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WhatsApp

WhatsApp Restore Stuck at 69 Percent

When WhatsApp Android restore hangs at 69%, force-stop the app from system App info, reopen it, then recover media with a Media-folder copy if chats return alone.

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Last checked
Sep 23, 2026
Applies to
Android, Mobile
Fix status
Community Confirmed
Fastest useful check

Quick answer

Match WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) Android restore that hangs at exactly 69% while Restoring chats from a Google Drive or local backup, sometimes followed by Unable to restore your chats from this backup. When it stalls for several seconds, open system App info for WhatsApp, Force stop, then reopen so the chat database can finish. Chats often return; media may still need a copy of the old WhatsApp Media folder. Do not clear WhatsApp data mid-restore. This is not WhatsApp Desktop stuck on the WebView2 splash.

On this page

What we're seeing

  • The fingerprint is restore progress stuck at exactly 69% on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business Android, often during Google Drive chat restore after a phone move or forced re-verify.
  • Independent June 2025–April 2026 first-hand r/whatsapp reports quote the same 69% hang, including large Business backups and cases that later show Unable to restore your chats from this backup.
  • First-hand leftovers that unblocked chat restore include Force stop on WhatsApp from system App info right when the bar stalls at 69%, then reopen.
  • Force-stop alone often restores text chats while leaving media missing; first-hand reporters then copied the old WhatsApp Media folder onto the new phone and repeated the force-stop open path.
  • Clearing WhatsApp data mid-restore drops the in-progress backup session and is not the leftover for this guide.
  • This guide is not for WhatsApp Desktop Windows stuck on the startup splash with a broken Edge WebView2 runtime.

Start here

Try these first

Fix 1

Confirm the 69% restore hang

Community Confirmed

Match the exact percentage hang before force-stopping or copying media.

  1. Confirm WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on Android is restoring chats and the progress bar sits at 69% with no movement for several seconds.
  2. If the screen then offers Unable to restore your chats from this backup with an older-backup choice, stay on this guide.
  3. Stay on Wi‑Fi with enough free storage. Do not tap Skip until you have tried the force-stop leftover.

Applies to Android, Mobile

Fix 2

Force-stop WhatsApp when it stalls at 69%

Community Confirmed

June 2025–April 2026 first-hand r/whatsapp reports cleared the hang after Force stop from system App info at the stall, then reopening WhatsApp so chat restore finished.

  1. Let restore run until it clearly stalls at 69% for a few seconds.
  2. Open Android Settings → Apps → WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) → Force stop. Do not choose Clear storage or Clear data.
  3. Reopen WhatsApp from the launcher and allow chat restore to continue or finish.
  4. If chats appear but media is blank or broken, continue to the Media-folder leftover.

Applies to Android, Mobile

Fix 3

Copy the old WhatsApp Media folder

Community Confirmed

First-hand reporters who got chats back after force-stop but lost photos, videos, or documents recovered media by copying the prior WhatsApp Media folder onto the new phone, then repeating restore with the same force-stop when it hit 69% again.

  1. On the old phone (or a PC copy of it), locate the WhatsApp Media folder under WhatsApp storage.
  2. Copy that folder to the new phone into the matching WhatsApp Media path using USB, Quick Share, or another file transfer.
  3. Open WhatsApp again. If restore stalls at 69% once more, Force stop and reopen as above.
  4. Check a few chats for photos, voice notes, and documents before assuming media is complete.

Applies to Android, Mobile

Fix 4

Do not clear data mid-restore

Community Confirmed

Clearing WhatsApp data during an active restore drops the session that first-hand force-stop leftovers depend on.

  1. Avoid Clear storage / Clear data while a Google Drive or local restore is in progress.
  2. Prefer Force stop only. Reinstall only after you have exhausted force-stop and Media-folder leftovers and you still have access to the Drive backup.

Applies to Android, Mobile

Device notes

Android
This fingerprint is Android WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business with Google Drive or large local restore hanging at 69%.
Mobile
iPhone iCloud restore is outside this 69% Android hang path.
Desktop
WhatsApp Desktop WebView2 splash is a different guide.

Official information

Checked on 23 September 2026, first-hand r/whatsapp threads document restore stuck at 69% on WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business Android, with Force stop at the stall recovering chats and optional Media-folder copy recovering media. Meta Help does not publish a dedicated article that names only this exact 69% hang plus those leftovers.

Sources

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