How to Recover WhatsApp Messages – A Complete Guide

January 3, 2025 By Nick Anderson No Comments 6 minutes

WhatsApp has become necessary for daily communication, connecting billions of people worldwide. The platform’s easy-to-use messaging, voice calls, and video call features made it stand out to users. And the best part? It’s FREE. However, some users may experience accidental message deletion, updates, or device switching, leaving them questioning how to recover WhatsApp messages.  

Note: Schedule regular or weekly WhatsApp message backups and consider using external cloud services. FastestVPN is the ideal tool for additional security during backup, recovery, and data transfer processes. It keeps your data secure through third-party apps on your device.

Understanding WhatsApp Backup Options for How to Recover WhatsApp Messages

To recover all your important WhatsApp messages, professionally and personally, you need to understand the available backup options and how to use them. WhatsApp offers multiple backup methods on how to recover WhatsApp messages for users:

• iCloud Backup (for iOS users):

For all recently deleted messages iPhone, users turn to iCloud Backup as the default feature when using WhatsApp. The feature is integrated into the iPhone system and is automatically made whenever the device is connected to Wi-Fi and has space available.

• Google Drive Backup (for Android users):

Android users can restore deleted WhatsApp chat by relying on the Google Drive backup method. They can also schedule an automatic backup. Simultaneously, you need to have a Google account must be created, and WhatsApp access must be granted. Sometimes, users may face issues with large backup sizes. 

• Local Backup (to your device’s storage)

Usually, devices store local backups in your storage space. Visit the storage to verify that the backup is available. Reinstall the WhatsApp and allow it to detect and restore the backup during the account setup process.

Steps to Recover WhatsApp Messages from Backups

After understanding the backup options, here are the steps you need to take to recover WhatsApp messages. 

iCloud Backup Recover:

• Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > WhatsApp to enable WhatsApp backups. 
• Uninstall the WhatsApp application.
• Reinstall the app from the App Store.
• Log in with the same phone number used for verification and backup. 
• Tap ‘‘Restore Chat History’’ to restore your deleted messages from the iCloud backup. 

Google Drive Backup Recover:

• Open the app and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup to confirm that a Google Drive backup is available for restoration.
• Remove the WhatsApp from your Android device.
• Download it again from the Play Store.
• Sign in to the same Gmail account linked to the backup.
• Select the ‘‘Restore’’ option to restore the chat history from Google Drive.

Local Backup Recover:

• Go to the device’s storage or SD card folder to locate the backup file. ‘
• Find the WhatsApp/Databases directory. 
• After identifying the backup file (e.g., msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12) and renaming it to msgstore.db.crypt12.
• Uninstall the WhatsApp app from the device. 
• Reinstall WhatsApp again from the Google Play Store
• Log in to the app and allow WhatsApp to detect and restore the local backup automatically. 

Additional Tips for Data Recovery

Using Third-Party Recovery Tools:

If you’re searching online for information about how to recover WhatsApp messages, you will find several tools on the Internet that can recover deleted text messages messages directly from the phone. Some popular tools are Dr.Fone, Tenorshare UltData, and iMobie PhoneRescue. These tools can retrieve messages without backup options. 

On the other hand, they may require payment, pose privacy risks, or fail to restore all the messages. Before choosing any third-party recovery tool, always do extensive research. By using security tools like FastestVPN during the recovery process, you can ensure that the data remains private and secure. 

Preventing Future Data Loss:

The best way to prevent future data loss is to enable automatic backups by setting up daily or weekly backups to iCloud or Google Drive. Some users also transfer local backups to a secure cloud platform for further protection. For users looking for how to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, once in a while, check your backup to restore all deleted messages are up-to-date. 

How to Backup WhatsApp

Creating a Manual Backup:

• iOS Users: Open WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back Up Now.
• Android Users: Go to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > BACK UP.

Setting Up Automatic Backups:

• iOS Users can enable iCloud backup by going to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Auto Backup and selecting the desired backup frequency.
• Android Users can schedule Google Drive backups by navigating to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back up to Google Drive and choosing the backup frequency.

How to Read Encrypted WhatsApp Messages

What is End-to-End Encryption:

End-to-end encryption is a WhatsApp default feature that secures messages on the platform. This feature allows only you and the intended recipient to read messages—even WhatsApp cannot access them. 

Steps to Ensure Messages Are Encrypted:

• Open a WhatsApp chat and tap the contact’s name.
• Touch ‘‘Encryption’’ to view the QR code of the encryption and 60-digit number. 
• Verify the encryption by scanning the code with the contact’s device or manually checking the digits. 

Troubleshooting Encryption Issues:

• If you or your contacts don’t have the latest version of WhatsApp, some issues may arise. 
• If your contact’s security code changes, confirm the new code to maintain the encryption for privacy. 

How to See Deleted Messages on WhatsApp

Officially, WhatsApp does not provide a feature to view or restore messages once the sender has deleted them. Third-party tools like Notification History and WhatsRemoved+ can track notifications and store message previews. However, you need to exercise caution since these apps breach WhatsApp’s terms of service. 

Secure your device by connecting via FastestVPN when using these third-party tools. To prevent accidental deletion, archive chats that are important to you personally and professionally regularly. Set automatic backups to ensure that messages are saved before deletion. 

FAQs – Recover WhatsApp Messages

To Conclude – How to Recover WhatsApp Messages

For users who are making it hard on themselves regarding how to recover WhatsApp messages, restoring them can be quite easy if Android and iPhone users have backups on iCloud and Google Drive. By taking measures, you can prevent trouble in the future and keep your WhatsApp conversation safe and accessible.  

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