Google Drive upload stuck at 0% or "Processing"
What you see: a web upload frozen at 0%, a video parked on "We're processing this video" for hours, or the desktop app showing sync errors like "Google Workspace storage is full" or "Files exceed bandwidth, upload, or download limits." Google's own fix order is below — and it deliberately starts with storage, because that's the most misdiagnosed cause.
The fast answer
Check drive.google.com/settings/storage. Full quota is the
most common cause and the easiest to confirm — "You can't upload new files or
images to Google Drive" when it hits the ceiling. Free up space (empty Trash
first — it counts), and note Google's warning that storage updates can take
48–72 hours to reflect.
Step 1 — Check and clear storage
- See usage at drive.google.com/settings/storage, or in the Drive app: Clean up space / Manage storage > Usage details.
- In the Google One storage manager, use Clean up by service (Photos / Drive / Gmail / Trash) > select items > Review > Delete.
- Empty Drive Trash — trashed files still count against quota until permanently deleted.
Step 2 — Web upload fixes (browser side)
- Clear the browser's cache and cookies.
- Use a supported browser — Google names "the 2 most recent versions of all major browsers" (Chrome recommended) — with cookies and JavaScript enabled.
- In Drive Settings, toggle Sync to edit offline off and back on.
- Check firewall/proxy settings and disable ad blockers for drive.google.com.
Step 3 — Restart Drive for desktop
If uploads stall in the desktop app: click the Drive icon in the taskbar/menu bar > Settings ⚙ > Quit, then reopen it. Most desktop stalls clear on a clean restart.
Step 4 — Disconnect and resync
The documented deeper fix: Settings ⚙ > Preferences > Advanced Settings > Disconnect account, then sign in again. One warning from Google's page: files sitting in the app's "Lost & Found" folder are deleted on disconnect — check it before you disconnect.
Step 5 — Reinstall, and leave the cleaners alone
Install the latest Drive for desktop over the old one, exclude it from antivirus scans, and avoid system-cleaning utilities — Google explicitly calls out cleaners (CCleaner-style tools) as a source of sync corruption.
You'll know it worked when
The upload progress bar completes, the file opens with no "Processing" banner (video processing can legitimately take a while for large files — stuck means hours with no change), and new files appear on drive.google.com within minutes.
Still broken?
Repeated "exceed bandwidth limits" errors on a personal account point to heavy short-term usage — they lift on their own after ~24 hours. For work or school accounts, your Workspace admin manages storage policies; persistent failures go to the Drive Help Community.
Out of quota more often than not?
If "storage full" keeps eating your uploads, a plan upgrade is cheaper than a monthly cleanup session — compare the tiers.
Compare storage plans →