WhatsApp has become an essential communication tool for millions of people worldwide. However, accidentally deleting messages can be frustrating, especially if they contain important information. Fortunately, there are several ways to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, whether you have a backup or not.
1. Restore from Google Drive Backup (For Android Users)
If you have enabled Google Drive backups, recovering deleted messages is simple:
- Uninstall WhatsApp from your phone.
- Reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
- Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
- When prompted, tap “Restore” to recover messages from Google Drive.
- Wait for the process to complete, and your chats should reappear.
2. Restore from iCloud Backup (For iPhone Users)
For iPhones, WhatsApp backups are stored in iCloud. To restore deleted messages:
- Uninstall WhatsApp from your iPhone.
- Reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store.
- Verify your phone number.
- Select “Restore Chat History” when prompted.
- Wait for the process to finish, and your chats should be restored.
3. Recover from Local Backup (For Android Users Without Google Drive Backup)
If you don’t use Google Drive for backups, WhatsApp stores local backups on your phone.
- Open File Manager and navigate to: Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Databases (or SD card > WhatsApp > Databases).
- Find the backup file with the format msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt.
- Rename the latest backup file to msgstore.db.crypt.
- Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
- Tap “Restore” when prompted.
4. Use Third-Party Recovery Tools (If No Backup is Available)
If you don’t have a backup, data recovery tools may help:
- Dr.Fone – Data Recovery
- iMobie PhoneRescue
- Tenorshare UltData
These tools scan your device for deleted WhatsApp messages. However, their success depends on how recently the messages were deleted.
Final Thoughts
The best way to avoid losing important WhatsApp messages is to enable regular backups in Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone). This ensures that even if you accidentally delete a message, you can restore it effortlessly.
Do you have a WhatsApp recovery experience to share? Let us know in the comments!
You can also read:
How to Hide and Unhide Chats in WhatsApp on iOS and Android
How to login whatsapp on multiple devices without losing the data?
