Google Drive 'Upload failed' or stuck on 'Waiting to upload'? Why it happens, and the fix

Cause 1: Your Google storage is full

Google's storage help is blunt about this: when your storage is full, you won't be able to upload or create files in Drive. Gmail stops sending and receiving too, and Photos stops backing up. So if uploads fail and email has also gone quiet, this is almost certainly it.

The catch is that the storage is shared. Google says personal accounts get up to 15 GB of storage shared among Drive, Gmail and Photos, and WhatsApp backups count as well. Your Drive can look nearly empty while years of email attachments or phone photos have used up the space. Only files you own count, and anything in Trash or Spam keeps counting until you permanently delete it.

• Go to drive.google.com, signed in to the account you are uploading to, and click 'Storage' in the left-hand menu. Drive lists your files from largest to smallest.
• Delete what you don't need, then empty 'Trash' so the space is actually freed.
• Check backups and other services at one.google.com/storage/management.
• If you have more than one Google account, confirm which one is selected at the top right. Clearing space in the wrong account changes nothing.

Cause 2: The file is bigger than Drive allows

For ordinary files, Drive's limit is generous. Google's Drive help says all files other than Google Docs, Sheets and Slides can be up to 5 TB. In practice the real ceiling is your free storage: a 20 GB video will not fit in an account with 15 GB.

The limits are much lower when a file is converted into Google's own formats, which matters if your Drive converts uploads into Docs, Sheets or Slides. Google lists these limits:

• Documents: up to 1.02 million characters. A text document converted to Google Docs format can be up to 50 MB.
• Spreadsheets: up to 20 million cells or 100 MB for spreadsheets created in or converted to Google Sheets. Any cell with more than 50,000 characters is removed.
• Presentations: up to 100 MB for presentations converted to Google Slides.
• If a large Word, Excel or PowerPoint file fails, upload it as the original file without converting it, or split it into smaller files.

Cause 3: You hit the 750 GB daily upload limit

This one catches people backing up a whole drive of video or photos in one go. Google's Workspace help says each user can upload and copy 750 GB to Drive within 24 hours, and users who reach the 750 GB limit can't upload or copy more files until the limit refreshes, which happens within 24 hours.

Two details explain the odd pattern you may see. Only the first file that breaks the limit completes uploading, so one large file finishes and everything queued after it fails. And copying counts too: making copies of big files inside Drive uses the same 750 GB.

There is no setting that lifts it. Wait out the 24 hours and spread large uploads over several days. If you use Drive for desktop, Google's troubleshooting page says that when files exceed bandwidth, upload or download limits, the app retries automatically, and if a file still doesn't sync, you should wait a day and restart the app.

Cause 4: The connection dropped, or your phone is waiting for Wi-Fi

Google's help lists a weak connection as a common cause of connection errors and suggests trying a different network. Large uploads are the first thing to suffer when Wi-Fi drops for a few seconds or a laptop goes to sleep halfway through. On work and school networks, Google's Drive for desktop help also warns that certain firewall, proxy and other network settings may interfere with the app.

On a phone, 'Waiting to upload' is often a setting rather than a fault.

• Android: in the Drive app, open the menu at the top left, choose 'Settings', and under 'Data usage' check 'Transfer files only over Wi-Fi'. If it is on and you are on mobile data, the file waits for Wi-Fi. Google notes the option only appears when your device can use mobile data.
• iPhone and iPad: the Drive app lets you choose whether transfers use mobile data or only Wi-Fi. Also check that iOS has not turned mobile data off for the Google Drive app.
• Keep the laptop awake and plugged in for big uploads, and avoid switching networks until the upload panel shows the file as done.
• Try a different network, such as a phone hotspot. If the upload works there, the problem is the original network, not Drive.

Cause 5: The browser, an extension or an ad blocker is getting in the way

If uploads fail on drive.google.com but your storage and connection are fine, the browser is the next suspect. Google's 'Fix common issues' page says Drive can be used with the two most recent versions of all major browsers, and that cookies and JavaScript must be turned on. It also says virus scanning software and ad blockers on your computer can sometimes interfere with Drive files.

• Update your browser to its current version.
• Make sure cookies and JavaScript are turned on for drive.google.com.
• Clear your browser cache and cookies, then sign in and try the upload again.
• Try the upload in a private or incognito window, where most extensions don't run. If it works there, turn your extensions off and back on one at a time to find the one that blocks Drive. Google gives the same advice for download problems.
• Pause any ad blocker on drive.google.com, and if you use antivirus software with web or file scanning, try the upload with that scanning briefly paused.
• Try a different browser. If the file uploads there, the problem is the first browser's settings, not your account.

Cause 6: Drive for desktop can't read the file, or the name is the problem

If you upload by dropping files into the Google Drive folder on your computer, the app shows its own errors. Google's Drive for desktop troubleshooting page covers the common ones.

• 'Your computer won't allow you to sync files': the app needs read and write access. On Windows, right-click the file, choose 'Properties' and check the 'Security' tab. On macOS, use 'Get Info' and check 'Sharing and Permissions'.
• 'Your disk space is low or your storage is almost full': free space on the drive named in the message, then quit and restart Drive for desktop.
• Files that can't sync may be moved to a 'Lost and Found' folder. Google warns that if you disconnect your account, any files in 'Lost and Found' are lost, so copy them somewhere safe first.
• To restart the app, open its settings and choose 'Quit', then open Drive for desktop again.
• If antivirus software keeps stopping the app, Google suggests excluding Drive for desktop from its scans.
• If one file fails while others upload, rename it to something short with plain letters and numbers, move it out of any deeply nested folder, and close any program that has it open. Google's help pages don't list file name rules, but this quickly tells you whether the name or location is the problem.

Prevent it next time

Most upload failures are predictable, so a few habits stop them before they start.

• Check 'Storage' in Drive before a big upload, and remember Gmail and Photos share the same space.
• Keep big batches well under 750 GB a day, and spread a full backup over several days.
• Upload large files on a stable network, with the computer plugged in and set not to sleep.
• Leave office files in their original format when they are large, rather than converting them.
• If you upload a file with the same name as one already in that folder, Drive adds it as a new version of the existing file. Choose 'Keep both files' when Drive asks if you want two separate copies.

If you were only uploading to send it to someone

If the upload was just a way to get a file to another person, OneSol Send shares files up to 5 GB by link, the recipient doesn't need to sign in, and the file is kept for 3 days. You need a free OneSol account to send.