How to retrieve all whatsapp messages

How to recover WhatsApp messages

The more we use WhatsApp in our daily communications, the more chance we are storing crucial information in those chats. It could be something mundane like a doctor’s appointment time or something serious like an agreement to buy a high-value item or proof of a debt from someone. It could even be chats from a now-deceased loved one that you don’t want to lose. Whatever it is, if you accidentally delete any of it, you need to be able to recover those WhatsApp messages.

Read more: How to use WhatsApp — a step-by-step beginner’s guide

QUICK ANSWER

The answer to recovering WhatsApp messages is a bit drastic, but the only effective method nonetheless. You have to uninstall WhatsApp from your phone, reinstall it, then restore all of your messaging history from a backup. Assuming you haven't backed up after deleting the crucial messages, WhatsApp will reload all your messages, including the deleted ones.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

How to recover deleted messages on Android
How to recover deleted messages on iPhone

Note: Before proceeding, remember that if you delete a message — and then back up your archive — those deleted messages will then be wiped in that backup. At that point, the messages will be unrecoverable. So if you have deleted a message you need to recover, make sure any automated backups are immediately canceled — and don’t back up anything manually!

How to recover deleted messages on Android

First, delete WhatsApp from your phone, then reinstall it. You will have to do the whole setup again with your phone number and verify the number. You also need to have your two-step authentication number ready if you had that set up with the previous installation.

Once you have verified your number, it will tell you if it has detected a backup on Google Drive. If it has, it will invite you to restore it. If you tap SKIP, bear in mind that you will not be able to restore from Google Drive without uninstalling and reinstalling again. But you can select SKIP if you intend to restore from a local backup. More on that in the next section.

Your backup will now be downloaded to your phone and restored. How long it takes will depend on the size of your archive and your internet connection speed.

Once the backup has been completed, you’ll be asked to fill in your display name and enter your two-factor authentication code again. Then your messages will appear on the screen.

Restoring from a local backup

If, instead, you have backed up your WhatsApp archive to your device’s local storage, or an SD card, this is how you can restore it.

Use a file manager such as Google Files to access your phone’s internal storage. Find the WhatsApp folder — the location varies from device to device, so you may have to do a bit of hunting. When you find the folder, go to Databases, and you should see a file named like this. The name of your file will vary slightly.

Change its name so it has the word BACKUP in it, so msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt14. Find the file in that folder that you want to restore (likely the most recently dated one) and change its name to the previous file. In this case, it would be msgstore.db.crypt14.

Now uninstall WhatsApp, reinstall it, and go through the initial setup again. When it comes time to restore a backup, since there’s no Google Drive backup to detect, it will detect the local storage version instead.

Restoring from an earlier backup

If you have more than one backup stored on local storage or SD card, you can opt to leap-frog over the most recent backup and choose an earlier one instead.

The method here is virtually identical to the previous method, except each file in the Databases section will have a date attached, such as msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14. Earlier backups may have crypt13 or crypt12 at the end, but you shouldn’t change this number.

All you need to do is select the one you want to restore and remove the date so it is renamed, in this case, msgstore.1.db.crypt14. But before you do that, make sure the file that already has that name has BACKUP added to the name. You obviously can’t have two files with the same name.

Now go through the reinstallation process of WhatsApp, and select Restore.

How to recover deleted messages on iPhone

Since an iPhone doesn’t support SD cards or restoring from local storage, the only way is through an iCloud backup. In many ways, this greatly simplifies the whole process.

It is the same as restoring an Android phone from Google Drive. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on the iPhone. Set up and verify your number again. Select Restore, and it will detect your iCloud backup, where you can then get everything to reset.

Read more: How to find and change your WhatsApp phone number

FAQs

There is no official method from WhatsApp, as Google Drive-based WhatsApp backups are incompatible with iOS devices. Again though, many paid third-party apps claim to be able to do it. Take these claims with a pinch of salt, though.

You need to have a backup of some description. Because of end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp doesn’t keep copies of your messages on its servers. Plus, from a cost point of view, it’s cheaper to leverage Google Drive or iCloud as backup options. If you haven’t backed up to the cloud, you’ll need to have a backup in your internal storage or SD card. But this only applies to Android devices.

How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages

You can recover deleted WhatsApp messages by restoring your data from a backup.
Androids can recover WhatsApp messages from a Google Drive or local backup, and iPhone can recover from an iCloud backup.
If you deleted some messages and then backed up, those messages will also be deleted from the backup and won't be recoverable.

If you use WhatsApp, you may be wondering how to recover your deleted WhatsApp messages. The app does provide a way to get it done, but only by restoring your information from a backup.

The process will depend on the kind of phone you're using — and where the backup data has been stored. Here's how to do it on Android or iPhone.

Quick tip: You need to have backed up your WhatsApp to be able to recover the messages. And if you've only backed up your WhatsApp data after deleting the messages, then they will not be recoverable.

How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Android

Again, you have to already have backed up your WhatsApp messages for this to work. If you reinstall the app without any prior backups from Google Drive, however, WhatsApp will attempt to restore it from your local backup file automatically.

From a Google Drive back-up:

1. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp.

2. Open the app and verify your number.

3. Tap Restore.

4. Select Next.

Your chats will then pop up once the initialization process is complete. After that, WhatsApp will start restoring your media files.

From a local back-up

If you have an Android and backed up your WhatsApp account to the phone's local backup, here's how to restore your deleted messages.

1. Go to your File Manager.

Quick tip: If you can't find the file manager, you may have to download the Google Files app.

2. Go into the WhatsApp folder and then tap Database.

3. Choose the file called msgstore.db.crypt12.

4. Rename it to msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt12.

5. Select the most recently dated backup and rename it to msgstore.db.crypt12.

6. Open the Google Drive app, tap the three-line icon and tap Backups.

7. Delete the WhatsApp backup in the backups folder.

8. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp.

9. Open the app and verify your phone number.

10. Tap Restore.

How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone

As with Androids, you need a backup to recover your messages on an iPhone, though unlike Android, this backup will have been made through iCloud.

Quick tip: If you aren't sure that you have a chat backup, you can verify it by opening WhatsApp, going into the settings tab, selecting Chats and then going to Chat Backup.

1. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp on your phone.

2. Open the app and verify your phone number.

3. Tap Restore to start the process of restoring your information from a backup and getting your deleted messages back.

Devon Delfino

Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.

How to save all files from WhatsApp and transfer chats to Telegram

WhatsApp users began to actively prepare to leave the messenger. It is known that so far no restrictions are planned for the application, however, experts believe that it will not hurt to be ready in advance. About how to save all information from WhatsApp, transfer it to Telegram, to another smartphone or PC - in the material of Gazeta.Ru.

Better early

In connection with the blocking of the Instagram photo service in Russia, users of the WhatsApp messenger should, just in case, pay attention to ways to back up all data from the application. The reason is that WhatsApp and Instagram are owned by the same company, Meta (formerly Facebook).

It is now known that no restrictive actions are planned for the messenger.

Nevertheless, more and more users are interested in how to switch to other services, with the help of which you can quickly send and receive messages, but at the same time not lose years of correspondence both with friends and relatives, and on work or business issues.

Any messenger has a backup function that allows you to protect data and restore it in case of unforeseen events, Ivan Samoylenko, managing partner of B&C Agency, told Gazeta. Ru.

“Of course, users can take many screenshots of conversations or copy contacts to a text file, but people tend to have dozens of chats. This will take a significant amount of time,” the expert added.

According to the analyst, there are three ways that are much more effective than such practices.

The first way - third-party programs

Transferring backups using third-party programs is possible on smartphones with both iOS and Android, Samoylenko explained. Typically, such programs are used if you need to move WhatsApp data between smartphones with different mobile operating systems. However, for the purpose of creating a backup, they are also suitable.

Among the most frequently used programs are MobileTrans, WutsApper, WhatsApp Transfer and others.

The method of copying them may differ, but, as a rule, you need to connect both devices to the system: a gadget with data and a smartphone that will store the copy.

Such programs are also capable of more complex actions. For example, MobileTrans allows you to transfer all data, including photos and videos. The program has the functions of backing up WhatsApp to a computer and restoring a copy from a PC to a smartphone.

The second way is to Telegram

Users whose version of the messenger has been updated to a version higher than 7.4 will be able to copy WhatsApp chats (including group ones) to Telegram.

You need to launch WhatsApp on the device, select a chat, swipe it from right to left and click the "More" button, Samoylenko said. In the menu that appears, select "Export chat". Here you need to specify whether media files will be transferred - audio, photo and video recordings.

“Next, we indicate with which programs we want to share the correspondence. In our case, with Telegram. In this application, you can create a separate group in advance for your own correspondence, or save chats in "Favorites," the analyst noted.

The last step is to select the desired chat and click the "Import" button. According to the expert, you should not save personal correspondence in group chats, as they will be available to all their participants. When the data transfer is complete, "Imported" will appear.

The third way is in Google Drive

A Google Drive cloud backup can help if multiple users need access and the account is registered for doing business.

According to Samoilenko, for this method you need to log in to your Google account and be connected to the Internet.

“Next, open WhatsApp, the tab “Other options”, and in it “Settings”. In the “Chats” item, select “Backup Chats”, and then “Backup to Google Drive,” the expert said.

After that, you must also specify how often the data will be automatically transferred and stored in your Google account. For example, once a day at night (usually at two in the morning, when the owner is no longer using the application).

“This will allow you to have an up-to-date copy of correspondence every day and not save them manually every day. These backups can then be used to restore on a new device,” added Samoylenko. He clarified that it is also possible to store photos and videos in cloud services separately from correspondence.

According to the expert, the backup can also be transferred from Google Drive to a computer's hard drive, to another cloud service, or to a flash drive. The more backups a user has, the more chances to save data, the analyst concluded.

How to restore WhatsApp conversations on iPhone using Tenorshare UltData or backups

WhatsApp is one of the largest instant messengers. Through it, people around the world communicate both at work and on personal matters. But whatever the subject of conversation, the loss of correspondence is unpleasant. However, this still happens, so it is useful to know what are the ways to recover deleted messages in WhatsApp. Here's how to do it on iPhone.

Method 1: Restore deleted messages from WhatsApp iCloud backup

WhatsApp conversation history is not stored on the servers of the service itself, but you can use the backup that the application places in the iCloud cloud to backup and restore the chat history. But you need to understand that in this case it will not be possible to preview the correspondence and select the necessary elements.

Step 1: Enable automatic backup

First of all, you need to make sure that automatic backup is enabled. You can check that this is the case by going to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.

Step 2: Restore your chat history

Now uninstall WhatsApp on your iPhone and reinstall it from the App Store, then verify your phone number. After a successful login, a welcome notification will appear asking you to restore your chat history. Just select the "Restore Chat History" option and the recovery process will begin. When it completes, the number of recovered messages will be displayed.

Method 2: Selectively recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone even if there is no backup

Tenorshare UltData is a powerful data recovery tool not only for WhatsApp but also for many other types of data. Whether it was lost due to accidental deletion or malware attack, Tenorshare UltData can perfectly recover lost data. In addition, you can recover deleted data both directly from iPhone and from iCloud and iTunes backups.

This tool is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems and supports more than 20 types of data, including WhatsApp deleted data.

How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on iPhone with Tenorshare UltData:

Step 1. Launch the program

If you don't have UltData, please download and install it on your computer. Then connect your iPhone with a USB cable. Click "Recover from iOS Device" and let the program detect your iPhone. After a successful discovery, all types of data on your iPhone will be displayed on the screen.

Step 2: Scan

Select "WhatsApp and attachments" from the list of data types displayed on the screen. At the bottom of the screen, click the "Start Scan" button.

Step 3: Restore

After the scanning process is completed successfully, the interface will display a list of deleted items. Tick the WhatsApp related options in the left panel (messages and/or attachments) and then view those deleted messages. Select what you want to restore and click the desired Restore button at the bottom of the screen.

Method 3: Restore deleted WhatsApp chat from iTunes backup

This method is suitable for those who regularly back up their iPhone to iTunes. The process of restoring WhatsApp messages from iTunes backups is quite simple, but only the last three backups are available for restoration.

Step 1. Open iTunes and connect your iPhone.

Step 2. Click on the iPhone icon and select the "Restore from Backup" option.

Step 3. Select the backup file containing the desired WhatsApp messages and click "Restore"

Method 4.

Restore deleted WhatsApp chat from iCloud backup for the entire iPhone

Unlike the very first method, here we will talk about restore all iPhone data from iCloud copy. But at the same time, you will need to reset the smartphone and restore all data from the cloud.

The first step is to make sure that these backups are created. To do this, just go to Settings > iCloud > Backup. If iCloud backup is activated, you can recover deleted WhatsApp messages as follows.

Step 1. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions until the Apps & Data option appears. Select the "Restore from iCloud Backup" option.

Step 3. Select the appropriate iCloud backup and wait for the restore process to complete successfully. It is important to note that an internet connection is critical throughout the entire process. Therefore, make sure that the Wi-Fi network is not disabled during the process.