How to Fix Google Back Up and Sync – 7 Best Ways

Google Drive comes pre-installed on most modern Android phones. This is no surprise because Google Drive is one of the most reliable cloud storage solutions. Add in the free 15GB data storage capacity and you’ve got billions of happy users. But sometimes, it can also experience minor problems so here are the 6 best ways on how to fix Google back up and sync.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

How to Fix Google Back Up and Sync

1. Restart Your Phone
2. Check Your Internet Connection
3. Sign Out and Sign In of Your Google Account
4. Update the Google Drive App
5. Clear Google Drive’s Cache
6. Use Google Drive Through Your Web Browser
7. Reinstall Google Drive

Key Takeaway

How to Fix Google Back Up and Sync

1. Restart Your Phone

Before any other solutions, you should try the classic “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” solution. This has been a staple solution to all kinds of tech problems. 

It’ll help remove any temporary glitches and bugs on your system. It’ll also help free up some of your RAM so your phone will perform better.

Take this time to restart your internet modem as well.

2. Check Your Internet Connection

This is the simplest problem to identify and resolve because all you need to do is check your device’s internet connection.

One of the most obvious reasons why your Google Drive is not backing up or syncing is that it’s not connected to the internet. Google Drive is an online service so it won’t work if your connection is unstable or poor. Knowing how to solve internet connectivity problems on Android should do the trick.

To check for your internet speed on your Android phone, follow these steps:

1. Open your phone’s browser.

2. Go to speedtest.net. This will take you to a free speed test website.

3. Once the website has fully loaded, tap on the button that says GO. This will initiate the speed test.

4. Once the process is finished, you’ll be able to see the quality of your internet connection.

If you see that your internet connection isn’t that great, then maybe you can consider using your mobile data. To enable backup and sync on mobile data, here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Tap on your Drive app to launch it.

2. Tap on the hamburger icon. This is the 3 lines icon located at the top left of your screen.

3. Tap on Settings to open more options.

4. Scroll down until you see Transfer files only over WiFi. There’s a toggle right next to this option. Tap on the toggle to disable or enable it.

It’s important to note that your backup and sync won’t work if you’re using mobile data and you don’t do this process. Google has integrated this feature to avoid accidentally using data. 

3. Sign Out and Sign In of Your Google Account

A lot of users have reported that the problem is solved after signing out and signing back into their accounts. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Tap on the Settings of your phone.

2. Scroll down until you find Accounts.

3. Tap on the Google Account that you want to sign out of.

4. Tap on the Remove account to log out of your Google Account.

This would work for most users but some devices need a little more attention. If that’s the case, then here’s a guide on 2 ways to remove devices from Google. This process is like signing out of your Google account. The difference is that in this process, you’ll be removing your device from the registered devices on your Google account.

4. Update the Google Drive App

Not updating your Google Drive app can cause it to not work properly. Developers are constantly working towards making the app better and fixing bugs. As a result, having an outdated app can mean that you have bugs that are causing the problems.

To update your Google Drive app, here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Tap on your Play Store app to launch it.

2. Tap on your Menu icon. It’s represented by your picture of your Google Account.

3. Tap on Manage Apps and Device.

4. Tap on Updates available to see all the apps that need an update.

5. If you don’t see your Google Drive app on this list, then it means that your app is updated. If you do see it, simply tap on the Update.

If you don’t want to run into this problem again, you can always set your apps to update automatically. Learning how to make apps update automatically on your Android phone is simple and easy.  

5. Clear Google Drive’s Cache

If left unchecked, the cache can accumulate quite a lot of data, taking up a significant portion of your storage. Aside from this, cached files can also become corrupted and overloaded over time. This, in turn, may cause performance issues.

This can be the case for your Google Drive app. To clear your cache, here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Tap on your phone’s Settings.

2. Scroll down until you find Apps or App manager and tap on it. In some Android phones, this can be hidden inside More settings.

3. Tap on Manage Apps.

4. Scroll down till you find Drive and tap on it.

5. Tap on Storage to open more options.

6. You will now be able to see the Cache and Clear cache button. Tap on the Clear cache button and you’re good to go.

You can now sign in back to your Google Drive and it should run more smoothly now.

6. Use Google Drive Through Your Web Browser

Sometimes, you need to use your Google Drive immediately but the syncing problem is getting in the way. In situations like these, you can try accessing Google Drive through your web browser.

But then, wouldn’t access it through your browser only direct you to the app again? Here’s how you can enable the desktop site option:

1. Tap on your Google Chrome browser or your preferred browser.

2. Tap on the Menu icon represented by three dots. It’s located at the top right of your screen.

3. You will see the Desktop site in the options. Tap on the check button to enable it.

After enabling this, you’ll be able to use your browser as if you’re using the desktop version of your browser. This will prevent your browser from directing you to the app when you try to access Google Drive.

It’s important to note that this isn’t exactly a solution to the Google backup and sync problem. It’s more of a temporary fix for when you really need to access Google Drive immediately.

7. Reinstall Google Drive

When all else has failed, it’s time to uninstall and reinstall your Google Drive. This will be like an overall reset for your application. It should get rid of all the bugs and glitches that the app has accumulated. 

Here’s how to uninstall your Google Drive:

1. Tap on your phone’s Settings.

2. Tap on Apps or App manager. Sometimes this can be hidden inside More settings. This depends on your device.

3. Tap on Manage Apps.

4. Scroll down until you find Google Drive. Tap on it to open more options.

5. Tap on Uninstall.

After uninstalling your app, simply go back to Play Store and reinstall it. This should be able to clear any problems that your Google Drive has with backup and syncing. 

Key Takeaway

Google Drive has been a staple and reliable cloud storage solution for years now. It’s no wonder that it’s currently one of the most popular cloud storage solutions. According to Axios, Google’s G Suite, which includes Google Drive, has now more than 2 billion active users.

It also comes pre-installed on most Android phones. It helps in backing up data and makes it easier to do so with automatic syncing. So it can be frustrating when your files don’t automatically back up and sync. Knowing how to fix Google back up and sync will help you solve this problem easily. 

Do you know any other effective ways to fix Google back up and sync? Tell us in the comments below!