---
id: backups.why-is-my-first-cloud-backup-taking-hours
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/why-is-my-first-cloud-backup-taking-hours
category: "Backups & restore points"
subcategory: "Speed, progress and the first backup"
question: "Why is my first cloud backup taking hours — is it stuck?"
alt_questions:
  - "Is my cloud backup frozen?"
  - "backup stuck on Starting backup"
  - "cloud backup taking all day"
  - "first backup to Google Drive very slow"
  - "backup progress not moving cloud"
  - "Is my backup stuck?"
short_answer: "Almost certainly not. A first cloud backup uploads many small encrypted pieces with a small delay on each, so a large folder can take hours. It keeps working, resumes if interrupted, and the card says so."
tags: ["cloud", "slow", "first backup"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/how-do-i-read-backup-progress", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/what-happens-if-a-backup-is-interrupted"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why is my first cloud backup taking hours — is it stuck?

It's almost certainly not stuck. A first backup to a cloud destination uploads your files as many small encrypted pieces, and the cloud adds a little delay to each one, so the first full upload of a large folder can take a long time — potentially hours.

It keeps working in the background and resumes exactly where it left off if it's interrupted, or if you quit and reopen the app. While that first upload runs, the set shows a notice saying so, and the notice disappears once the first cloud version has been verified.

Check the progress line: if the uploaded amount keeps rising, it's making progress.