WhatsApp is no duobt one of the most popular messaging services on Android and iOS platform. We all heavily rely on WhatsApp for text and images messages, it can be painful losing your chat history but thankfully, you can now avert that by backing up your files. WhatsApp recently announced a partnership with Google to make sure its 900 million users don’t lose anything important to them. The backup will include chat histories, voice messages, photos and video, and you’ll be able to restore all of that data to a new phone when you set up WhatsApp. If you feel your messages, videos and files are important then you must have to take Whatsapp backup. It might require for future reference or you may want it on your another new smart phone. Below is a complete guide on how to Backup WhatsApp Messages and Restore WhatsApp Messages or Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messageson Android and iOS.
Backup and Restore WhatsApp Data using Google Drive
You can back up your WhatsApp data using Google Drive and/or a local backup. Local backups will run automatically every day at 2am and save your database in a file on the phone itself, so if you switch Android phones or get a new one, your chats and media are safe. To use Google Drive, make sure the following is true:
1. Your device must be synced with Google Drive. 2. Google Play Services must be installed (only available for Android 2.3.4 and later). 3. Your Google Drive account must have enough space for all of your WhatsApp data. 4. Your phone must have enough free space to create the backup.
How to backup Whatsapp Messages to Google Drive
1. Open WhatsApp 2. Go to Menu Button > Settings > Chats and calls > Chat backup. 3. Tap on Back up to Google Drive and set up the backup frequency to your liking, or tap Back Up to do an immediate backup. 4. You will be prompted to select a Google account that you will back up your chat history to. If you do not have a Google account, tap Add account when prompted. Please remember the Google account you are using for the backup. 5. Tap on Back up over to choose the network you wish to use for backup. Please note that backing up over cellular may result in additional data charges.
Important notes about Google Drive
The first complete backup may take a while. Please leave your phone connected to a power source. You can change your chat backup frequency, the account you back up to and which connection to use for backup at any time in Menu Button > Settings > Chats and calls > Chat backup. Every time you run a Google Drive backup on a Google account, the previous Google Drive backup will be overwritten. There is no way to restore an older Google Drive backup.
Transferring and Restore WhatsApp backup
WhatsApp will ask you to restore your chats and media from a backup when you verify your number. Simply tap “Restore” when prompted to do so. If WhatsApp does not detect a backup, it could be that:
1. You are not logged into the same Google account. 2. You are not using the same phone number that was used to create the backup. 3. Your SD card and/or chat history is corrupted. 4. A backup file does not exist on the Google Drive account or locally on the phone. Note: The easiest way to transfer data to a new phone is using Google Drive. If you want to use a local backup, you will need to transfer the files to the new phone using a computer, file explorer or SD Card. If your data is not stored on the /sdcard/WhatsApp/ folder, you may see internal storage or main storage folders.
SEE ALSO: Best WhatsApp Status – Status for Facebook, WeChat, Line and others Romantic Status for WhatsApp ~ Best WhatsApp Love Status Of All Time
How To restore a less recent WhatsApp local backup
Your phone will store up to the last 7 days worth of local backup files (Google Drive will only have the most recent). If you wish to restore a local backup which is not the most recent, you will need to do the following:
1. Download a file manager. Here are some choices: File Managers and Explorers. 2. In the File Manager, navigate to sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases. If your data is not stored on the SD card, 3. you may see internal storage or main storage instead of sdcard. 4 Rename the backup file you wish to restore from msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt8 to msgstore.db.crypt8. 5. Uninstall WhatsApp. 6. Install WhatsApp. 7. Tap Restore when asked.
Troubleshooting backup and restoration issues
1. If you are unable to create a Google Drive backup, please try the following: 2 Verify that you have a Google account added to your phone. 3 Verify that you have enough available space in your Google Drive account to create a backup. You can see how much space is available on your Google Drive at the bottom left of your screen. 4. Verify that you have Google Play services installed on your phone. Note: Google Play services is only available on Android 2.3.4 and higher. 5. If you are attempting to back up on a cellular data network, make sure that you have data for both WhatsApp and Google Play services. Contact your provider if you are unsure.
Attempt to do a backup on a different network (for example, try connecting to Wi-Fi if you are unable to back up on a cellular network).
If you are unable to restore a Google Drive backup, please try the following:
1. Verify that you are attempting to restore data from the same phone number and Google account that the 2. backup was created on. 3 Verify that there is enough space on your phone to restore the backup. 4. Verify that you have Google Play services installed in your phone. Note: Google Play services is only available on Android 2.3.4 and higher. 5. Make sure your battery is fully charged or your phone is plugged in to a power source. 6. Make sure your phone is connected to a strong and stable network. If restoring using cellular network does not work, please try Wi-Fi.
Read Also: How to add Bold, Italics and Strikethroughs on WhatsApp
How to move WhatsApp chat history over to new Android phone?
You can transfer your chat history over to your new Android phone by transferring your local backup or restoring your backup from Google Drive. Local backup refers to the automatic backup of your chat history to your phone’s WhatsApp folder that occurs daily every 2AM. This folder is located in your device’s internal memory or external SD card. Google Drive backup, if activated, refers to the saving of your messages and media to your personal Google Drive account.
Transferring WhatsApp via local backup
Quick steps
1. Back up your chats on your old phone. 2. Go to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chats and calls > Back up chats. 3. Transfer your external SD card to your new phone if your WhatsApp/Database folder is located in your external SD card. Please see the detailed steps section below if your WhatsApp folder is located in your device’s internal memory. 4. Install WhatsApp on your new phone. 5. Verify the same phone number in WhatsApp that you had when you backed up your chats. 6. Click Restore when prompted to restore your message history.
Restore Whatsapp backup from one Android phone to another
To transfer local backup from one Android phone to another, please follow these steps:
1. To start, manually back up your most recent chats. 2. Go to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chats and calls > Back up chats. 3. Next, transfer this backup to your new Android phone.
-If your phone has an external SD card, take the SD card out of your old phone, and put it into your new one.
-For phones that have an internal memory or internal SD card (like most Samsung devices), you will need to transfer the /sdcard/WhatsApp/ folder from your old phone to the same folder on your new phone. There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can use a file explorer or even transfer the backup files to your computer.
-Please note that it is possible to be missing some files during the transfer. Please double check to make sure all the files you wish to transfer over to your new phone are included in the backup. – If you are unsure about what kind of SD card you have, we recommend checking your phone’s specifications on your phone manufacturer’s website. 4. Once you have safely transferred your backup, you can install WhatsApp on your new Android phone. 5. During the installation process, WhatsApp will automatically find your backup and ask you if you would like to restore it. Once restored, your old chats will appear on your new phone. Transferring via Google Drive
Manually back up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive on your old phone.
1. Go to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chats and calls > Chat backup > Back Up. 2. Add the same Google account to the new phone that was used to perform the backup on your old phone. Also make sure you are using the same phone number in the new phone. 3. Install WhatsApp on your new phone. 4. After verifying the same phone number used to perform the backup on the old phone, you will be prompted to restore your messages and media from Google Drive. 5. After the restoration process is complete, tap on Next and your chats will be displayed once initialization is complete. 6. After restoring your chats, WhatsApp will begin restoring your media files.
Note: You cannot restore chat history from any other phone type to Android, or from Android to another phone type.
How to backup, restore or transfer WhatsApp data on iPhone
WhatsApp chat histories are not stored on our servers; we cannot retrieve any deleted messages for you. You can use our iCloud backup feature to back up and restore your chat history.
WhatsApp iCloud backup
To make a manual backup of your chats at any time, go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap Back Up Now. You can also enable automatic, scheduled backups by tapping Auto Backup and then choosing your backup frequency. This will back up your chats and media to your iCloud account; you can choose to include or exclude videos from the backup. The iCloud backup process can take a while to complete, depending on your Internet connection and backup size.
Requirements: You must have iOS 5.1 or later. You must be signed into iCloud ( iPhone Settings > iCloud). For iOS 7: Documents & Data (iPhone Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data) must be set to ON. For iOS 8 and later: iCloud Drive (iPhone Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive) must be set to ON. There must be enough free space on both your iCloud and your iPhone.
Using iCloud on cellular data
If you are concerned about your cellular data usage, we recommend that you limit your iCloud to only back up on Wi-Fi. To disable iCloud while on cellular data, go to iPhone Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive for iOS 8 and later or iPhone Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data for iOS 7 and before and turn Use Cellular Data off.
To recover your chat history from an iCloud backup, first verify that an iCloud backup exists in WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. If you can see when the last backup was performed, delete and reinstall the app from the App Store. After verifying your phone number, follow the on-screen prompts to restore your chat history. The same iCloud backup requirements apply for iCloud restore. In addition, the phone number used for backing up and restoring must be the same. You cannot restore the chat history from another WhatsApp account. If you share an iCloud account, this will allow you to keep your backups separate.
READ: How to add WhatsApp Bold, Italics and Strikethroughs Text
Troubleshooting iCloud problems
If you are having problems backing up to or restoring from iCloud, this is likely not an issue with WhatsApp but with the iCloud account.
If you are unable to create a backup, please try the following:
1. Verify that you are logged into iCloud in iPhone Settings > iCloud. 2. Verify that iCloud Drive is turned on in iPhone Settings > iCloud. If you are on iOS 7 or before, you will see Documents & Data instead of iCloud Drive. 3. If you are trying to backup on an iPhone with iOS 7 or before, verify that no other device using your Apple ID has ever had iCloud Drive turned on. If you have turned iCloud Drive on for any device using your Apple ID, you will not be able to upload data on iOS 7 or before. Even if iCloud Drive was previously turned on and then turned off, you will not be able to back up on an iOS 7 device. You would need to update to iOS 8 or later to back up. 4. Verify that you have enough available space in your iCloud account to create a backup. You can see how much space is available on your iCloud in iPhone Settings > iCloud > Storage. 5. If you are attempting a backup on a cellular data network, make sure you have Use Cellular Data turned on in iPhone Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive for iOS 8 and later or iPhone Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data for iOS 7 and before. 6. Perform a manual backup by tapping “Back Up Now” in WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and keep WhatsApp open until that screen says “uploading”. 7. Attempt the manual backup on a different network – preferably the network you connect to most. iCloud is designed to work best when you attempt a backup in the geographical location from which you connect most frequently.
If you are unable to restore a backup, please try the following:
1. Verify that you are attempting to restore data from the same phone number and iCloud account that the backup was created on. 2. Verify that there is enough room on your iPhone to restore the backup. You can see the available space on your phone in iPhone Settings > General > About. 3. Verify that you have your iCloud Drive turned on in iPhone Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive. If you are on iOS 7 or before, you will see Documents & Data instead of iCloud Drive. 4. If the backup was created using iCloud Drive, you will not be able to restore that backup on any device that is not on iOS 8 or later. 5. If you have turned on iCloud Drive for any device using your Apple ID, you will not be able to restore data on your iPhone unless it has iOS 8 or later. 6. Attempt the restoration from a different network – preferably the network you connect to most. iCloud is designed to work best when you attempt to restore in the geographical location from which you connect most frequently.
WhatsApp iPhone Backup
If you have previously backed up your iPhone using iTunes or iCloud, you may be able retrieve your WhatsApp chats by restoring your iPhone from a previous iPhone backup. Learn more about backing up and restoring your iPhone from this Apple Support page.
Email Conversation
You can also email yourself a chat history if you would like to save a conversation:
1. Open the WhatsApp conversation you want to email. 2. Tap the contact’s name or group subject in the navigation bar. 3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Export Chat. 4. Select if you want to Attach Media or email the conversation Without Media. 5. Enter your email address and tap Send.
How to backup and restore WhatsApp messages on Windows Phones
WhatsApp automatically makes backups of your chat history every day at 4 AM and you can uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to restore messages from this copy.
Note: You will not be able to access Voice Messages sent and received prior to reinstallation.
If you are unable to restore your chats, unfortunately, we can not restore your chats, contacts or multimedia files for you.
Details The first step is to check the time of the most recent backup file created. Note that any messages deleted from your phone before the backup was created, will not be restored.
To check the time of your last backup:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap More > settings > chats and calls. 2. Under backup you will see the time of the last backup (Note: do not tap backup, otherwise a new backup will be created). 3. Then, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp. After reopening WhatsApp, you will be asked: “Would you like to restore your message history from backup?”, choose restore.
Important: You will lose all the messages you have sent and received since the backup was created.
We also suggest periodically exporting important chat histories to have copies saved outside of WhatsApp.
How to restore WhatsApp messages on BlackBerry
Message history is removed from the BlackBerry’s internal memory after restarting your phone. If your chat history is not saved to a media card (SD card), it will be completely erased after restarting your phone. This is how the BlackBerry system is designed.
Check your chat history settings
First, check that you have a media card in your BlackBerry (see this article for more information), then check your settings inside of WhatsApp to make sure they are correct:
1. Open WhatsApp. 2. Go to the Settings tab. 3. Go to Media Settings. 4. Make sure that Message History is set to Media Card.
Check for problems on your media card
If your Message History is already set to Media Card but your chats are still missing, there is likely a conflict between your media card and WhatsApp. To fix this, we recommend these steps: 1. Make sure your media card is not full. You can check this in BlackBerry Media folder > button > Memory Use. 2. Make sure your media card card is not set to read only (if you can save and edit files on your media card, it is not read only). 3. Remove and reinsert your media card. 4. Go to BlackBerry Options > Device > Storage, press the button, and then select Repair.
Attempt to recover your chat history
You may be able to recover some of your chat history on your SD card by restoring an older chat backup:
1. Delete WhatsApp, then reboot your phone by removing the battery. 2. After your phone restarts, open your BlackBerry Media folder. 3. Press the button and choose Explore. 4. Go to Media Card > databases > WhatsApp and find the file called messagestore.db. 5. Rename that file to “123messagestore.db”. This will prompt WhatsApp to restore the next most recent chat history that was saved. A new chat history backup is created every day. 6. Reinstall WhatsApp.
We also recommend that you periodically export your chat history if you wish to have a copy of your important conversations outside of WhatsApp.
Note: It is not possible to restore chat history from another phone or from any exported chats.
How to backup and restore WhatsApp messages on Nokia S60
Your WhatsApp messages are automatically backed up and saved daily on your phone’s memory. If you uninstall WhatsApp from your phone but don’t want to lose any of your messages, be sure to manually back up your chats before uninstalling:
1. Open WhatsApp and go to Options > Settings > Chat History > Backup chat history. 2. Tap Yes to back up chat history.
Restoring your WhatsApp messages
If you are deleting and reinstalling WhatsApp, you will be prompted with a message to import your backup after you first open your new copy of WhatsApp. Tap Restore and your chat history should load.
If you need to transfer your chats from one S60 phone to another S60 phone, transfer your SD card to your new phone before installing WhatsApp on it. If you do not have an SD card, you will need to copy the entire ‘wa’ folder from your old phone into your new phone’s memory. Install WhatsApp and click on Restore when you see it, and your chat history should begin loading.
Here is some technical information about your backup 1. Backup files are saved in the ‘wa’ folder and are called MsgStore.bak. 2. Backup files are saved to both your phone’s internal memory and SD card, but only given that there’s enough space. 3. Backup files are only valid for 7 days after last saved. Make sure you import your chat history before it expires! 4. Backup files are phone number sensitive; they will only work with the same phone number. 5. Backup files are saved in a format to be opened with WhatsApp. If you want to read your conversations on your computer, you can send them as .txt file from WhatsApp to your email. To learn how to export your chat history