WhatsApp allows you to store backups of your WhatsApp data, including chats and media, to your Google Drive account. When wondering how to restore WhatsApp after a factory reset, you can restore WhatsApp using your WhatsApp Backup on Google Drive. The options are explained below:

Option 1：Recover WhatsApp Data using Google Drive

This method will help you recover WhatsApp chats using your Google Drive backup. You will need to sign in to the Google Drive account you used to make the backups. If you have automatic Google Drive Backup enabled for your chats within a given frequency, you can restore the Google Drive backup and recover your chats. The steps are:

Step 1: Completely uninstall the WhatsApp application from your phone, and then reinstall it back.

Step 2: Launch and open WhatsApp, then verify your number.

Step 3: Tap on Restore when you are prompted

Step 4: Tap Next after restoration is complete. Your chats will be recovered.

Note: Your media files will be restored after the chats. WhatsApp will restore backups from your local backups if you install WhatsApp without restoring from any Google Drive backups.

Option 2: Search Google Drive Backup Using iSeeker

iSeeker can also help you on how to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages from Google Drive. The benefit of using iSeeker is that it:

Allows you to decrypt and view WhatsApp data on PC

Allows you to select the specific files to restore

Doesn't overwrite new WhatsApp data on your phone

The steps of how to restore WhatsApp messages after factory reset android using iSeeker

Step 1: Launch iSeeker and select Recover WhatsApp Data from Google Drive, and sign in to your Google Account.

Step 2: Download your Google Drive data from iSeeker to your computer. Follow the onscreen steps to analyze the downloaded database and verify your phone number when prompted.

Step 3: iSeeker will show you the recoverable data. Choose to recover to device. Log in to WhatsApp after the process is finished. Sign in and verify your account, then make a local backup and update your WhatsApp app to the latest version.

Method 2. Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android from a Local Backup

WhatsApp allows users to backup their chats and messages to their local storage. You can specify the time to create local backups from WhatsApp settings. These local backups can be saved on your internal storage or SD card. SD card backups will remain intact after the factory reset. The backups usually consist of the most recent chats from 7 days.

To use a local backup, you transfer the files to your phone using a PC, file explorer or SD card.

Step 1: Launch your file manager app

Step 2: Go to your local storage or SD card > WhatsApp folder > Databases. If you don't have an SD card, use Internal storage or Phone storage folder. Go to the same WhatsApp folder and copy the latest backup file to your local storage Databases folder

Step 3: Install and launch WhatsApp, verify phone number

Step 4: When prompted, tap Restore to restore your chats and media from the backup

Note:

Up to seven days of your local backup files will be stored on your phone

Local backups are created automatically daily at 2:00 AM. They are saved as a local backup file

You can find your backup under /sdcard/WhatsApp/ folder or in the Internal and Main storage folders

option 2. Restore a Less Recent Local Backup

WhatsApp allows you to restore a local backup even if it's not the most recent backup. Since WhatsApp stores different WhatsApp data for different days, you can restore an older backup if you were looking for how to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages after factory reset. The steps of how to recover WhatsApp messages after factory reset Android are:

Step 1: Launch your file manager app. On your file manager app, go to local storage or SD card folder > WhatsApp> Databases. If you don't have an SD card on your phone, go to Internal storage or Main storage folders.

Step 2: After finding the backup file you want to restore, Rename it with the following format msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 to msgstore.db.crypt12(remove the -YYYY-MM-DD.1 part). Sometimes, the older backups may have an earlier protocol like crypt9 or crypt10. Retain the number of the crypt extension as the original one.

Step 3: If you already have WhatsApp installed, uninstall and reinstall it.

Step 4: Launch WhatsApp, verify phone number, and tap Restore when prompted. WhatsApp will recover the backup you renamed above.

Note: be careful when renaming the backup. DO not change the crypt number extension. This method will work if you don't have any other backups saved in the Databases folder.

FAQs About WhatsApp After a Factory Reset

Can you recover WhatsApp messages after factory reset?

You can recover your WhatsApp messages after factory reset by reinstalling WhatsApp and restoring WhatsApp messages from your local backup or Google Drive backup.

If you don't want to uninstall whatsApp before activating backup options, use iSeeker Android to restore WhatsApp backup without uninstalling.

Where are WhatsApp messages backed up?

WhatsApp messages are backed up to local storage or Google Drive automatically once you enable it

Does factory reset delete my WhatsApp account?

Factory reset will only delete your WhatsApp app and the chat history. Your WhatsApp account will remain after you sign up using the same phone number.

How do I delete my WhatsApp account?

To delete your WhatsApp account, go to the three dots at the top right corner > settings > Account > Delete my account

Conclusion

WhatsApp is arguably the most common way to communicate online. After factory resetting your phone, you may need to know how to recover your WhatsApp chats. The article above explores the different methods of how to recover WhatsApp data after factory reset. You can use a powerful tool like iSeeker for WhatsApp to recover your WhatsApp chats.

iSeeker WhatsApp Recovery allows you to recover deleted WhatsApp messages after a factory reset without any backup. You can choose the files you want to restore including chats, photos, audios, videos and more. You can also transfer your WhatsApp Data to a PC with iSeeker. Free scan and preview lost or deleted WhatsApp data using iSeeker Now!

[2022] How to Recover WhatsApp Data after Factory Reset

Home > Android Recovery Tips > [2022] How to Restore WhatsApp Messages after Factory Reset

Tata Davis

May 27, 2020 (Updated: December 7, 2022)

6 min read

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“I have my Samsung phone for about 3 years and it always works well. But recently it doesn't work anymore. My friends advised me to restore it to factory reset to solve the problem. Having no better solutions, I did it last night. Factory reset truly help me fix my phone but at the same time, it also erased my precious Whatsapp messages and I now feel extremely frustrated! Can I recover WhatsApp conversations after I formatted my phone (Android)? Anyone knows?” – David, Quora

Factory resets are great for many reasons – they can delete junk system files, old update files, and can even improve performance. But some people who do a factory reset don’t realise that all of their data is going to be deleted too. This results in those same users wondering how to get WhatsApp messages back after factory reset and view their messages again. It isn’t the easiest thing to do because of how thorough these resets are, but we’ve dug up some of the methods that will help you through this stage.

Lost your WhatsApp messages after factory reset? Don't worry, our editor recommend iMyFone ChatsBack, it maybe the best WhatsApp recovery solutions to recover WhatsApp messages, WhatsApp contacts, WhatsApp photos after factory reset, Download ChatsBack free now.

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• Part 1. Can I Recover WhatsApp Data after a Factory Reset?

• Part 2. Get Back WhatsApp Data after Factory Reset Android by Restoring Backup

  • 2.1 Where is My Backup? Get Backup WhatsApp Messages from a Local Backup

  • 2.2 I Know Where to Find My Backup: Using Google Drive to Restore Old WhatsApp Messages

  • 2.3 Restore WhatsApp Messages Backup from SD Card after a Factory Reset

• Part 3. Retrieving WhatsApp Data after a Factory Reset without Backup via WhatsApp Data Recovery Software

Part 1. Can I Recover WhatsApp Data after a Factory Reset?

So, the first question you probably have is, “Can I actually recover WhatsApp conversations after I formatted my phone?” and the answer is yes!

There are two types of solutions for doing it: either restoring a backup that you had previously taken before the factory reset or by using software designed for restoring deleted data. Our guide will be going over both of these types so that you have the best chance of recovering the data.

Part 2. Get Back WhatsApp Data after Factory Reset Android by Restoring Backup

In this first section, our solutions on how to get WhatsApp messages back after factory reset will be focusing on restoring backups.

2.1 Where is My Backup? Get Backup WhatsApp Messages from a Local Backup

One perk of using WhatsApp as a messaging app is that there are built-in backup features, allowing users to safely and easily make copies of their messages. Not many apps offer this, and it makes backup management less of a chore. Here’s how to check if you have a backup available:

Step #1 – Launch WhatsApp and tap the dots icon to open the “Settings” menu.

Step #2 – Tap “Chats” and then “Chat Backup.”

Step #3 – It’s important that you don’t tap “BACK UP” because this will overwrite your backup that could contain the lost messages.

Here you will see when the last backup you took was. There are two listings – one for the local backup and one for Google Drive. If the listed times were before your messages were lost, you can restore the backup and recover the messages.

2.2 I Know Where to Find My Backup: Using Google Drive to Restore Old WhatsApp Messages

Now you know whether or not a WhatsApp backup is available, we can now show exactly how to get back WhatsApp messages after factory reset. This solution will work, assuming that you have a backup on your Google Drive account. Here’s what you have to do:

Step #1 – Make sure a Google Drive backup is available by using the previous method, then uninstall WhatsApp from your phone.

Step #2 – Reinstall WhatsApp by downloading it from the Google Play Store.

Step #3 – Set up WhatsApp using the same phone number that you used before it was uninstalled.

Step #4 – After verifying the number you used, the app will scan for backups that can be restored.

Step #5 – When the restore backup option appears, tap on “Restore” and it will be restored either locally or from Google Drive.

This method will actually work for restoring locally stored backups too, so whether your backup was saved to your phone’s storage or your Google Drive storage, give this a shot, and it’ll likely deliver the intended results.

2.3 Restore WhatsApp Messages Backup from SD Card After a Factory Reset

Another way to recover WhatsApp messages after factory reset, which works if you’ve taken a backup, is by restoring from your SD card. Because Android devices tend to have limited storage space, SD cards are common for users to use and are perfect for storing backups on.

The built-in WhatsApp feature we explained before won’t always detect if there are backups stored on your SD card, so the method we are going to use might seem unorthodox. Nonetheless, follow these steps and you may be successful in restoring WhatsApp messages.

Step #1 – Download a file manager app on your Android device.

Step #2 – Launch the file explorer you installed and navigate to the file path “SDcard/WhatsApp/Databases.”

Step #3 – The available WhatsApp backups will be found here. Rename the appropriate backup file from “YEAR-MONTH-DAY.1.db.crypt12” to simply “msgstore.db.crypt12”.

Step #4 – Uninstall WhatsApp from your device and download it from the app store again.

Step #5 – Launch WhatsApp and set it up using the same phone number as before.

Step #6 – When you reach the restore step, the backup will be dated accordingly and tap “Restore.”

After the setup is complete, you will see the restored WhatsApp messages.

There is a little extra to this method that makes it seem more of a technical approach, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. Moreover, this is the third way of how to get WhatsApp messages back after factory reset using a WhatsApp backup, and each of these methods works equally as well. That said, there are pros and cons to this type of backup recovery.

Pros        
         WhatsApp takes backups automatically so most people can restore a backup.
         There are multiple WhatsApp backup restore methods (Google Drive, and local backup).
         It is very easy to use, anyone can use it to recover data without any prior technical knowledge.

Cons        
         Some of your latest WhatsApp messages and attachments will not be backed up.
         If you sign into WhatsApp with a different phone number, you can’t restore a backup.
         If you have taken a WhatsApp backup after data loss, the messages can’t be recovered.

Part 3. Retrieving WhatsApp Data After a Factory Reset without Backup via WhatsApp Data Recovery Software

Alternatively, to recover WhatsApp messages after formatting on Android, you could also use a third-party data recovery program like iMyFone D-Back (Android). You aren’t required to have a WhatsApp backup, and this software can recover all types of Android data from virtually any Android device – fantastic is an understatement! Features that you will find when using this program include:

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Main Features

• Recovers WhatsApp contacts, WhatsApp photos after factory reset.

• Compatible with data recovery on thousands of Android devices.

• Data can be recovered if it has been deleted, corrupted, infected with a virus, or is stored on a broken device.

• User-friendly interface, quite easy to use.

• No Android rooting is required to use iMyFone D-Back (Android).

• The process is not time-consuming one and is absolutely free of danger.

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Obviously, iMyFone D-Back (Android) has a lot to offer, and in this particular situation, you can recover WhatsApp messages after a factory reset with ease.

STEP 1Download, install, and launch iMyFone D-Back (Android) on your PC.

STEP 2 Connect your Android device to the computer with a USB cable and select “Android Data Recovery” to begin.

STEP 3 Using the lists provided, choose your device’s name and model before clicking “Next.”

STEP 4At this point, the software downloads the required data package, all you need to do is connect your phone to the computer using a USB cable.

STEP 5 Firmware will then download and you can choose which data types to scan for. For this scenario, select “WhatsApp” and press the “Next” button.

STEP 6When the scan is finished, choose any of the WhatsApp data you want to recover and click the “Recover” button to complete this process.

And just like that, your WhatsApp messages will be back and safely stored on your computer. You can use this data recovery software in any data loss situation and the method above works exactly the same way.

Conclusion

Now that you’re fully aware of how to get WhatsApp messages back after factory reset, you can get to work and regain access to them in no time at all. Our preferred solution is to use iMyFone D-Back (Android), and for good reasons – it’s easy to use for all computer users, it’s multi-purpose and is suitable for various data loss scenarios, and it can recover a lot of data types. On the other hand, if the software isn’t for you, the backup restore solutions may also yield positive results.

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