How to Restore a Backup From Google Drive (Phone, Files, and WhatsApp)

The first time I clicked the Backups link on my Drive Storage page, I expected a folder full of files. Instead it opened a Google Dashboard card listing one phone backup and one WhatsApp backup, with no file to download. That’s when it clicked for me: a Google phone backup isn’t something you open in Drive.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to restore backup from Google Drive in the three ways people actually mean it: bringing a backup back onto an Android phone (and WhatsApp), getting deleted or older files back in Drive, and downloading everything as your own copy.

Check what’s in your backup before you reset anything

I tested all of this in a demo account for a made-up business, Bluebird Landscaping Co. On the Drive Storage page, the Backups link took me to Google Dashboard, then Android Backups. You can go straight there at myaccount.google.com/dashboard/android.

My card showed 1 Device Backup with 56 apps backed up, 1 WhatsApp Backup, and two buttons: Manage in Google One and Help Center.

Notice there’s no restore button here. This page only tells you a backup exists. The restore itself happens on the phone, which I’ll cover next.

There’s also a Delete all data button on that page. Don’t touch it. Google says it permanently deletes all device and WhatsApp backup data for the account.

Before a reset, make a fresh backup on the old phone. Open Settings, tap Google, then All services. Under Backup and restore, tap Backup, then Back up now. If backups are grayed out on a work phone, read why your admin may disable backups first.

One more thing to check: timing. Google says that if you don’t use a device for 57 days, its backed-up data is erased, except photos and videos. So an old phone sitting in a drawer for months may not have a backup anymore.

Restore a phone backup during setup, not from Drive

This is the part most people are looking for. You can’t pull an Android backup out of Drive and copy it to a phone. It comes back when you sign in to the phone with the same Google Account. Your regular Drive files are separate, and you can manage Google Drive sync on its own.

Here’s how it works on a new phone or one you just factory reset:

1. Turn the phone on and connect to Wi-Fi. A restore moves a lot of data, so skip mobile data if you can.
2. When setup asks for an account, sign in with the Google Account that made the backup.
3. Follow the on-screen steps and pick the backup you want. The exact screens depend on your phone’s maker.
4. Choose what to restore, then finish setup. The rest keeps going in the background.

Google says a restore can take up to 24 hours, so don’t panic if apps are still downloading at bedtime. Keep the phone plugged in and on Wi-Fi overnight.

A backup can bring back your apps and app data, call history, contacts, and device settings. It also covers SMS and MMS, RCS messages in Google Messages, and call settings and blocked numbers in Phone by Google.

Your photos and videos come back through Google Photos, since they were never part of the phone backup file. Some apps don’t back up all their own data, so a few may ask you to sign in again.

Can you skip the reset? Sometimes. Google says that if you add your Google Account to a phone that’s already set up, you’ll be offered the option to restore your previous backup for that account.

One hard limit: you can’t restore a backup from a newer Android version onto a phone running an older one. If you’re moving to a hand-me-down phone, update it before you start setup.

Restore WhatsApp chats through WhatsApp, not Google

The WhatsApp line on my dashboard card confused me at first. Google stores that backup, but it doesn’t restore it. Google’s Drive help says it can’t access or restore WhatsApp backups, so WhatsApp handles every step.

According to WhatsApp’s help, you need the same phone number that made the backup, and the phone must be signed in to the same Google Account. If you just want to send a file to someone, share Google Drive links on WhatsApp instead.

1. Install WhatsApp on the Android phone and open it.
2. Verify your phone number.
3. When WhatsApp finds the Google backup, tap Restore.
4. Wait for your chats to come back. Photos and videos restore after the chats.

WhatsApp only keeps your most recent backup, so you can’t pick an older one. Messages sent after that backup won’t come back. If you turned on end-to-end encrypted backup, you’ll need your password, 64-digit key, or passkey, and WhatsApp can’t reset it for you.

On iPhone, treat Google as a photo backup only

The Android backup I just described is for Android phones. I couldn’t find any Google help page that restores a whole iPhone from Drive, so I won’t pretend there’s a hidden button.

What Google apps can give an iPhone user is your Google Photos library and the files you keep in Drive. If that’s what you’re after, here’s how to save Drive photos to an iPhone in one go. For apps, messages, and settings, the iPhone’s own backup is the one to restore.

Get deleted files back from Trash within 30 days

Now for the second kind of restore: a file you deleted in Drive. Deleted files sit in Trash first, and Google deletes them forever after 30 days. The Trash page even says so in a banner at the top.

1. Go to drive.google.com and click Trash on the left.
2. Sort by Trashed date if you have a lot in there.
3. Right-click the file and click Restore.

I tested this with Job photo 2 – Riverside Cafe.jpg. I moved it to Trash, then right-clicked it there. The menu offered Open with, File information, Restore, and Delete forever.

After I clicked Restore, the photo went right back into its original folder. If you can’t remember where a file lived, here’s what to do when Google Drive files go missing.

Be careful with Delete forever and Empty trash, though. Those skip the 30-day window. Here’s how long Google Drive keeps deleted files, and what happens when you empty the Trash in Google Drive.

Roll back an uploaded file with Manage versions

Sometimes the file isn’t gone, it’s just wrong. Maybe someone uploaded a new copy of a price list over the good one. For PDFs, images, and other uploaded files, Drive keeps earlier versions.

In my demo Bluebird Landscaping folder, I right-clicked Spring 2026 Price List.pdf, pointed to File information, and clicked Manage versions.

The dialog lists every version with its upload time. Mine showed the current version from 11:54 AM, plus an Upload new version button at the top.

Read the note at the top carefully. Older versions may be deleted automatically after 30 days or after 100 versions are stored. To save one, open the More menu next to it and choose Keep forever. Kept versions count against your storage.

To get an older version back, click More next to it and choose Download, then upload that copy as a new version. If storage is tight, here’s how to reduce file size in Google Drive.

Use version history for Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides don’t use Manage versions. They have their own history. Open the file and click Last edit (Version history) at the top right. I walk through it in more detail in my guide to version history in Google Drive.

1. Pick an earlier version in the panel on the right to see who changed what.
2. Click Restore this version at the top.
3. Confirm with Restore.

In Sheets, restoring clears the cell-by-cell edit history for earlier changes, so make a copy first if you need it. You can also name a version you’ll want later, up to 40 per document and 15 per spreadsheet.

Keep your own copy with Google Takeout

The third meaning of backup is a copy you hold yourself. Google Takeout downloads your Drive files and other Google data as an archive. Here’s how it goes:

1. Go to takeout.google.com while signed in. Uncheck any products you don’t want, then click Next step.
2. Choose delivery: an email link, or add it to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.
3. Choose a one-time export, or scheduled exports every 2 months for one year.
4. Pick .zip (opens almost anywhere) or .tgz, and a maximum archive size. The 50GB option means fewer split files.
5. Wait for the email, then download your archive.

It can take a few minutes or a few days, depending on how much you have. Archives expire in about 7 days, and each can be downloaded 5 times. If you just need one folder, it may be easier to download Drive files without zipping.

My restore checklist

• Check Google Dashboard, then Android Backups, to confirm a backup exists before you reset.
• Tap Back up now on the old phone, and don’t wait more than 57 days to restore.
• Never click Delete all data on the backups page.
• Sign in with the same Google Account during setup, and give it up to 24 hours.
• For WhatsApp, use the same phone number and have your backup password ready.
• Restore deleted Drive files from Trash within 30 days.
• Use Manage versions for uploaded files and Keep forever for versions that matter.
• Run a Google Takeout export now and then for a copy you control.

If Drive is still giving you trouble, these might help

• Storage full but you can’t find the files
• Delete recent activity on Google Drive
• Fix Drive for desktop that won’t launch
• All Google Drive tutorials

Questions I get about this