Samsung Galaxy S20 users have two built-in options to back up their data: Samsung Cloud and Google Drive. 

This guide will focus on how to back up a Samsung Galaxy S20 to Google Drive. I will walk you through the process step by step to ensure your data is safely stored and can be easily restored when needed.

Note: The steps in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S20 model (S20, S20 Plus, S20 Fe, and S20 Ultra models.)

Editor’s note: I created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S20 running Android 13. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.

Before You Begin

Before you begin the backup process, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of:

1. Google Drive does not back up all types of files:
   
   It primarily backs up Apps, photos/videos, SMS, call history, contacts, device settings, and other Google account data (calendars, etc).
   
   This implies that files such as PDFs, documents, APK files, and other data that don’t fall into these categories won’t be backed up directly (you have to manually upload them later).
   
2. Google Drive has a storage limit:
   
   If you are not a paid user, Google Drive only allows 15GB of storage for you to back up files. If the size of your backup file exceeds this limit, you will need to purchase additional storage.
   
   Therefore, make sure to check the size of your backup file and the available space in your Google Drive before starting the backup process.

Alright. Now you are ready to start the backup process. Let’s begin with Step 01.

Step 01: Sign Into Your Preferred Google Account

To begin the backup process, you need to be signed into the Google account where you want your Samsung Galaxy S20 data to be stored. If you’re currently signed into a different account, you’ll need to add your preferred account to your device first. 

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select “Accounts and backup”.

3. Tap on “Manage Accounts”.

4. If your preferred Google account is not listed, tap on “Add account”.

5. Select “Google” from the list of account types.

6. Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Once you have followed the instructions above, your preferred Google account should now be added to your Samsung Galaxy S20.

Step 02: Start the Back-Up Process

Once you have verified that the desired Google account is added to your Galaxy S20, you can proceed to start the backup process. 

I highly recommend using an unmetered WiFi network instead of Mobile data or metered WiFi connection, as the backup process can consume a significant amount of data from your mobile plan.

Follow the instructions below to start the backup to Google Drive:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Accounts and backup”.
3. Under the “Google Drive” section, tap on “Back up data”.

4. Now you will be asked to select the Google account you want the data to be backed up. Select your desired account and then you will be redirected to the Google Drive backup section. On there, you can tap on Back up all to start the backup.

This process may take some time depending on the amount of data and the speed of your internet connection. Make sure to keep your phone connected to the internet until the backup is complete.

How to Restore Data From Google Backup

Restoring data from a Google Drive backup is equally as important as creating the backup. If you’ve lost your data or if you’ve reset your Samsung Galaxy S20, here’s how you can restore your data using the Google Drive backup:

1. Open the “Settings” app.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Accounts and backup”.
3. Under the ‘Google Drive’ section, tap on “Restore data”.
4. Select the Google account that you used for the backup.
5. You will see a list of data types that you can restore. Select the ones you need or tap “Select all” to restore everything.
6. Tap “Restore” at the bottom. Your Samsung Galaxy S20 will start to download and restore the data.

The restoration process will take some time depending on the amount of data and the speed of your internet connection. Connect your device to a power source during this process to prevent any interruptions due to low battery.