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How to recover old deleted whatsapp chats


WhatsApp tips and tricks: How to recover all old/deleted WhatsApp chats

Earlier this week we had provided a simple trick to read deleted WhatsApp messages. WhastApp has no official feature that lets you read messages that have been deleted but via third party app called WhatsRemoved+ it is possible for you to read all deleted WhatsApp messages.

Oftentimes, mainly while switching to a new smartphone, we lose old WhatsApp texts, media files and that can be very disappointing for some. Today we will discuss a simple way so no one ever loses their WhatsApp chats no matter how old they are.

We all know that WhatsApp backs up chats every day. For the unaware, WhatsApp creates a backup of all chats at 2AM in the morning by default unless you have changed the setting manually.

ALSO READ: Here’s how you can read deleted WhatsApp messages

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Note: If the daily backup is getting too much you can always change the auto chat backup setting and select the option that best suits your requirement. The options available are: Daily, Monthly, Weekly, and OFF. If you choose OFF option, you will never be able to get access to old chats if switched to a new phone.

* You will first need to ensure that the chat backup option of your WhatsApp account is set to Daily. This option makes the process smoother as it keeps a backup of your chats on a regular basis and make it easy to recover it whenever required.

* We mostly need to recover deleted WhatsApp messages while switching to a new smartphone or deleting the WhatsApp account.

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* If switching to a new smartphone you will first need to download the WhatsApp app from Google Play store or Apple App store.

* Login to your WhatsApp account by entering the phone number, OTP.

ALSO READ: Using WhatsApp to work from home? Keep these 8 things in mind then

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* After setting up the app you will get an option to “Restore” all your WhatsApp chats.

* Click on the Restore option and all your old/deleted WhatsApp messages will be restored on your new smartphone.

Note: You must ensure that any message received after the backup time can’t be restored.

If you are not moving to a new phone but have mistakenly deleted some WhatsApp chats and want to restore it back you can simply uninstall the WhatsApp app and reinstall it and follow the aforementioned process.

While restoring you must ensure to connect the phone to a stable WiFi network so the restore process doesn’t consume all your mobile data.

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Work from Home appears to be the norm for many of us. We at Indian Express tech have some articles which could help make this easier. First, how to optimise your WiFi, which is really important. Read on that here. Next, we explain how to save data on WhatsApp given we might be using a lot more of this. Then we explain how you can balance screen time while doing work from home. Also these video calling apps can be useful when relying on work from home. Don’t let it be all about work, you can rely on these fitness apps to continue that workout during the lockdown. And finally some general tips to keep in mind while working from home.

How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages

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  • iPhone
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Over the past few years, WhatsApp has established itself as the go-to social media platform, helping people connect with friends and family. One feature that endeared users is being able to send or receive an unlimited number of messages that don’t autodelete, as happens with some other social media platforms.

However, WhatsApp allows you to delete the messages you don’t want to keep. This option means there’s a possibility of deleting something accidentally. You might also lose your messages inadvertently, for example, when switching to a new device or even while resetting your device.

But does that mean you lose those messages forever? The answer is no. If you have accidentally deleted messages from your WhatsApp account, there is still a chance to recover them.

How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages

If you’re an avid WhatsApp user, there’s a good chance you’ve had the unfortunate experience of losing some of your messages. It could be a funny text from a friend, contact information shared with you by a colleague, or even an exchange you could present as evidence in court.

Although WhatsApp doesn’t provide a direct built-in tool to help you retrieve deleted messages, you can still recover them in several ways. However, recovery methods generally depend on the type of device you’re using. For example, what works for Android devices may not work for iPhones.

First, let’s dive in and see how to recover your old WhatsApp messages on an Android device.

Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages using Android

Android devices often get praised for their affordability, large display, open-source programs (which makes them highly customizable), and an incredible app selection in the Google Play Store. It’s no wonder that most Android devices today are fully compatible with WhatsApp.

But as with other devices, you can lose your WhatsApp data in a matter of seconds. Losing your data can happen if you accidentally hit the “delete” button or switch to a new device.

Luckily, WhatsApp comes equipped with a cloud-based backup solution that can save the day if you lose your messages and want to retrieve them. But how exactly does it work?

Once you’ve enabled backup in the settings section of your WhatsApp account, the app starts to store copies of all your messages in WhatsApp’s servers at regular intervals. When a backup process begins, the app checks for message duplicates on its server. If it doesn’t find one, a copy gets created immediately. The app also saves any new photos or videos automatically.

Therefore, your backup should be the first place you look when you delete a message accidentally.

Note: To see if your messages are backing up, go to Settings>Chats>Chat Backup. Then, verify that the email listed is one that you can access.

Here’s how to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on an Android device when you’ve backed up your data:

  1. Delete WhatsApp from your device.
  2. Download and install a new copy of WhatsApp from Google Play.
  3. After installation, open WhatsApp and enter your details, including your name and number.
  4. During installation, a prompt will appear on your screen asking whether you’d like to
    Restore your chats from your Google Drive. Tap on Restore to initiate the recovery process.
  5. After recovering your data, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

All your old messages and media should now be available in your chats.

Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on an iPhone

Like Android, the WhatsApp application for iPhones supports backup to the cloud at regular intervals. So long as your backup is enabled, WhatsApp will store copies of all your messages in the iCloud Drive. You can even see when the last backup was performed by opening the settings section of your account.

Recovering deleted messages from iCloud is straightforward:

  1. Uninstall WhatsApp from your device by choosing Delete App.
  2. Visit the App Store and download a new copy of WhatsApp.
  3. After downloading the app successfully, install it on your device.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to recover all the deleted messages.

Now, WhatsApp displays all your deleted messages in your chat.

It’s crucial to ensure enough space in your local storage before the recovery process starts. As a rule of thumb, the available local storage should be twice as much as the size of your backup. For example, if your backup is 1 GB, there should be at least 2 GB of free storage space on your device.

How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages without a Backup

Although data recovery from your WhatsApp backup is fast and convenient, you may have forgotten to enable it when setting up your account.

The good news is that you can still recover lost messages and media thanks to your device’s local backup or third-party software.

Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages without a Backup on Android Devices

Apart from cloud-based backup, all Android devices come with Android Local Backup—the default data backup service for many Android devices. The application typically gets included in nearly every new Android smartphone with Google Mobile Services (a collection of Google apps that help support functionality across devices).

If you haven’t enabled cloud backup on your WhatsApp account, you can still recover the data stored in your device’s local backup. Here’s how to go about it:

  1. Open your device’s File Manager and tap on WhatsApp.
  2. Select the Database folder.
  3. Look for a file named msgstore.db.crypt12 and change its name to msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt12 without quotes.
  4. After that, look for the file named msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 and rename it to msgstore.db.crypt12 without quotes.
  5. Now, delete WhatsApp from your device, download a new copy from the Google Play store, and install it.
  6. Since you don’t have any files backed up in the cloud, you get prompted to restore your chats from the local phone backup. Tap on Restore to initiate the recovery process.

Now, you can view most deleted messages in your chats.

The downside to this local backup method is that you can only recover the most recent messages. That’s because the amount of backup space available for each app is limited.

Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages without a Backup on iPhone

If you run WhatsApp on iOS and cloud backup isn’t enabled, you can only recover deleted messages via a third-party tool.

Although there are several options to choose from, MiniTool Mobile Recovery for iOS stands out because it doesn’t require you to uninstall WhatsApp.

Here’s how to use it:

  1. Download and install MiniTool Mobile Recovery for iOS on your PC.
  2. Connect your phone to your PC via a suitable USB cable.
  3. Launch MiniTool Mobile Recovery for iOS on your PC.
  4. Click on Scan to initiate a thorough search through all the social media and communication apps installed on your iPhone.
  5. At this point, select WhatsApp from the menu displayed on the left side of your screen. All messages, including the ones that got deleted, should appear.
  6. Select the messages you’d like to recover and then hit the Recover button in the lower right corner.

In closing, WhatsApp is a great way to communicate with your friends and family. Regardless, there can be moments when you accidentally delete messages or lose them while switching devices. If this happens to you, don’t panic. You now have multiple ways to recover the deleted messages and view or share them as you like, whether you had backups enabled in WhatsApp or not. Give the above options a try!

WhatsApp Message Recovery FAQs

Does WhatsApp keep your messages?

When you delete a message on WhatsApp, it disappears. However, it isn’t gone forever. Your messages get stored in the cloud (Google Drive or iCloud). They also get stored on your device. For these reasons, you can recover your deleted WhatsApp messages even if you need a third-party service.

I reinstalled the app, but none of my messages appeared. What’s happening?

When you follow the instructions above to uninstall the app and reinstall it, you must log in to the correct account. Using a different email, phone, or phone number is the likely culprit of your missing messages.

As shown above, open the WhatsApp Settings and tap on Chats. Then tap on Chat Backup. You can verify the last time WhatsApp saved your chats and the email address associated with that backup.

How to recover deleted WhatsApp chats

October 15, 2022 Likbez Technologies

Quick ways through backups or third party software.

How to restore chats on Android

From a Google Drive backup

You can fully restore deleted WhatsApp chats from Google Drive only if you first activate the backup function. To do this, in the application settings, you need to go along the path "Chats" → "Backup of chats", and then set the frequency of creating a backup: daily, weekly or monthly. nine0003

The backup will only be stored on the Google account that originally started the backup. To restore correspondence, you need to use the same phone number to which your account in the messenger is registered.

  1. Install or reinstall WhatsApp. Open the app and verify your phone number.
  2. Confirm the request to restore chats and media files from the Google Drive copy.
  3. When the process is complete, click Next. nine0016
  4. If there were media files in the backup, the application will continue to restore them in the background after the chats are returned.

From a local backup

Your device stores local backup files from the last week. To recover deleted messages, you need to transfer these entries to the folder with the WhatsApp chat database using a file manager.

  1. Start the file manager on your smartphone.
  2. The files you need are located in the local storage or on the SD card. To find them, follow the path Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp. This folder contains three directories: Backups, Databases, and Media. Migrate content from Backups to Databases. nine0016
  3. Reinstall and open WhatsApp. Verify your phone number.
  4. The application will offer to restore chats and media files from a local backup if it does not find a backup in Google Drive. Click Restore.

With a specialized application

There are a large number of WhatsApp data recovery tools. For example, Tenorshare UltData, Wondershare MobileTrans, iMyFone D-Back and similar programs. They should pull up deleted chats and other information both from the smartphone’s memory and from backups. nine0003

Almost all apps require a subscription to enable WhatsApp data recovery. At the same time, they do not have extraordinary algorithms for rolling back deleted files. For example, the mobile version of the UltData for Android application uses the same reserves as the messenger itself. Therefore, it is not worth placing high hopes on such programs. But you can use one of these PC utilities if other methods have not worked.

In most cases the sequence is very similar:

  1. Connect your smartphone to your computer with a cable and open the recovery program.
  2. On the main screen, select Restore WhatsApp Data or similar.
  3. Put the device into USB debugging mode. The application will display the appropriate instructions.
  4. After connecting your smartphone, proceed to the next step by clicking the Next or Start button. Most often, at this point, a window appears with a description of paid features and a call to purchase. Pay for a subscription or one-time cost. nine0016
  5. Next, the program may offer to make a copy of the data just in case.
  6. The application will search and after a few minutes will display a list of found chats. Check all the ones you need and click "Restore".
  7. Select a location to save data on the device.

How to restore chats on iOS

From an iCloud backup

You can use auto-save to iCloud to back up and restore your chat history. As in the case of Android, you must first activate the backup in the WhatsApp settings. nine0003

You can only start recovery with the same Apple ID that you use with iCloud. At the same time, the amount of free space in the cloud and in the memory of your device must be at least twice the size of the backup.

  1. Make sure you backed up your chats in iCloud. To do this, follow the path WhatsApp → "Settings" → "Chats" → "Backup". The date and time of the last save should be entered here.
  2. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp. nine0016
  3. After verifying your phone number, follow the instructions on the screen to restore your chat history.

Using third party software

For iOS, there are versions of the same software as for Android. All of them require payment, but they do not give guarantees for the full restoration of correspondence. Rather, it's just a more convenient way to selectively search for backups in local storage or the cloud than the full processing of all chats saved in iCloud.

If you decide to use this method, the procedure is almost the same as with Android. nine0003

Read also 📱

  • 10 useful tips for every WhatsApp user
  • 7 useful WhatsApp features you might not know about
  • How to add a contact on WhatsApp

How to restore WhatsApp chat on Android in 2023

Recently, issues related to the security of the WhatsApp messenger have been discussed more and more often. However, he did not lose his popularity because of this, but on the contrary: during the pandemic, WhatsApp became one of several social networks that replaced live communication for people. Many users do not delete chats on purpose, keeping them as an important source of information with data, photos. This allows you not to clutter up the phone's memory, as well as sort them. But what if the correspondence was deleted and the backup was not done for a very long time? Consider the 4 most popular and affordable ways in which you will find information about how to recover deleted chat in whatsapp .

  • Method 1: Restore Whatsapp chat using third party software
  • Method 2. How to recover a deleted chat in WhatsApp
  • Method 3. Restore Whatsapp chat via Google
  • Method 4. Restore a chat in WhatsApp without linking to Google

Method 1: Restore Whatsapp chat using third party software

Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery is a modern utility that has been developed for such cases - an urgent need to restore message history without using backups. The program has a high level of reliability, it is easy to use and has an intuitive interface. It is compatible with almost all devices on Android / iOS operating systems. nine0003

In order to help you restore the WhatsApp chat as soon as possible, we have developed a small guide.

  • Download Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery and install it on your computer.

  • When the installation is completed, an active window will appear on the desktop with all the functions that it offers. We, in this case, are interested in the "Restore WhatsApp Data" button.

  • Connect your device with a cable to a PC. nine0003

  • The program will request a special setting to synchronize with the device. It will take some time.

  • The utility has detected your device. Now you can go to the next screen. To do this, press the "Start" key, which will start searching for deleted WhatsApp data on your device.

  • Then log into your account. If you've already done so, click "Yes, I want to continue." Once the backup issue is resolved, Tenorshare UltData for Android will run a scan to detect data on your smartphone. nine0003

  • Upon completion of the operation, all found data will appear on the screen, including deleted chats and messages. Choose what you would like to return, then click the "Restore" button.

  • The operation was successfully completed if the following icon appears on the screen.

Method 2. How to recover a deleted chat in WhatsApp

How can I restore WhatsApp chats, apart from the method using third-party software? There are several options that can quickly solve your problem. One of them is implemented right inside the application. It's about message forwarding. nine0003

When you chat, the conversation is stored on two devices. If at the time of deletion, data was erased from only one device, then they most likely remained on another. This is true for those who have lost data by accident. For example, when buying a new smartphone. Chat Forward Instruction:

  • Make sure the other party has saved the data;
  • You must then select the message to be sent. To do this, pinch and hold your finger on it for a long time. It will be highlighted when a checkmark appears on the left. You can select as many messages as you like; nine0016

  • In the upper right corner you will see an arrow to the right, when clicked, the list of contacts will open. From it, a person is selected who will receive the selected messages;

  • If you want to send the whole chat at once, then open the settings in the application and find the chats tab;
  • Next, go to "chat history" and "export chats";

  • Select the chat you want to forward and click send.

This method is only suitable if your interlocutor has not deleted the information. Otherwise, it will be impossible to return the chat inside the application. nine0003

Method 3.

Restore Whatsapp chat via Google

If the second method also does not help you, how to restore chat in WhatsApp, then try this method. The most reliable way to store information in the messenger is to regularly create copies in the cloud storage. All you need is an active Google account and access to Google Drive.

Method 4. Restore chat in WhatsApp without linking to Google

If you do not use Google services for some reason, you can try to make a backup from a local copy. First of all, make sure it's there. To do this, open the Files application (file manager, my files) and find the WhatsApp folder. We are interested in the name Databases. All information about your correspondence is stored there in encrypted form, copies of which are created automatically if you have not disabled this feature. nine0003

How to get back a deleted chat in WhatsApp?

  • 1. Connect your mobile device to the PC with a cable. Copy folder contents from phone memory and memory card.

  • Back up data on the phone via settings-chats-backup chats.
  • The fresh backup file that WhatsApp will create should be copied to the PC again in a new folder.
  • Delete the messenger from the phone.
  • Select a copy file made a few days ago (some time before the information you need was deleted). nine0016

  • Transfer this file to an application folder called Databases in the phone memory and on the memory card.

  • Download WhatsApp and install it. After receiving the SMS, you will see an offer to restore from a local copy.

  • The program will automatically find the required file and decrypt the chat from it.

Conclusion

We told you about how to return chats in WhatsApp using several methods. As you can see, none of them involve complex manipulations: everything is quite simple, and most importantly, quickly. It’s great if you don’t forget about backups that will reduce your nerves and time, help you quickly resolve the issue of how to recover deleted chats in WhatsApp.

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