Avoid backing up over a VPN, which can slow uploads down a lot.

Make sure it stays working

Once a month, open Google Photos and tap your profile picture. The status should say Backup complete. If it does not, the reason is shown right there, and you can fix it before months of photos pile up. It is also worth opening photos.google.com on a computer every few months and scrolling to your most recent pictures, which confirms with your own eyes that the cloud copy is up to date.

Before you delete photos from the phone

Once backup works again, check that recent photos appear at photos.google.com before freeing space on the phone. Google Photos’ Free up space option only removes copies that are safely backed up, which is safer than deleting by hand. Remember that deleting a photo inside Google Photos removes it from the cloud too, after it sits in Trash for up to 60 days. See how to free up Android storage.