How to Delete a WhatsApp Backup from Google Drive

Delete your old WhatsApp backups to free up space on your Google Drive

Last Updated: May 30, 2022 Tested

Do you need to delete your WhatsApp backup? Google Drive syncs your social accounts and chat history to the cloud, which is risky. Also, WhatsApp won’t restore data from a local backup if a Google Drive backup exists. Read on to learn how to delete the backup.

Steps

1
Visit Google Drive. Go to https://drive.google.com/ on a computer browser. If you open it via a mobile device, switch the web page to the desktop version.
2
Sign in with your Google Drive account.

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3
Go to Settings. Click the Cog icon on the upper-right panel and select Settings.
4
Click Manage Apps. Click Manage Apps on the left menu column. Then drag the slider to find WhatsApp Messenger.
5
Click Options. Click Options and choose Disconnect from Drive or Delete hidden app Data.
6
Confirm your operation. Click Delete to continue.

Community Q&A

Question

If I disconnect WhatsApp from my Google Drive, will the backup be deleted?

Community Answer

No, you would have to do the delete hidden app data option.
Question

I can't see the hidden app data in my options. What should I do?

Community Answer

It is located on the right hand menu under "Backups". Then right click and delete the Whatsapp backup item before disconnecting it.
Question

Can anyone read my WhatsApp message on Google Drive?

Community Answer

Yes, it can be accessed and read if your Google Drive password is compromised.