How to delete whatsapp backup iphone
How to Permanently Delete WhatsApp Backups From iCloud
April 10, 2021
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If you are a WhatsApp user who wants to permanently delete WhatsApp backups from iCloud, then you have come to the right place. As WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app and for a lot of people it is the most important app on their iPhone, many users struggle when they want to delete the chat backups this app creates on the cloud. Sure you can easily turn off automatic backups from being created by going to app’s Settings, however deleting the ones that have already been created isn’t as simple. That is exactly what we are going to show you in this post. Read on to learn how to permanently delete WhatsApp backups from iCloud.
Permanently delete WhatsApp backups from iCloud
Section 1: Turning off WhatsApp auto backupsFirst lets turn off automatic backups for your account. If this is already done on your device, then move to the next section.
- On your iPhone launch the WhatsApp application and tap on the ‘Settings‘ button from the button bar.
- Now tap on ‘Chats‘ option from the menu.
- Next tap on ‘Chat Backup‘ option.
- On the next page tap on ‘Auto Backup‘ option and select ‘Off‘ from the next page.
Now WhatsApp will not create any new backups of your chats, however you still need to delete the ones that are already create, so move on to section 2.
Also read: How to back up your WhatsApp chats and delete your account on iPhone
Section 2: Deleting WhatsApp backups from iCloud accountNow it is time to delete WhatsApp backups from the iCloud account.
- Open Settings app and tap on your name from the top to access Apple ID settings.
- Tap on iCloud option.
- Next tap on ‘Manage Storage‘ option and then from the next page tap on ‘WhatsApp Messenger‘.
- Finally tap on ‘Edit‘ button from top right corner of the screen and then hit ‘Delete Data‘ button.
Doing so will delete all your WhatsApp documents, photos, videos and chats from iCloud.
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Zaib Ali
Zaib Ali is the founder and editor-in-chief of iOSHacker. Zaib has graduated in Computer Science from University of West London and has expertise in mobile software. Follow him on Twitter @xaibali.
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How To Delete WhatsApp Backup In 2022
Here’s how to delete WhatsApp backup – open the Google Drive app, then app the menu bar and select Backups. From the list of backups available, tap the three vertical dots next to the WhatsApp backup and tap Delete. Next, confirm your action, and that’s how you delete a WhatsApp backup.
Have you ever wanted to start anew with WhatsApp and get rid of your old backups? Or you have damaged files after the WhatsApp backup got stuck?
I get it. Sometimes you want to start fresh but don’t want to manually delete every chat. The best solution is to delete your backups and reinstall WhatsApp.
Read on to learn how to delete WhatsApp backup from Google Drive as well as iCloud. You’ll also learn how to turn off WhatsApp backups for Google Drive and iCloud.
Contents
- 1 6 Ways To Delete Your WhatsApp Backup
- 1.1 How To Delete WhatsApp Backup From Google Drive (Video)
- 1.2 How To Disconnect WhatsApp From Google Drive
- 1.3 How To Turn Off Automatic WhatsApp Backups for Google Drive
- 1.4 How To Delete WhatsApp Backup From iCloud
- 1.5 How To Turn Off WhatsApp For iCloud In Phone Settings
- 1.6 How To Turn Off WhatsApp Automatic Backup For iCloud
- 2 FAQs
- 2.1 Can WhatsApp backup be deleted?
- 2.2 Where is WhatsApp backup stored?
- 2.3 What will happen if I delete WhatsApp backup?
- 3 How To Delete WhatsApp Backup – Wrapping Up
6 Ways To Delete Your WhatsApp Backup
WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows you to send texts, make voice and video calls, and send media files (images, videos, documents, and sounds). It is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, thanks to it being free, easily accessible, and feature-packed.
One of WhatsApp’s main selling points is its end-to-end encryption, which means that no one, not even WhatsApp, can read your messages. While this is the case, WhatsApp does offer cloud backups for its chats, which are saved to Google Drive or iCloud, depending on your phone.
End-to-end encryption is not available for cloud backups.
You can delete your WhatsApp backups from Google Drive or iCloud for further security, or start fresh with WhatsApp.
How To Delete WhatsApp Backup From Google Drive (Video)
Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage service. It allows you to back up, restore, store, and sync data across devices. WhatsApp also allows you to perform automatic cloud backups that are stored in Google Drive.
Here’s how to delete those backups:
- Open the Google Drive app on your Android device. Next, click the menu bar in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
- From the side menu, select Backups to access the backups that have been saved to your Google Drive.
- There you’ll see a list of the backups available. Click the three horizontal dots next to your WhatsApp backup.
- You’ll then see the option to delete the backup, tap it.
- Afterward, you’ll see a popup asking you to confirm your action. Tap delete again to confirm that you want to delete the backup.
- You’ve successfully deleted your WhatsApp backup from your Google Drive.
Need more? Here’s a video showing you how to delete your WhatsApp backup from Google Drive:
How To Disconnect WhatsApp From Google Drive
- Log onto Google Drive on your desktop and click the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen, next to your profile picture.
- From the dropdown menu, click Settings.
- On the left side of the popup window, click Manage apps to access the apps synced with your Google Drive.
- From the list of apps available, scroll until you see WhatsApp, then click the Options button next to it.
- The option that will appear is “Disconnect from drive,” click it to disconnect WhatsApp from Google Drive.
- Afterward, you’ll see a popup window with a warning stating that this action will disconnect WhatsApp from Google Drive. Click DISCONNECT to confirm the action.
Here’s a video demonstrating how to disconnect WhatsApp from Google Drive:
How To Turn Off Automatic WhatsApp Backups for Google Drive
Deleting WhatsApp backup from Google Drive is only a part of the process. It’s important that you turn off WhatsApp automatic backups too, so you don’t have to go back and delete them all over again.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open WhatsApp on your Android device, then tap the three vertical dots in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
- From the dropdown menu, tap Settings to access your WhatsApp settings.
- Select Chats from WhatsApp settings to open the WhatsApp chat settings.
- In the Chats settings, you can change WhatsApp theme, font size, chat backup, and more. From the options available, tap chat backup.
- WhatsApp allows automatic backups to Google Drive. However, once you’ve set an account for it to be backed up, you cannot leave it blank. The best bet is to set it to never back up to the account. To do that, tap Back up to Google Drive.
- This will show you the frequency with which WhatsApp will be backed up to Google Drive. Change the option to Never, and WhatsApp will no longer backup to Google Drive.
If after you’ve deleted your WhatsApp Backup from Google Drive, you forgot how to set it up again, don’t fret!
Here’s a detailed guide on how to back up WhatsApp to Google Drive.
How To Delete WhatsApp Backup From iCloud
Similar to Google Drive, iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service. You can use it to store, backup, restore, and sync data across Apple devices. iCloud is where an iPhone’s WhatsApp automatic backups are stored.
Here’s how to delete your WhatsApp backup from iCloud:
- Open Settings on your iPhone, then tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Next, tap iCloud from the following page to open your iCloud settings.
- Once you’re in iCloud’s settings, tap Manage Storage.
- This section is where you’ll be able to adjust your iCloud’s storage plan, as well as view how much space each app takes up. From the list of available apps, tap WhatsApp Messenger to access its backup on iCloud.
- Next, tap Delete Data to delete the WhatsApp backup on iCloud.
- You’ll then see a popup asking for confirmation. Tap Delete again to confirm the action, and you’ll have successfully deleted your WhatsApp backup on iCloud.
Here’s a video showing you how to delete your WhatsApp backup from iCloud:
How To Turn Off WhatsApp For iCloud In Phone Settings
- Repeat steps 1 & 2 from the previous section to access iCloud’s settings on your iPhone.
- Here’s where you can see all the apps that use iCloud. Scroll until you see WhatsApp and then toggle it off. This will turn off WhatsApp for iCloud. This means you cannot manually back up WhatsApp to iCloud.
How To Turn Off WhatsApp Automatic Backup For iCloud
Another way to stop WhatsApp backups to iCloud is to turn off WhatsApp automatic backups to iCloud. Turning off WhatsApp for iCloud stops you from making automatic or manual backups. However, if you want to keep manual backups available but stop the automatic backups, then you can do so in WhatsApp’s settings.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone, then tap the settings icon at the bottom of the screen.
- In WhatsApp settings, tap Chats to access the chats’ settings for WhatsApp.
- The Chats settings allow you to change your WhatsApp wallpaper, chats backup, and more. From the option available, tap chat backup.
- Chat backup is where you can view the details of your last WhatsApp backup, your backup frequency, and more. Tap the auto backup option to adjust the frequency of WhatsApp automatic backups.
- Change the frequency of WhatsApp auto backups to Off to turn off WhatsApp automatic backups to iCloud.
Here’s a video showing you how to turn off WhatsApp Backup for iCloud:
FAQs
Can WhatsApp backup be deleted?
You can delete WhatsApp backup. If you have an iPhone, you will need to delete your WhatsApp backup from iCloud. However, if you have an Android, you will need to delete your local WhatsApp backup, as well as the backup stored on Google Drive, to delete all the backups.
Where is WhatsApp backup stored?
WhatsApp backup is stored in different places for iPhones and Androids. For iPhone, the backup is stored on iCloud. However, Android devices have WhatsApp backups in two places. The cloud backup is stored in Google Drive, while the local backup is stored on the phone in the /WhatsApp/Databases folder.
What will happen if I delete WhatsApp backup?
If you delete a WhatsApp backup, you will not be able to use it to restore your WhatsApp chat history on a new device. You also cannot use it to restore your chats on your current device if you uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, since no backups would be available.
How To Delete WhatsApp Backup – Wrapping Up
So, what’d you think of this article?
Whether you’re using Google Drive or iCloud, it’s important to know how to deal with your WhatsApp backup.
That’s why I wrote this tutorial because while the process is simple, not many people know how to delete their WhatsApp backups if they need to. Your backup can be used by hackers to steal your personal information or even impersonate you if it’s restored on a different device.
You can delete the backup from both platforms or only from one. In the latter case, you can use the other platform to eventually restore the backup if you need it. For example, you can learn how to transfer WhatsApp backup from Google Drive to iCloud here.
After you’ve deleted your WhatsApp backup, it’s important to stop WhatsApp backups as well, so you don’t have to go back and delete them again.
I hope this tutorial helped you take care of your WhatsApp backup issues. Be sure to let me know in the comments how the process went for you.
Also don’t forget to share this tutorial with your family, friends, and followers, so they can know how to delete WhatsApp backups too.
Manage iCloud storage - Apple Support (UK)
Need more iCloud storage? You can easily manage your storage to get more space or upgrade to iCloud+.
When you set up iCloud storage, you automatically get 5 GB of free space. You can use it to back up to iCloud, save photos and videos to iCloud Photos, sync documents via iCloud Drive, and more. You can always check your used iCloud storage in your device's Settings menu or on iCloud.com. If you run out of free space, you can increase your available space or upgrade to an iCloud+ plan at any time.
How is your device storage different from iCloud storage? Learn more about device storage and iCloud storage.
How to get more iCloud storage space
If you run out of iCloud storage space, your device won't back up to iCloud, your photos and videos won't be sent to iCloud Photos, but iCloud Drive, other iCloud apps, and messages will not sync across all your devices. Also, you won't be able to send or receive messages using your iCloud email address.
You can delete content you don't use to free up iCloud space:
- Reduce iCloud backup size
- Deleting photos in iCloud Photos
- Delete folders and files in iCloud Drive
- Deleting text messages and attachments in Messages
- Deleting messages and managing mail
- Deleting voice recordings
It's a good idea to back up or copy your iCloud information before deleting anything.
Reduce iCloud backup size
When you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iCloud, your most important information on your device, such as documents, photos, and videos, is automatically backed up and stored. Learn more about the data included in iCloud backups.
Many apps back up data to iCloud automatically after installation. You can exclude unused apps or delete old iCloud backups to reduce the size of your iCloud backup and free up space on your iCloud storage.
Choose apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to back up
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Click "Manage Account Storage" or "Manage Storage" and then "Backups".
- Press the name of the device you are using.
- Disable applications that do not need to be backed up.
- Select "Turn off and delete".
After you confirm that you want to turn off and delete an app, iCloud backup is disabled for that app and all data about it is deleted from iCloud.
Some applications always create backups and this feature cannot be disabled.
Delete backups and disable iCloud backup for a device
You can delete old iCloud backups associated with your current device or older devices that you no longer use. iCloud backups are available for 180 days after you disable or stop using iCloud Backup. Backups that are used to restore your device cannot be deleted.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.
- Click "Manage Account Storage" or "Manage Storage" and then "Backups".
- Click the name of the device you want to delete the backup.
- Click Delete Copy > Turn Off and Delete.
Deleting a backup disables iCloud backup for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You can enable iCloud backup service again in the iCloud settings on the device.
Mac
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences>.
- Select "Apple ID" and then "iCloud".
- Click Manage and select Backups.
- Select one of the device backups and click "-" to delete it. To disable the backup feature and delete all iCloud backups for this device, click the "Delete" button in the confirmation window.
Deleting a backup disables iCloud backup for this device. You can enable iCloud backup service again in the iCloud settings on the device.
Windows PC
- Open iCloud for Windows.
- Select "Storage".
- Select "Backup" from the list provided.
- Select one of the device backups and click the "Delete" button. To disable the backup feature and delete all iCloud backups for this device, click the "Delete" button in the confirmation window.
Deleting a backup disables iCloud backup for this device. You can enable iCloud backup service again in the iCloud settings on the device.
Delete photos in iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos uses iCloud storage to sync all your photos and videos across all your devices. To increase your free space in iCloud, delete unwanted photos and videos from the Photos app on any of your devices.
Before deleting anything, be sure to back up any photos or videos you still need. If you delete a photo or video on your device while using iCloud Photos, it is also deleted on all other devices that you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
Follow the steps below to remove photos and videos from iCloud Photos. If you're not using iCloud Photos, you can remove photos from your Camera Roll album.
If you have access to a shared iCloud Photo Library, the photos you add to it will only take up space in the storage of the user who created the shared library. To delete photos that are taking up space in your iCloud storage, make sure you're viewing them in your personal library.
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
- Open the Photos app and tap the Library icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Click All Photos.
- Click Select and select the photos or videos you want to delete.
- Click Delete and then select Delete Photo.
If you're not using iCloud Photos
If you're not using iCloud Photos, the files in your Camera Roll are included in your iCloud backup. To check their space in iCloud backup, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.
- Click "Manage Account Storage" or "Manage Storage" and then "Backups".
- Touch the name of the device you are using, then view the photos.
To reduce the file backup size of the Photos app, save your photos and videos to your computer, then manually back up your device data. If you want to keep your photos and videos on your device, you can exclude the Photos app from your backup or upgrade to an iCloud+ plan to get more storage space. Unwanted photos can be deleted:
- Open the Photos app.
- Select the elements you want to delete.
- Click Delete and then select Delete Photo.
Mac
- Open Photos.
- Select the photos and videos you want to delete.
- Press the Delete key on your keyboard, Control-click the selected items, or right-click them and select Delete (number) Photos. Then click Remove to confirm.
iCloud.com
- On your computer, iPhone, or iPad, sign in to your iCloud.com account.
- Select the Photos application.
- Select the photos or videos you want to delete.
- To select multiple photos or videos, on an iOS or iPadOS device, click Select, and on a computer, Command-click (on a Mac) or Control-click (on a Windows computer) each item.
- To select all items, press and hold Command-A (on a Mac), Control-A (on a Windows PC), or select Select All on an iOS or iPadOS device.
- Click Remove and then select Remove.
Deleted photos and videos are placed in the Recently Deleted album, from where they can be recovered within 30 days. If you want to delete files from this album faster, click the "Select" button and specify the items to delete. Click Remove > Remove. If your iCloud storage space is completely depleted, any photos and videos you delete from your device will be deleted immediately without being copied to your Recently Deleted album from which you can later restore them.
Delete folders and files in iCloud Drive
Optionally, you can delete folders and files stored in iCloud Drive and manage them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac computer, or Windows computer. If you have access to another user's shared folder, it's not included in your iCloud storage. Learn more about shared folders in iCloud Drive.
In iOS 11 and later, files deleted from iCloud Drive are stored in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before being deleted from the device.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Open the Files app and tap Browse.
- Under Places, click iCloud Drive.
- Click the "More" button and then "Select".
- Select the folders or files you want to delete and click Delete.
- Go to Places > Recently Deleted.
- Click the "More" button and then "Select".
- Select the files you want to delete.
- Click the "Delete" button. Then click "Delete" to confirm.
Mac
- Open Finder and navigate to the iCloud Drive folder.
- Drag the file to the Trash folder or move it to another folder on your Mac.
- Open the Recycle Bin and right-click on the files you want to delete.
- Select "Delete immediately". Then click Remove to confirm.
Windows
On a Windows 7 or later computer, you can manage files from iCloud Drive using Windows Explorer. To add the iCloud Drive folder to Windows Explorer, follow these steps:
- Download and install iCloud for Windows.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Turn on iCloud Drive.
- Navigate to the iCloud Drive folder.
- Select the folders or files you want to delete.
- Click the Delete button.
iCloud.com
- Sign in to iCloud.com.
- Click the iCloud Drive icon.
- Select the files you want to delete and click Delete.
- Open the iCloud Drive folder and click Recently Deleted.
- Select the folders or files you want to delete.
- Click the "Delete" button.
Delete text messages and attachments in Messages
If you use Messages in iCloud, all your text messages and attachments you send and receive are stored in iCloud. To free up space, delete unwanted text messages and attachments, such as photos, videos, and files.
Deleting a message or attachment on iPhone or iPad
- In a text conversation, touch and hold the bubble of the message or attachment you want to delete.
- Click the "More" link.
- Click Delete and then Delete Message. If you want to delete all messages in a conversation, click "Delete All" in the upper left corner. Then click Delete Conversation.
Deleting multiple attachments received from a contact or conversation
- In a text conversation, tap the contact's name at the top of the screen.
- Click "Info".
- In the Photos section, click View. all".
- Click Select, then select the photos you want to delete.
- Click Delete, then click Delete Attachment to confirm.
Delete the entire conversation
- Swipe left on the conversation you want to delete.
- Click the "Delete" button.
- Press the "Delete" button again to confirm.
Delete a message or attachment on a Mac
- Open a text conversation.
- Control-click an empty area of the message pop-up.
- Select "Delete".
- Press "Delete" to confirm.
Delete multiple attachments received from a contact or conversation
- Open a text conversation.
- Press the information button.
- Scroll to the Photos section.
- Click an attachment, then Command-click to select multiple attachments.
- Control-click the selected attachments or right-click them and then select Delete.
- Click Remove Attachment to confirm.
Delete the entire conversation
- Control-click the conversation.
- Select "Delete" or "Delete Conversation".
- Press "Delete" to confirm.
Delete messages and manage your mail
You can delete messages from your iCloud email account to free up iCloud storage space. You can also move email messages from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or Windows computer so they no longer take up space in your iCloud storage.
Follow the steps below to delete messages from an account. Remember that messages with large attachments take up more space than text-only emails.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is set up to access iCloud email, you can delete messages from any mailbox and then empty the Trash to free up space.
- Swipe left on any message to delete it.
- Open the Mailboxes list and select the Trash folder.
- Swipe left to delete an individual message. To delete everything, click Edit, select Select All, and then click Delete. Click "Delete All" to confirm.
Mac or Windows computer
If you use iCloud Mail with a desktop email application such as Mail on a Mac or Microsoft Outlook on a PC, do the following:
- Mail app On a Mac: Delete messages you no longer need, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items, then choose your iCloud email account from the menu. Then click Erase to confirm.
- Microsoft Outlook 2010-2016 (Windows): Delete messages that are no longer needed. The next time you restart Outlook, the messages are permanently deleted.
iCloud.com
- Sign in to iCloud.com.
- Open the Mail application and select the Trash folder.
- To delete an individual message, select it and then click the Trash button. To delete multiple messages, select them and click Delete.
Deleting voice recordings
The Voice Recorder app in iCloud saves your voice recordings to iCloud. They can be quickly removed if additional space is needed.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Click Edit, then select the voice memos you want to delete.
- Click Remove.
- Open Recently Deleted, and then click Edit.
- Click Delete All or select individual voice memos and then click Delete.
Mac
- Select the voice memos you want to delete.
- Click Remove.
- Open Recently Deleted and click Delete All or Delete.
- Click "Permanent Delete" to confirm.
Information about non-Apple products or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple is not endorsed or endorsed by Apple. Apple is not responsible for the selection, functionality, or use of third party websites or products. Apple is also not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of information posted on third party websites. Contact the supplier for more information.
Publication date:
How to permanently delete Whatsapp backup from iCloud.
Whether chatting with friends, leisure or work, you will probably use Whatsapp several times a day, like everyone else, as the main way to send numerous daily messages today. For this reason, given the importance of all the data, photos, videos and conversations that this instant messaging service receives, you certainly felt the need to run backups for security reasons. If you have iPhone , then the place where your backup is stored in iCloud, the storage you automatically get in Apple products and where you can store photos, videos, documents, app backups and more.
However, if you feel the need to delete all Whatsapp data stored in iCloud, whether you want to change your device or just want to permanently erase all traces of the instant messaging service, you will definitely try to do it in the settings. However, you have noticed that deleting photos and videos is quite simple, while for messages and generally all WhatsApp backups, this issue becomes a little more complicated.
Don't worry! I'm here to help you: Keep reading this article if you also want to know how to permanently delete WhatsApp backup of iCloud messages! I am sure that at the end of reading you will be able to achieve your goal too.
- What you need to know before you permanently delete your message backup.
- How to permanently delete Whatsapp backup from iCloud.
What you need to know before you permanently delete your message backup.
Before we show you how to permanently delete Whatsapp messages backup from iCloud, you should know that this tool actually allows you to restore any message anytime from any device. This means that when your Apple device is lost or broken, you can recover all your data Whatsapp (and more) on another compatible device, thanks to the backup you made on the previous device.
So, if you are going to permanently delete Whatsapp backups from iCloud, it means that you will no longer be able to restore them: so think carefully about this choice before proceeding with it. If you have already thought about it, then continue reading the next paragraph and I will explain how to do it!
How to permanently delete Whatsapp backup from iCloud.
To start deleting a backup, you must first turn off automatic iCloud backup by opening the Whatsapp app and then going to Settings. At this point, go to “Chats” > “Backup Chats” > “Auto Backup”: in this section, select “Disabled”.
Next, we can proceed with the actual final deletion of the backup: to do this, open the iCloud application and go to settings, and then click on the item “ Apple ID ”.