How to Delete WhatsApp Backup from Google Drive (2025 Guide)

If you're looking to free up Google Drive storage or you have privacy concerns about your chat history living in the cloud, you've come to the right place. Deleting your WhatsApp backup from Google Drive is a straightforward process, but it's important to understand the consequences before you do.

This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions to permanently delete WhatsApp backup from Google Drive using either a computer or your mobile phone.

Part 1. How to Delete WhatsApp Backup on a Computer (Desktop Method)

Using a desktop web browser is the most common way to manage your Google Drive app data. The process only takes a minute.

Step 1. Navigate to the Google Drive website at drive.google.com and sign in to the Google Account linked to your WhatsApp.
Step 2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. In the new window that appears, click on Manage Apps from the navigation list on the left side.
Step 4. Scroll through the list of applications until you find WhatsApp Messenger. Click the gray Options box to its right, and a small menu will appear.

Step 5.Select Delete hidden app data.
Step 6.A final confirmation window will pop up, warning you that deleting this data is permanent. Click the blue Delete button to finalize the process. Your WhatsApp backup is now gone from Google Drive.

Part 2. How to Delete WhatsApp Backup on Your Phone (Android & iOS)

You can also delete the backup directly from the Google Drive app on your phone. The steps are nearly identical for both Android and iOS devices.

Step 1. Open the Google Drive application on your phone.
Step 2. Tap the menu icon located in the top-left corner of the app.
Step 3. From the menu that slides out, select Backups. If you don't see it, you may need to scroll down.

Step 4. You will see your WhatsApp backup listed. Tap the three-dot icon next to it.
Step 5. From the options that appear at the bottom, tap Delete backup. A final confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap Delete again to permanently remove the backup.

Part 3. What Happens After You Delete the Backup

Before you delete your backup, you must understand two critical things.

• It is permanent and cannot be undone. Once you click the final delete button, your cloud backup is gone forever. There is no undo button and no way to recover it from Google's servers. Be absolutely sure you want to proceed.
• Your current chats on your phone are safe. Deleting the backup from Google Drive does not affect the chat history currently stored on your phone's internal memory. You will be able to open WhatsApp and see all your conversations as they were before. You are only removing the copy stored in the cloud.

Part 4. How to Stop WhatsApp from Backing Up to Google Drive

After deleting your old backup, you may want to prevent WhatsApp from creating new ones. You can do this from within the WhatsApp application.

Step 1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
Step 2. Tap on Chats, and then Chat backup.
Step 3. Under the Google Drive settings section, tap on Back up to Google Drive.
Step 4. Select Never from the list of options.

Part 5. Extra Tip: Alternatives to Google Drive for Backing Up WhatsApp Chats

If you've turned off Google Drive backups but still want a way to keep your chats safe, you have several excellent alternatives.

For iPhone Users: Use iCloud Backup or TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer

For those in the Apple ecosystem, the most direct alternative is iCloud. WhatsApp for iOS is designed to integrate seamlessly with it. You can enable this by going to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and configuring your backup schedule with iCloud.

Another option for iPhone users is to use the third-party backup tool, TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer. It allows you to back up your WhatsApp data to your PC in one click, saving storage space on your iCloud and iPhone. Apart from backing up WhatsApp data, this tool also give users an easy way to transfer WhatsApp chats between iOS devices, restore backups in one click, and export all the backups to PC local files. It is a powerful WhatsApp data manage tool.

For Android Users: Create a Local Backup

WhatsApp on Android automatically creates a local backup on your phone's internal storage every night. You can find these files in your phone's file manager under Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Databases. For extra security, you can connect your phone to a computer via USB and manually copy these database files to your PC.

Export Specific Chats via Email

If you only need to save a few important conversations, you can use the "Export Chat" feature. Inside a chat, tap the three-dot menu, select More > Export chat. This will create a .txt file of the conversation (with an option to include media) that you can email to yourself for archival purposes.

Part 6. FAQs about WhatsApp Backup on Google Drive

Part 7. Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully taken control of your WhatsApp data on Google Drive. Whether your goal was to protect your privacy, free up storage, or explore local backup solutions, you can now manage your backups with confidence.