WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned chat app, is a cross-platform app that makes it all too easy and convenient to share messages, images, videos and GIFs with friends and loved ones from your phone.
But, as with any messaging service, having to stare at your phone's screen all day while the group conversations are flooded with messages can be a hassle. Especially when you're sitting at a desk, with a computer right in front of you.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the option of accessing your WhatsApp account on your computer? Well, you can. And it's incredibly easy to set up.
Before you can view and manage your conversations on your PC or Mac, you'll need to make sure the WhatsApp app on your iPhone or Android phone is up to date by checking for any pending updates in your phone's respective app store.
With that done, download and install the Windows or MacOS version of WhatsApp on your computer. Alternatively, if you're using a computer that you can't install apps on, visit WhatsApp Web, which is basically a version of the app, but built for your browser.
Keep in mind, your phone will still need to have a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection in order for the app on your computer to communicate with the app on your phone. So if for example, you're traveling in another country and your phone doesn't have a connection, you won't be able to use WhatsApp on a computer.
Scan the QR code using your phone.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETTo use WhatsApp Web, follow these steps:
1. Using your web browser of choice, visit https://web.whatsapp.com/.
2. You'll see a QR code for you to scan with the WhatsApp phone app. You can access the built-in scanner by opening the Menu or Settings, then selecting WhatsApp Web from the options.
Notice there's a small checkbox below the QR code that will keep you signed into that computer by default. Remove the check if you're using a public computer.
3. After you scan the code, you'll be able to see your WhatsApp messages on your phone and in the browser. WhatsApp recommends leaving your phone connected to Wi-Fi and not just mobile data to avoid any data overages.
The desktop app looks and works just like the mobile app, only bigger.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETSetting up the desktop app is similar to setting up WhatsApp Web, but with one exception -- you need to download and install the application first.
1. Download the Mac or Windows version of the app from whatsapp.com/download.
2. Mac users will need to unzip the file, then move WhatsApp to the Applications folder.
3. Windows users will need to run the .EXE file and follow the prompts.
4. When the app launches, you'll see a QR code for you to scan with the WhatsApp phone app. You can access the built-in scanner by opening the Menu or Settings, then selecting WhatsApp Web from the options.
5. After you scan the code, you'll be able to see your WhatsApp messages on your phone and in the app. Again, WhatsApp recommends leaving your phone connected to a Wi-Fi network in order to reduce the amount of mobile data used.
Once you've installed the app or you're logged in to the Web interface, anyone with access to your computer can view your WhatsApp conversations as long as you're logged in. If your computer is password-protected, that's probably not a big deal. But if you use WhatsApp Web from a public computer, sign out when you're finished. You can do that by clicking on the three-dot menu icon and selecting Log out.
If you forget to log out of WhatsApp Web on a computer that's not yours, or you suspect someone has accessed your account, you can log out of all active sessions by visiting the same settings page you used to scan the QR Code in the mobile app and selecting Log out from all devices.
If you're a Windows user and looking for more messaging apps, we have a few chat app recommendations beyond WhatsApp that are worth checking out. If you're just getting started with WhatsApp, make sure to check out our favorite features and learn how to use them.
by Anna Sherry Updated on 2022-05-18 / Update for WhatsApp Tips
WhatsApp is the most widely-used messaging app on the planet, and it’s used on a variety of devices like Android and iPhones. Plus, you can also use WhatsApp on your PC using the desktop app or web app.
However, many users don’t know how to read WhatsApp messages on PC.
In this article, we talk about how you can do that using various methods. We also explore the topic of how to read WhatsApp backup on PC. Without any further delay, let’s get into it.
If you’re wondering how to read WhatsApp messages on computer, there are three ways to do that, and they’re as follows.
The first method how to see WhatsApp messages on computer is to download the official WhatsApp desktop app from the store of your computer.
If you’re on a Windows computer, you can use the Microsoft store. If you’re on a Mac, use the App Store. After you’ve downloaded the app, follow the steps.
Now your WhatsApp will be logged in to the PC and you can read your messages there.
If you’re wondering how can I see my WhatsApp messages on my computer without downloading the app, this section is for you. You can use the official web app of WhatsApp for this purpose.
Follow the steps to use this method.
Now, you will be able to read your WhatsApp chats on your computer.
Another method how to see WhatsApp messages in computer is to mirror your phone’s screen to the computer. Based on which smartphone and computer you have, you can use various apps for this purpose.
If you have an iPhone and a Mac, you can use the iPhone’s built-in Screen Mirror feature to mirror your screen to the computer. Or you can also use iCareFone to share your WhatsApp screen to PC, which is free to use.
If you have an Android phone, you can use a third-party tool for this job. Here are some apps you can use.
If you’re wondering can I view WhatsApp backup on PC, yes you can. Here are the top ways to do that.
If you’re wondering can I open WhatsApp backup file on PC, this section has the answers. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to read your Google Drive’s WhatsApp backup file on your PC. That’s because the backup file is end-to-end encrypted and can’t be opened.
However, you can still find the backup file on your Google Drive and manage it from there.
If you want to do that, read below. Here are the steps on how to see WhatsApp backup on Google Drive on PC.
If you want to read WhatsApp backup file on PC anyway, you can use Tenorshare iCareFone Transfer for the job. It’s the perfect tool to backup your WhatsApp data to your PC and then view the backup file and also read it on the same computer. (Plus: It’s also an amazing WhatsApp data transfer tool.)
Here’s how to do that.
Download and Install Tenorshare iCareFone Transfer on your computer. Then open iCareFone Transfer and on the main interface, select WhatsApp.
Connect your iPhone to the computer and check your device type. Then hit the Back Up Now button.
Wait for the process to complete.
Your WhatsApp chats have now been backed up to your PC.
You can open the backup file now and read/restore it on will.
Can I read WhatsApp messages from iCloud? Your WhatsApp’s iCloud backup is end-to-end encrypted, and can’t be viewed directly.
iCloud doesn’t let you download your backup directly. Instead, you have to restore it to WhatsApp while signing in.
No. However, you can use Tenorshare iCareFone Transfer for this purpose.
There you go, that’s everything you must know on how to read WhatsApp messages on PC.
Remember, if you want to open and read your WhatsApp backup on your computer, Tenorshare iCareFone Transfer is the perfect tool you can rely on.
Updated on 2022-05-18 / Update for WhatsApp Tips
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Backup is a great way to save all your important information on some kind of digital media.
So, copies of correspondence in WhatsApp should be systematically saved so that it is possible to return the lost data. Further in the text, several methods will be presented on how to save messenger chats on a smartphone and not only.
Perhaps the safest thing to do is copy all the messages from the dialogs yourself. This is done quite easily, it is only important to be able to handle the file manager of the smartphone. However, even if you have difficulties with this, you can connect your mobile phone to your computer and view all the files through Windows Explorer. So, here's what you need to do:
Now, if you decide to change your smartphone, you can easily return all WhatsApp correspondence. All you have to do is place the copied data in the same folder on the new device.
It is worth noting that in order to restore all chats, you will need to log out and log in again. Then, at startup, the program will ask if you want to restore the data.
The previous method is good because the backup files take up little disk space, but there is one significant drawback - they are encrypted. This means that it will not be possible to open them on a computer, respectively, you cannot familiarize yourself with the contents. Only WhatsApp can read the DB.CRYPT8 format.
There is another way that will allow you to save all messages from chats to your computer for later viewing. However, the other side of the coin will be observed here - all downloaded files cannot be opened in the messenger.
Immediately after this, a dialog box will appear in which you will need to select an email client. When sending a message, enter your own email address in the "Recipient" field. As a result, all messages from the correspondence will come to it and you can view them.
The previous method will not allow you to return all dialogs when you change smartphone. There is another way to do this, however, it involves having a memory card in the device and enabling the corresponding option in the smartphone, when activated, all application backup stores are stored on an external drive.
To save all messages when changing the device to Android, you must perform the following steps:
Now, to transfer all the dialogs to another phone, you need to move the memory card into it, start WhatsApp, log into your account and confirm data recovery.
Transferring SMS from dialogs to iPhone is practically no different, only instead of a memory card it is important to have an iCloud account.
After that, you can remove WhatsApp from your old iPhone and install it on a new one. When you first log into your account, the program will offer to restore all copies of your data.
Absolutely any device used as a platform for accessing WhatsApp features, as a result of hardware failure or due to the consequences of critical software failures, etc.
, can fail at the most inopportune moment. Therefore, the importance of ensuring backup of data generated during the operation of the messenger is indisputable. The article describes the work of the functions provided in the client applications of the information exchange system for Andro >
WhatsApp developers have provided a good data backup system in the messenger client applications. The user, regardless of which OS he uses - Android or iOS, will not have to follow complex instructions to use, of course, the necessary functionality, which involves creating a one-time backup of information or setting up regular saving of the correspondence history.
WhatsApp for Android users can follow one of three ways to save their messages from the messenger, but it is better to learn how to use all the methods described below and apply one or another depending on the situation and the specific purpose of creating a backup.
Completing the instructions below "Method 1" and "Method 2" assumes that you have a Google account and you at least superficially understand how the cloud service "Disk" , offered to its users by this company, works!
The following manipulations are recommended to be performed every time you are going to uninstall the WhatsApp client application, reset the device to factory settings, reinstall / update Android. Also, the instruction is part of the process of switching to a new device, if you plan to transfer the messenger to it.
Go to "Chats" from the WhatsApp for Android options list, and then tap "Backup Chats" .
At the bottom of the screen that opens, tap "Google Account" .
Next, select the account in the list that you use on your devices to access Google services, confirm the request to access Google Drive (if such a request is received) by pressing "Allow" on the next screen.
If the required account is not in the list, move the radio button to position "Add account" and log in by entering your username and password to access the "corporation of goodness" ecosystem on the following screens.
Tap on item "Use" if you plan to use not only Wi-Fi networks, but also mobile Internet to upload data. Select the appropriate item from the list that appears.
To save space on your cloud storage, by default, WhatsApp does not back up video files received and sent via the messenger. If content of this type should still be placed in the backup, activate the switch "Add video" .
On the Chat Backup screen tap Google Drive Backup .
Next, tell the messenger how often you need to upload information to the cloud storage - "Daily" , "Weekly" or "Monthly" and then select the Google account under which the chat history will be stored.
This completes the setting for regular backup of data from WhatsApp for Android, and you don’t have to worry about the safety of information, in any case, formed before the expiration of the time period selected at the step above.
In addition to the system described above, which allows you to create a backup of all correspondence on Google Drive, WhatsApp for Android provides a function "Export chats" , which can be used not only to forward the contents of individual dialogs and groups to other people, but also to extract information from the messenger on smartphone for the purpose of storing it on a PC or laptop disk.
Next open section "Chats" .
Tap Chat History on the screen that opens, then tap Chat Export . In the list of dialogs and groups, tap on the title of the conversation whose contents you want to extract.
If content was exchanged within the framework of a dialogue or group chat, a window will appear where you need to choose whether the files will be uploaded along with the messages. Tap "WITHOUT FILES" if you want to extract only the text of the correspondence or "ADD FILES" when photos, videos, etc. should also be saved.
In the appeared area "Send chat ..." select the data transfer channel that you can use on the computer from the list. Most often, this is email - tap on the icon of the mail client installed on your smartphone / tablet. In the field "To" enter the address of the mailbox to which you have access from the PC, then click "Send" .
On the computer, in any preferred way, enter the e-mail box specified in the previous paragraph of the instruction, where you will find a letter with the subject “Whatsapp Chat with User_Name” .
Open the message and download all attachments to your computer. The text of all messages from a particular chat, as well as the date and time when they were received or sent, are contained in the file *.txt . Content is presented in the form of files of various types.
This completes saving the contents of a separate dialog or group from WhatsApp for Android to a computer, and as a result you will get the following result:
Additionally. It is possible to quickly copy a single chat along with the content from the messenger without going to "Settings" WhatsApp for Android.
Follow steps No. 3-6 from the previous instruction, which involves saving correspondence from a messenger in the Android environment to a computer disk.
Method 1: One-time backup
In order to save correspondence from WhatsApp for iOS before a major intervention in the work of the messenger (reinstalling, deleting, resetting the Apple device or replacing it), follow the instructions below.
Touch "Backup" . On the next screen, if you need to upload the correspondence to the backup, including the transmitted and received video files, activate the switch "Add video" .
Touch "Create a copy" and wait until the backup is generated and sent for storage in iCloud, after which the backup operation is considered completed.
In order not to solve the problem of saving the chat history from WhatsApp for iOS all the time, let the system do it automatically.
Touch the name of the option "Automatically" on the screen that opens and select the frequency with which the correspondence will be copied to the cloud storage. By checking the box next to "Daily" , "Weekly" or "Monthly" , tap "Back" .
Having completed the manipulations to set up automatic backup, you can not worry about the safety of information generated during the use of WhatsApp, and operate the messenger without resorting to the procedure for forcibly copying correspondence from it, at least often.
In order to save in a safe place, for example, on a PC disk, individual correspondence from WhatsApp on iPhone, whether it be the contents of a conversation or a group, is quite simple to extract using the "Export chats" function .
Scroll up the list of options and click on the function name "Chat Export" . Choose whether you want to "Attach media files" or only the text of the correspondence "No files" will be extracted.
In the menu of applications and services that can be used to send files from WhatsApp, select the data transfer channel that you can open on your computer (other messengers, clouds, social networks, etc.). In our example, this is an option available to almost all users - email, tap on the icon of the program used to work with correspondence on the iPhone.
In the field "To:" write the address of your mailbox, and in the field "Subject:" make any mark to facilitate the search for the letter currently being generated later.
To complete the first step of saving correspondence from the messenger on the computer, tap "Send" .
Open your mail on a computer using an email client application or browser.
Go to the email containing the WhatsApp archive and download the attachment to your PC.
By unzipping the file obtained as a result of the previous steps, you will have access to the text of messages, as well as transmitted and received files from the dialog or group.
Since the Windows version of the WhatsApp application is not a standalone messaging client, and its main function is, in fact, only “mirror” what is happening in the user’s “main” messenger on a mobile device, there is no way to back up information .
All chats in WhatsApp, including those initiated from a computer, are automatically copied to the messenger on an Android device or iPhone, so to save the correspondence, use one of the instructions presented above in the article, choosing a recommendation depending on the OS of your smartphone and the end goal of the procedure.
As you can see, the creators of the information exchange system paid due attention to the issue of the safety of the contents of chats in which a WhatsApp user participates. Once you have set up regular backups, you can practically forget about the possibility of losing the history of correspondence with other account holders in the messenger, no matter what happens to your device.
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WhatsApp chats are copied daily and saved to your phone's memory automatically. Depending on your settings, you can also periodically back up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive. If you uninstall WhatsApp from your phone but don't want to lose your messages, be sure to manually back up your chats before uninstalling the app. To back up your chats, go to Whatsapp > press More options > Settings > Chats > Chats backup > BACKUP .
To export the history of an individual or group chat, you can use the function Export chat :
The email will contain the chat history as a .txt document.
Note :
You need to print urgently Whatsapp conversation and as a printer compatible with your mobile phone, you urgently need to transfer it to a computer and then print through it on paper .
The problem, however, is that you simply don't know where to start, as you've never had such a need before.
If so, you have nothing to fear, I am here to help you! In fact, in the course of this guide, I will explain to you in detail how to save WhatsApp chats on pc quickly and easily, getting a file (or a series of files) to archive and view from a PC if necessary.
So, without waiting any longer, sit back and read carefully everything that I have to explain to you on this subject: I am sure that in a few minutes you will acquire the necessary skills for success in the company. That being said, I have nothing else to do but wish you good reading and good luck.
Index
2 Local reserve СО p. with Android If you agree, let's get right to the point of this guide and let me explain in practice how to save chats in whatsapp on pc from an android mobile phone- You can get this result via email or using the built-in export function of the whatsapp client.
The easiest way you can use is without a doubt to export the conversations you are interested in by sending them yourself via email and attaching, if deemed appropriate, also the multimedia elements present in original chats. Note that this can only be done in one conversation at a time. Thus, it is not possible to bulk export chats that have been created with all WhatsApp contacts.
Anyway, in order to save the WhatsApp email chat, launch the well-known messaging application, press the (⋮) button located in the upper right corner, and select the configuration item from the menu that appears.
Now click on the item Charla , reaches the section Chat history and select the article Chat export .
Now select the conversation you want to save, choose whether to enable multimedia attachments by tapping the corresponding option ( enable media to save them or without media to avoid saving), wait for WhatsApp to create a file containing the conversation and optionally select the email management application (ex. Gmail ) in the demo menu screen.
At this point, you just need to automatically send an email containing an attached WhatsApp chat, open it from your computer and download the conversation and attached media files. If you don't know how to open attachments in an email, take a look at the guide I have dedicated to this topic.
WhatsApp for Android allows you to create local backup , that is, files with active conversations that can be archived on a PC and restored if necessary; however, the discussions they contain cannot be "read" by the human eye, but can be used to restore WhatsApp in the event of a reinstall and there are no backups saved on the phone or on Google Drive.
To create a local WhatsApp backup, open the messaging application on your mobile phone, press the (⋮) button in the upper right corner, select the configuration item from the suggested menu, enter the sections Charla es Chat backup and tap the Apoyo button to save messages locally (and if configured, also to Google Drive).
Currently using USB cable , all you need to do is connect your mobile phone to PC and copy the folder to a safe place. / WhatsApp / Backup . Which? I'll explain to you right away. After connecting the PC and mobile phone together, take the latter, remember Android Notification Area and touch the message related to USB Options . Now, in order for the computer to "read" the mobile phone as a mass storage device, check the box next to the item.
File transfer o MTP located on the next screen.
Now switch to your computer and if you are using Windows OS , open File Explorer , then click on the item This PC , double click on name smartphone, navigate to the folders Internal Shared Storage > WhatsApp and copy the directories to your computer databases es medium that contain backup copies of conversations along with their media files.
If, on the other hand, you are using Mac , download and install the program Android File Transfer , launch it and perform the same operation as above by dragging the above mentioned folders onto the macOS desktop (or wherever you think is safe). To learn more about transferring files from Android to PC and Mac, I suggest you read the detailed guide I have dedicated to this topic.
WhatsApp chats saved with the steps in this section can be used to restore conversations on a fresh install of WhatsApp for Android or transfer them to iPhone by following the methods in my guide on how to transfer WhatsApp from one phone to another.
The steps required to save WhatsApp chats on PC with iPhone follow the same line of action as observed for Android: also in this case, you can send conversations to each other by email or save them locally, but through a third-party program. Find everything listed below.
To save a WhatsApp conversation on PC via email, first launch the messaging app on iPhone, press the 9 button0106 Charla is located at the bottom, and find the discussion you are interested in in the list of active conversations.
After that, swipe left on the preview, click the Other button, and select the article Export chats from the menu shown below. Finally, indicate whether you want to include multimedia files by selecting the most suitable item, click the icon the application with which you usually send emails from the panel that is displayed later and automatically sends you an email message that contains the entire conversation as an attachment (in .txt format) and chat media files if you choose to keep them.
To create a local backup of all WhatsApp chats saved on "iPhone by", I would like to advise you Wondershare dr.fone , a program compatible with Windows and macOS that allows you to perform a large number of operations on iPhone .
However, the software in question is not free: the trial version allows you to extract WhatsApp conversations from a backup on your mobile phone and view them, however, in order to save them on your PC, you must buy a license to use at prices starting from € 19. 99 / year (more info here).
For everything to go well, you need to have iTunes if you are using a PC with Windows OS - So, if you haven't installed it yet, you can fix it by following the steps illustrated in this guide. On a Mac, however, you don't need to install anything, as everything you need is already in the Operating System.
It is also important that the iPhone is connected at least once to the computer you are using and licensed to communicate with the same: to learn more, take a look at my guide on this.
However, to download Dr.Fone , connect to this site and click Download test depends on the operating system you are using. After the download is complete, if you are using Windows , run the resulting file, press the button Sip Select Italiano in the language selection menu and press the button Ok , Venga , Install on PC for two consecutive times and Start now to complete the installation and run the program.
If, on the other hand, you are using the Mac runs the .dmg package obtained above, press the button I accept and using the Pathfinder on the screen drag the icon program into the PC application folder. Then open the above mentioned folder, double click on the previously copied icon and press the 9 button0106 opens to start the software.
From now on, the procedures for Windows and macOS are the same: after installation is complete, press the button Transfer WhatsApp then on the button Backup WhatsApp messages and when prompted, connect iPhone to PC via USB cable and unlock. The first time you connect, the program will make a full backup of the contents of the device (which may take several minutes).
Now press button Watch and once you get to the list of available backups, press the button You see that corresponds to the latest.
