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How to Restore WhatsApp Messages: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Supriya Bajaj

Senior Writer:

green tickReading Time: 5 Minutes
green tickPublished : May 10, 2024

Losing important WhatsApp messages can be a frustrating experience, especially if they contain valuable conversations, media files, or important information. However, WhatsApp provides options to recover deleted messages, whether accidentally deleted or lost due to device issues. 

In this detailed blog, we’ll walk through the steps on how to restore WhatsApp messages for greater convenience and data security. So, let’s dive in!

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Pro-Tip

Regularly back up your WhatsApp chats to avoid data loss, and ensure you have sufficient storage space in Google Drive or iCloud. Additionally, consider enabling automatic backups for convenience and peace of mind.

How to Restore Messages on WhatsApp?

Restoring WhatsApp backup files involves several steps, especially if you want to do WhatsApp chat recovery of deleted messages. Here’s a general guideline and different methods on how to restore WhatsApp chat messages: 

1.Check Backup Settings: Open your WhatsApp account, go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup. Make sure you have recent backups available.

2. Reinstall WhatsApp: If you’ve lost messages and need to restore from a backup, uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it from your app store.

uninstall WhatsApp

3. Verify Phone Number: After reinstalling WhatsApp, open the app and verify your phone number. This step is crucial to access your account and restore iOS and Google account backup.

4. Restore from Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone):

  • Android: WhatsApp backups are stored on Google Drive. During the setup process, WhatsApp will prompt you to restore from Google Drive if a backup is available.
  • iPhone: WhatsApp backups are stored on iCloud. On iPhone, during the setup process, WhatsApp will ask if you want to restore from iCloud if a backup is detected.

restore WhatsApp messages

5. Manual Restoration (if necessary):

  • Local Backup: If you have a local backup file on your device (Android: WhatsApp > Databases; iPhone: iCloud backup), you can manually restore it. This is useful if automatic restoration fails.
  • Third-Party Tools (optional): There are third-party tools that claim to recover deleted WhatsApp messages. Use them cautiously, as they may not always be reliable.

Considerations To Keep In Mind When Using WhatsApp For Business

  • Regularly back up your WhatsApp chats to avoid losing important messages.
  • Ensure you have enough storage space on Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone) for backups.
  • Restoring from a backup will replace current chat data. Any messages received after the backup won’t be included unless you back up again before restoring.

By following these steps, you can learn how to restore WhatsApp backup from Google Drive or through manual methods.

How to Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android Devices?

If you need to recover chats that were deleted long ago, you can use the following steps:

  1. Download a file manager app from the app store.
  2. Open the file manager app and navigate to your device’s internal storage.
  3. Find the WhatsApp folder and then locate the “databases” subfolder.
  4. Look for the file named something like “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.” This is your backup file.
  5. Rename this file to “msgstore.db.crypt12.” Ensure you only change the date part of the file name, not the crypt number.
  6. Uninstall WhatsApp from your device.
  7. Reinstall WhatsApp from the app store.
  8. During the setup process, choose the “Restore” option when prompted to recover your WhatsApp chats.

It’s important to note that these steps rely on having regular backups of your WhatsApp chats. If you haven’t backed up your chats or if the backup doesn’t include the deleted chats, they may not be recoverable. Consider setting reminders to check your chat backup settings periodically to ensure you can recover important chats when needed.

How to Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages on iPhone?

Restoring deleted WhatsApp messages on iOS devices, such as iPhones, involves a process that utilizes iCloud backups. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to restore deleted WhatsApp messages on iOS devices:

How to Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages on iPhone

Note – Ensure you have recent iCloud backups that include your WhatsApp data.

Alternative Methods for Restoration

There are third-party tools claiming to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iOS. Use them cautiously and verify their reliability.

 
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5 Steps to Restore WhatsApp Chats Using Local Backups

Here are the five key steps you need to follow to restore WhatsApp Chats using local backups:

Step 1: Open the file manager on your phone to access internal storage.

Step 2: Navigate to the WhatsApp folder, then open the Databases subfolder.

Step 3: Move the latest backup file to the Databases folder on your new device.

Step 4: Reinstall WhatsApp and complete phone number verification.

Step 5: When prompted, select Restore to load chats from the local backup.

How to Backup WhatsApp Chats?

Backing up WhatsApp chats is crucial to ensure you don’t lose important conversations and media files. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to backup WhatsApp chats on both Android and iOS devices:

Backup WhatsApp Chats on Android Devices

Backup WhatsApp Chats on Android Devices

  1. Launch the WhatsApp application on your Android device.
  2. Tap on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner to access the menu, then select “Settings.”
  3. In the Settings menu, select “Chats.”
  4. Tap on “Chat backup” to access backup settings.
  5. Under “Google Drive settings,” select the Google account you want to use for backups and choose how often you want WhatsApp to back up your chats (daily, weekly, monthly, or never).
  6. To manually back up your chats immediately, tap on “BACK UP.”

Backup WhatsApp Chats on iOS Devices (iPhone)

Backup WhatsApp Chats on iPhone

  1. Launch the WhatsApp application on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on “Settings” at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  3. In the Settings menu, select “Chats.”
  4. Tap on “Chat Backup” to access backup settings.
  5. Toggle on “Auto Backup” to enable automatic backups to iCloud. You can choose the backup frequency (daily, weekly, monthly).
  6. To manually back up your chats immediately, tap on “Back Up Now.”

Conclusion

Backing up WhatsApp chats is a fundamental practice to safeguard important conversations, media files, and memories. Both Android and iOS devices offer easy-to-use methods for creating backups, either manually or automatically. Regular backups not only protect your data from accidental deletion or device failures but also ensure that you can easily restore your chats whenever needed. 

Remember to check your backup settings periodically, maintain sufficient storage space in Google Drive or iCloud, and include media files in your backups if necessary. By following these steps and staying proactive about backups, you can enjoy a worry-free WhatsApp experience and preserve your valuable conversations for the long term.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can restore your WhatsApp chat history by reinstalling WhatsApp and restoring from a backup (Google Drive backup for Android, iCloud for iOS) during the setup process.

Yes, deleted WhatsApp messages can be recovered from backups if you have regularly backed up your chats.

Generally, WhatsApp messages cannot be recovered without a backup. Regular backups are essential for restoring deleted messages.

If you skipped restoring an old WhatsApp chat during the restoration process, you may not be able to recover it unless you have a separate backup specifically for that chat.

Updated : November 14, 2024

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