If you have happened to delete WhatsApp messages or lost them for any other reason, fortunately you can get them back. There are a few simple ways to recover deleted messages and here’s how to do it.
Restore WhatsApp messages from the backup on your phone
Artur Tomala / Foundry
WhatsApp creates an automatic backup of chats every day, which it stores in the phone’s memory for seven days. To check that the copy has been made correctly, open WhatsApp, go to the Settings tab, then select Chats and Chat Backup. The date of the last copy will be displayed.
If the copy was made correctly, recovering deleted messages is simple. Uninstall the app and then install it again. During the installation process, WhatsApp will ask if you want to restore the last backup. Once you confirm your choice, the deleted conversations will reappear in the app.
Restore WhatsApp messages using Google Drive or iCloud
Artur Tomala / Foundry
WhatsApp also allows messages to be backed up to Google Drive and iCloud, with a choice of how often these backups are made.
Restoring deleted messages is done similarly to the phone’s memory backup. After uninstalling and reinstalling the app, WhatsApp will ask if you want to restore the backup from the cloud – just select the relevant account that was previously connected to WhatsApp.
Restore older messages from WhatsApp
Artur Tomala / Foundry
It is also possible to restore messages deleted more than seven days ago. To do this, it is necessary to install a file manager on your smartphone. Navigate to your local memory file or SD card, then open the ‘WhatsApp’ and ‘Databases’ folders. Rename the backup file you want to restore from msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 to msgstore.db.crypt12.
It is possible that the previous backup was created on an earlier protocol, such as crypt9 or crypt10. Do not change the extension number of the crypt file.2. Once you have completed these steps, uninstall and reinstall the application and then restore the backup you want.
Author: Artur Tomala, Mobile Writer, Tech Advisor
Artur is a Mobile Writer at Tech Advisor, where he covers a range of smartphone, tablet and smartwatch-related topics. He has been working in the tech industry since 2021, including time spent leading a team focused on mobile news, reviews and product rankings. As an ambassador for the productivity app Notion, he runs training workshops and creates advanced templates to help people stay organised and productive.