WhatsApp Backup or Restore Not Working? Stuck Backups, Missing Chats and Errors

Does this match what you see?

• Your backup is stuck or keeps failing.
• Restoring chats is slow, stuck or fails with an error.
• Some photos, videos or chats didn’t come back.
• WhatsApp says you need more storage.
• Chats are missing after moving to a new phone.

iPhone & iPadAndroid

Based on WhatsApp Help “Can’t back up or restore your chat history” (Android and iPhone tabs), “How to back up your chat history”, “How to restore your chat history” and “Back Up or Restore Your Chats”, supplied by the site owner. WhatsApp says its own cloud storage is still being tested and may not be available to you yet.

Why this happens: the possible causes

Why backups and restores fail, according to WhatsApp (how common each is, is our estimate).

• An unstable internet connectionCheck this first

  WhatsApp says partial or incomplete backups can be caused by an unstable connection, and switching Wi-Fi networks can make a backup time out.

• Not enough storageCheck this first

  WhatsApp says low space on your phone, or a full cloud account, can stop backups and restores.

• A different number or cloud accountPossible

  WhatsApp says you must restore with the same phone number and cloud storage account you used to back up.

• The backup is old or was overwrittenPossible

  WhatsApp keeps only one backup per number, and each new one replaces the last.

• A corrupted backupLess likely

  WhatsApp says backups can be corrupted by an interrupted backup, force-closing WhatsApp, or corrupted files.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

How to restore your chats

1. Check a backup exists: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup. WhatsApp says you’ll see the time and size of your last backup.
2. iPhone with iCloud: go to iPhone Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Drive, turn on Sync this iPhone, and make sure WhatsApp is on under Apps Syncing to iCloud Drive.
3. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, and verify your phone number (on iPhone, also your Apple ID).
4. Tap Restore (Android) or Restore Chat History (iPhone). You may be asked to verify your identity with a code by text or call (if you haven’t turned on two-step verification or end-to-end encrypted backups).

• Don’t tap Skip if you want your old chats. WhatsApp says if another backup then happens, it replaces the old one with only the chats since you skipped.
• WhatsApp says you can’t restore an Android backup on an iPhone, or an iPhone backup on Android.
• WhatsApp says if your most recent backup is more than 120 days old, restoring may not be possible. On iPhone, it also says an account inactive for 120 days is deleted, and you’d have to register as a new user with no option to restore your backup.
• Your phone needs enough free space to restore. WhatsApp says if a restore fails because of storage, delete the app, free up space and try again.
• Messages sent or received after your latest backup can’t be restored, and videos only come back if Include videos was on.
• No backup? WhatsApp says you can still move chats to a new phone by transferring them from your old one. See WhatsApp chat transfer.

WhatsApp says you can’t back up or restore on linked devices such as WhatsApp Web, Mac or Windows. Use your phone.

How to back up your chats

WhatsApp says you need enough free space on your phone and a strong, stable internet connection. For a Google Account backup (Android), you also need Google Play services and enough space in your Google Account. For iCloud (iPhone), you need the latest iOS, enough iCloud storage, and free iPhone space for temporary files.

• Back up now: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Back up (Android) or Back up now (iPhone).
• Automatic backups, Android (Google Account): Chat backup > Back up, pick a schedule other than Never or Only when I tap “Back up”, then choose your Google Account.
• Automatic backups, iPhone (iCloud): Chat backup > Auto backup, then choose how often.
• Options: Include videos in chats backs up videos; on Android, Back up using cellular allows backups without Wi-Fi.

WhatsApp says backups can be large and use mobile data, so connect to Wi-Fi to avoid charges (Android). If you turn on an end-to-end encrypted backup (Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup, using a passkey, password or 64-digit key), remember your password or 64-digit key: WhatsApp says it’s the only way to access the backup later. On iPhone, WhatsApp says if you use WhatsApp cloud storage, you can’t also make an iCloud backup.

Backup or restore error messages

WhatsApp lists errors such as “Backup failed…”, “Waiting for Wi-Fi”, and “Couldn’t complete backup”. On Android it also lists “Unable to back up messages”, “This account already exists on your device” and “Unable to access your account at this time”. On iPhone it lists “Couldn’t restore your chat history” and messages saying WhatsApp is having trouble reading or recovering your chat history. For these, WhatsApp’s general steps are:

1. Check your storage: Android: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup. iPhone: your iPhone Settings.
2. Make sure you have an active internet connection.
3. Restart your phone, then restart WhatsApp and try again.
4. Android: review your storage use and delete media you don’t need.

Android: Google Account fixes

• Make sure WhatsApp’s Photos and videos permission is set to Allow.
• Go to Settings > Accounts > Manage accounts > your Google Account > Sync account > menu > Sync now, and let it finish.
• Go back, tap Remove account, then add it again in WhatsApp: Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Google Account.
• Our tip: for “Couldn’t complete backup. Tap to give WhatsApp permission to back up to Google storage”, tap the message and allow access.

iPhone: iCloud fixes

• Check your iCloud account has enough storage for the backup, and your iPhone has free space for temporary files.
• Update to the latest iOS and WhatsApp.
• Turn iCloud Drive off and on: Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Sync this iPhone. Check WhatsApp is on under Apps Syncing to iCloud Drive; if it is, turn it off and back on.
• Check you’re restoring with the same phone number and iCloud account the backup was made on.
• For an end-to-end encrypted backup, check you’re using the right password or 64-digit encryption key.
• Last resort: sign out of iCloud, restart your iPhone, sign back in and try again. WhatsApp says this can affect other apps, so only try it after everything else.

Forgot your encrypted backup password or key

WhatsApp says the password or 64-digit encryption key is the only way to open an end-to-end encrypted backup, and if you can’t remember it and can’t get into your WhatsApp chats, you won’t be able to access the backup. WhatsApp can’t reset it for you. You get five attempts, then have to wait before trying again.

If you still have WhatsApp working:

• Set a new password: on Android tap the menu > Settings, on iPhone tap Settings (or your profile picture), then Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup > Change password > I forgot my password, verify with your phone’s PIN, passkey, password or key, then create a new one.
• Or turn encryption off: on Android (Google Account), Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup > Turn Off, enter your Google Account password in the prompt > Next, then Turn Off > Done. On iPhone (iCloud), Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encryption > End-to-end encrypted backup > Turn off, verify with your PIN, passkey, password or key, then Turn off > Done. You can turn it back on any time.

WhatsApp says if you use WhatsApp without restoring, the old backup stays available to restore on another device, until you start backing up on a new device, which replaces it.

“Backup failed: You need more storage”

WhatsApp says this means you’ve gone over your storage limit. Free up space on your phone by deleting media or chats, or get more cloud storage if your cloud account is full.

• iPhone, “Free up space on your device to restore your media”: WhatsApp needs temporary space on your iPhone to download and unpack files. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and remove things you don’t need. WhatsApp says buying more iCloud or WhatsApp cloud storage doesn’t change how much space your iPhone needs.
• WhatsApp cloud storage (if you use it): WhatsApp says the free limit is 2 GB. If your plan expires, resubscribe or get your backup under the free 2 GB limit. If you cancel, WhatsApp keeps your backup, but new backups stop until you’re under 2 GB or resubscribe, and after 120 days without a successful backup, restoring may not be possible.

“Some files couldn’t be restored”

WhatsApp says to wait until restoring is complete before checking this, because media keeps arriving in the background. The reasons it gives are:

• Chats: no space on the phone, an old backup, a corrupted backup (which can happen if the old phone had little space or the backup was very large), or encryption problems.
• Media: no space on the phone, WhatsApp running out of time to restore, or encryption problems.

Chats still missing after restoring

WhatsApp says you most likely restored a backup that didn’t contain the missing chats. Because it keeps only one backup per number, there’s no way to restore an older backup. Don’t make a new backup while you’re trying to restore an older one, or it will be overwritten permanently.

If you’ve tried everything and still can’t restore, WhatsApp says the backup is most likely corrupted, and it can’t restore a corrupted backup for you or tell you why it happened. It says you may be able to recover chats with the chat transfer feature instead.

How to know it worked

• Your backup completes, or your chats and media are back on your phone.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Can’t get into WhatsApp to restore? See WhatsApp verification code not received.
2. Backup stuck because of your connection? See WhatsApp not connecting.

Frequently asked questions