Where is WhatsApp backup stored?
Google Drive
Note: Your WhatsApp backup is stored as “hidden app data” on Google Drive, which is only accessible to WhatsApp, and not to you directly or any other app. You can see the size of your backup by going to Google Drive on your computer, selecting the Gear icon > Settings > Manage Apps > WhatsApp
Restore WhatsApp From Local Backup on Android Phone
Open WhatsApp > tap on 3-dots menu icon and select Settings in the drop-down menu.
From the Settings screen, navigate to Chats > Chat Backup > Back up to Google Drive option.
On the pop-up, select Never option to disable WhatsApp Backup to Google Drive.
Back on Chat Backup screen, tap on the Back Up button
How to restore your chat history
Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
Open WhatsApp and verify your number.
When prompted, tap RESTORE to restore your chats and media from Google Drive.
After the restoration process is complete, tap NEXT. …
WhatsApp will begin restoring your media files after your chats are restored.
WhatsApp has a provision to back up WhatsApp chat history on Google Drive. Interestingly, the backup does not eat into your GDrive storage quota. This means, irrespective of the size of the backup file, your GDrive storage space will not get reduced. So, this is the most convenient method to back up your WhatsApp chat history. Follow the steps below to activate WhatsApp backup on GDrive using Android smartphones:
Step 1: Open WhatsApp
Step 2: Click on the three dots visible on the top right corner of the screen to explore more option
Step 3: Click on settings
Step 4: Go to the ‘Chat’ setting and click on chat backup
Step 5: Click on the backup button to create a backup and upload it immediately to GDrive
The chat backup option in WhatsApp’s Chat setting has additional settings for ease of use. You can set your backup frequency to daily, weekly or monthly. Additionally, there is an option to never take a backup or to create backup only when you tap on the ‘backup’ button. There also are provisions to change your default Google account for backups on your phone, backup over WiFi only, or backup over either WiFi or cellular data, or whether or not to include videos in backup. While the backup file does not reduce your GDrive storage plan, backing up and uploading the backup file to GDrive requires internet service. Therefore, it is always advised to use WiFi to back up WhatsApp data on GDrive.
How to restore WhatsApp backup from GDrive
Step 1: Connect the phone to internet using either WiFi or network data
Step 2: Set up your phone with the same Google account where the WhatsApp backup has been stored
Step 3: Download and install WhatsApp from Play Store
Step 4: Open WhatsApp, accepts its terms and conditions, enter your phone number and wait for OTP to proceed
Step 5: Enter OTP and click on the next button
Step 6: WhatsApp will notify that the existing backup file is saved on GDrive and seek your permission to restore chat history
Step 7: Give permission to retrieve chat history from GDrive backup. The backup restores text messages first and multimedia in the background later.
How to back up WhatsApp chat history on phone’s internal storage or microSD card
Along with GDrive, WhatsApp also creates a local backup in your phone’s internal storage every day. There is no way to manually change its time or location. According to WhatsApp, the local backup is created at 2:00 am every morning and it is saved as an encrypted file in your phone’s local storage. To find the local backup saved in the phone’s internal storage, go to file manager, open the root folder, search for the WhatsApp folder and tap on it. Look for the ‘databases’ folder, which includes all text messages. The media files are saved in a separate ‘Media’ folder inside the WhatsApp folder. There is a ‘Backups’ folder, too, which includes backup settings and other encrypted files.
How to restore WhatsApp backup using microSD card
If you remove WhatsApp for any reason and install it again on the same device, the instant messenger notifies about the existing local backup and takes your permission to restore messages from it. Follow the steps below in case you switch to a new device and seek to restore WhatsApp chat history from local backup:
Step 1: Insert a microSD card in your old phone, if it has a slot
Step 2: Go to the phone’s file manager
Step 3: In the file manager, locate WhatsApp folder in root
Step 4: Copy the WhatsApp folder and transfer it to the microSD card
Step 5: Eject the microSD card safely and insert it in your new phone, if there is a slot
Step 6: Download and install WhatsApp on a new phone. Set it up and then uninstall it
Step 7: Replace the WhatsApp folder in your phone’s internal storage with the one saved in the microSD card
Step 8: In the file manager, navigate to sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases
Step 9: Rename the backup file you want to restore from msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 to msgstore.db.crypt12. It is possible that an earlier backup may be on an earlier protocol, such as crypt9 or crypt10. Don’t change the number of the crypt extension
Step 10: Download and install WhatsApp again and this time it will identify your local backup and notify if you would like to restore from it.
In case the old phone or the new phone does not have a microSD card slot, copy the WhatsApp folder from your phone’s internal storage on a desktop. Perform the step 6 mentioned above before transferring the folder in the new phone’s internal storage. Once you transfer the folder, perform Step 8 and onwards.
Where can I find my WhatsApp backup in Google Drive?
To find the local backup saved in the phone’s internal storage, go to file manager, open the root folder, search for the WhatsApp folder and tap on it. Look for the ‘databases’ folder, which includes all text messages. The media files are saved in a separate ‘Media’ folder inside the WhatsApp folder