Solved: Upload Was Unsuccessful in Google Drive | 6 Ways

Got Upload was Unsuccessful Error in Google Drive

If you are stuck in this Google Drive upload was unsuccessful error message, don’t worry, here we will show you the causes and effective solutions to fix it quickly.

Why Upload was Unsuccessful in Google Drive?

Expect Google Drive unable to schedule 1 file for upload error, maybe you might get other upload failure errors, like being Unable to schedule 4 files for upload in Google Drive, no matter what message you received, you can find the below causes and troubleshoot then:

• Low available storage on your Android or other Phone devices.
• Rename or move some files while uploading to Google Drive so that Google Drive cannot find the files correctly, not to say sync them.
• Outdated Google Drive app. If you use the old version of the Google Drive app on your phone device, you might encounter the error that has been fixed in the new version of Google Drive.
• Improper sync settings. Files cannot be uploaded if you set up the wrong sync settings.
• Run out of Google Drive storage. If you upload files when Google Drive storage is full, Google Drive will stop syncing files.
• Too many Google Drive caches. You cannot sync files to Google Drive if there are too many Google Drive caches, you have to clear Google Drive caches.

6 Fixes to Upload was Unsuccessful in Google Drive on Phone

To solve upload unsuccessful in Google Drive, we conclude 6 proven ways for you with the step-by-step guide, which helps you to fix it quickly.

Way 1. Clear Phone Storage

Make sure you have enough spare space on your Android phone, at least the same free storage space as the file you want to upload. How to find your Android phone storage space? The steps may differ depending on the manufacturer.

Here is how to check your Phone storage and clear Phone storage if need be:

1. Please open your Phone Settings.

2. Check the Storage or About Phone section, and your available Phone storage will be listed, as well as the SD card if you have one.

Note: For Samsung phone devices, you have to go to Settings > Device Care or Device Maintenance to check.

3. (Optional) Please go to Settings > Apps > Select all apps > clean all unnecessary files for every app. Or you can just uninstall unused applications to clean up Phone storage.

Now, you should have fixed the upload was unsuccessful in Google Drive on Android phones.

Way 2. Clear Caches for Google Drive

As some users reflected that deleting Drive App data fix the issue. Generally, the Google Drive App data store some, like configuration files, etc. If you delete the Drive App data, it’s safe and it will not affect your data on Google Drive, it only removes local files that the app has done. Your data will still be safe on the cloud.

1. Please go to Settings > Apps > See All Apps.

2. Tap Google Drive > Storage & Cache > Clear storage > Delete.

3. Then sync files to Google Drive again on your phone to check if the problem is solved.

Way 3. Try the Files app to Upload Files to Google Drive

Sometimes you upload photos to Google Drive on your iPhone in Photos app, you will get the upload unsuccessful error in Google Drive. Here you can try the iPhone’s Files app to upload files to Google Drive instead of the Photos app.

Here are the steps to upload files to Google Drive with the Files app:

1. Please open the Files app, then go to the Browse tab.

2. Tap the more icon (three dots inside a circle) on the top right, then tap Edit.

3. Enable Google Drive to add an entry to the Files app, then click Done.

4. Then go to the Files app again, long-press the files, and select Move.

5. Choose Google Drive to save the files, and hit Copy to upload files to Google Drive.

Way 4. Update your Google Drive app

If your Google Drive app version is out of date, you can get the upload unsuccessful error in Google Drive while uploading files. So first please check your Google Drive version. If your Google Drive is the latest version, just go the next way. Or you have to update your Google Drive to the latest version to fix the upload was unsuccessful problem.

1. Please go to the Play Store app or App Store on your phone.

2. Tap the three-line menu. Open My Apps and Games.

3. Tap Update to download and install it if there is a Google Drive update version.

Way 5. Check Google Drive Sync Settings

If you set Google Drive to sync files only when WiFi is available, when you connect Internet via a data network, your Google Drive will not sync files. So you have to check your sync settings and set it up correctly:

1. Pleas open Google Drive on your phone and tap the three lines icon on the top left.

2. Then go to Settings > Data usage, then disable Transfer files only over Wi-Fi, and press OK to confirm.

Way 6. Delete unnecessary files in Google Drive

If your Google Drive storage is full and find Google Drive stopped syncing, you can do the following things to free up space for Google Drive:

1. Remove Google Drive duplicate files.

2. Empty Trash because all files located in Trash count towards the Google Drive storage.

3. Delete unnecessary files in Google Drive.

4. Remove files in Gmail and Photos due to both of them will use the Google Drive space.

It can take up to 48 hours from the time of deletion for your storage to update. 

2 Tips for Google Drive Upload was Unsuccessful

Hope the above solutions can help you fix the upload was unsuccessful in Google Drive. If you still have problems for you to upload files to Google Drive on your phone, here are 2 tips for you.

Tip 1. Upload files to Google Drive on Windows Computer

Compared with the phone, you can upload files to Google Drive on a Windows computer easily. Here you can try the free cloud backup service - CBackup to sync files to Google Drive directly.

Why choose CBackup to upload files instead of Drive for desktop? Here are some reasons:

CBackup provides more stable performance while Google Drive often reports errors, like Google Drive not syncing files, can’t launch Drive for desktop, Google Drive keeps crashing, etc.

CBackup allows you to upload files without any file size and transfer speed limitations while Google Drive is limited to 5TB per file.

CBackup can sync and backup files to mainstream clouds, like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.

CBackup offers a web app and a desktop app to meet different demands, just like Google Drive.

CBackup uses 256-bit AES encryption and an OAuth authorization system to safeguard your data.

Here is how to sync files to Google Drive quickly via CBackup:

1. Please download and install the CBackup desktop app, sign up, and sign in.

2. Tap the Storage tab > Google Drive > Authorize Now, and then follow the guide to complete authorization.

3. Select Sync > Sync PC to Public Cloud subsequently.

4. Choose the files you want to upload and select a Google Drive folder as the destination.

5. press the Start Sync button to bypass the upload unsuccessful in Google Drive.

Tip 2. Increase Google Drive Storage

If your Google Drive storage is full and there is nothing to delete, you can merge two or more Google Drive accounts or other clouds into one, then backup files to it. Here is how to increase Google Drive storage for free by merging Google Drive accounts via CBackup:

1. Hit Storage > + Add Cloud to add other Google Drive accounts.

2. Then hit + Add Combined Cloud.

3. Tick all Google Drive accounts and hit Next.

4. Choose Google Drive order and press Combine.

Now, you have increased Google Drive storage with a success. Now, you can enjoy the combined cloud by clicking Backup > Backup PC to Combine Cloud.

Besides, CBackup offers other useful features while protecting files online:

Offers 5GB free cloud storage of CBackup Cloud, which you can expand to 1TB or more.

Backup files to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, CBackup Cloud, Combined Cloud, and more.

Transfer one cloud to another directly without downloading and uploading again, saving your precious time.

The Verdict

Here we listed 6 solutions for you to fix upload unsuccessful in Google Drive, just try them one by one until you fix it. Besides, you have other 2 tips for reference. CBackup allows you to fix Google Drive upload failed problems as well.