3 Ways to Fix Google Drive Waiting to Upload Error

Quick Tips

• Open the Google Drive app > Settings > disable Transfer file only over Wi-Fi.
• Open the Google Drive app > Settings > Clear cache. You can also go to App Info > Storage and cache > Clear cache.
• Reset the network settings on your iPhone or Android phone.

Basic Fixes

• Check Google Drive storage status: Check how much storage space is left in your Google Drive account.
• Force quit and relaunch: This will give the app a fresh start on your iPhone or Android phone.
• Update or reinstall Drive: Installing the latest version will remove any bugs or glitches from the app.
• Check Google Drive server status: Visit Downdetector to check the server status of Google Drive in your region.

Fix 1: Enable Uploads on Mobile Data

To save your precious mobile data, Google Drive provides a native setting that lets you choose to transfer files over Wi-Fi only. If this setting is enabled, no uploads will happen on mobile data. If you try to upload files on mobile data, an error will appear. That’s why you must disable this setting.

To do that, follow these steps:

Step 1: Tap on the three-bar menu at the top left of the Google Drive app.

Step 2: Tap on Settings. Here, turn off the toggle for Transfer files only over Wi-Fi. Then, retry uploading the files.

Fix 2: Clear Cache

Google Drive houses a built-in cache manager, which is different from the device cache on Android. You should clear both caches. Note that clearing the cache removes only temporary files without upsetting the Drive data. Here are the steps for both methods.

From the App

Open Google Drive > Settings > Clear cache.

From Device Settings

Open Google Drive app info > Storage and cache > Clear cache.

Fix 3: Reset Network Settings

If none of the solutions work, reset the network settings on your iPhone or Android. This will restore all network settings for mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth to default. Once done, try uploading files to Google Drive.