How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages? | Easy Steps!

Have you accidentally deleted important WhatsApp messages? Don’t worry! There are several ways to get them back. This guide will show you the easiest methods to recover your deleted WhatsApp messages, whether you use an Android phone.

Why WhatsApp Messages Get Deleted

Before we dive into recovery methods, let’s understand why messages disappear:

• Accidental deletion when cleaning chats
• Phone reset or software updates
• Switching to a new device
• WhatsApp crashes or errors
• Storage issues on your device

Method 1: Recover from WhatsApp Backups

For Android Users

Android phones back up WhatsApp chats to Google Drive. Here’s how to restore them:

1. Uninstall WhatsApp from your phone
2. Reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store
3. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number
4. When prompted, tap “RESTORE” to recover chats from Google Drive
5. After restoration completes, tap “NEXT”
6. Your chats and media will be restored

Important note: This method only works if you had Google Drive backups enabled before deleting the messages.

How to Check if Google Drive Backup is Enabled

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner
3. Select “Settings” > “Chats” > “Chat backup”
4. Check if “Back up to Google Drive” is turned on
5. If not, enable it now for future protection

Important note: Like with Android, this only works if you had iCloud backups enabled before the deletion.

How to Check if iCloud Backup is Enabled

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Tap “Settings” at the bottom right
3. Select “Chats” > “Chat Backup”
4. Check if “Auto Backup” is enabled
5. If not, enable it now to protect your messages going forward

Method 2: Recover from Local Backups

WhatsApp creates local backups on your phone every day at 2:00 AM by default. This is another way to recover deleted messages.

For Android Users

1. Connect your phone to your computer or use a file manager app
2. Navigate to your internal storage or SD card
3. Find the “WhatsApp” folder
4. Go to “Databases”
5. Look for files named “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12” (the date format shows when the backup was created)
6. Rename the most recent backup file to “msgstore.db.crypt12”
7. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
8. When prompted, choose to restore from local backup

This method works best for recovering messages deleted within the past 7 days.

Method 3: Use Third-Party Recovery Apps

If the backup methods don’t work, you might try third-party recovery apps. Be careful with these tools and only use reputable options.

For Android

Some popular recovery apps include:

• Dr.Fone
• Tenorshare UltData
• EaseUS MobiSaver

How to Use Dr.Fone (Example)

1. Download and install Dr.Fone on your computer
2. Connect your Android phone via USB cable
3. Select “Recover” from the main interface
4. Choose “WhatsApp Messages”
5. Follow the on-screen instructions
6. Preview and select the messages you want to recover
7. Click “Recover” to save them

Method 4: Request Data from WhatsApp

WhatsApp allows you to request your account information, which might include some deleted messages:

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Go to Settings
3. Tap “Account”
4. Select “Request Account Info”
5. Tap “Request Report”
6. Wait for WhatsApp to prepare your report (may take 3 days)
7. Once ready, download the report
8. Extract and view the data

This method doesn’t always recover specific deleted messages but provides a history of your account activity.

Method 5: Check with the Person You Were Chatting With

Sometimes the simplest solution works best. If you deleted messages from a conversation with someone:

1. Ask them if they still have the messages
2. Request them to take screenshots or forward the messages back to you
3. They can export the chat and send it to you

To export a chat (they can follow these steps):

• Open the chat
• Tap the three dots (Android)
• Select “More” > “Export chat”
• Choose whether to include media files
• Send the chat file to you via email or another app

How to Prevent Losing WhatsApp Messages in the Future

Prevention is better than recovery. Here’s how to protect your messages:

Regular Backups

Android: Enable automatic Google Drive backups

• Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup
• Set up backups to run daily, weekly, or monthly
• Connect your Google account

Archive Instead of Delete

If you want to clean up your chat list but keep the messages:

1. Long-press on a chat
2. Select “Archive” instead of “Delete”
3. Archived chats are hidden but can be accessed anytime
4. To view archived chats, scroll to the bottom of your chat list on Android

Export Important Conversations

For truly important conversations:

1. Open the chat
2. Tap the three dots (Android)
3. Select “More” > “Export chat”
4. Choose to include or exclude media
5. Send the chat to your email or save it to cloud storage

Limitations of WhatsApp Recovery

It’s important to understand the limitations:

• Time sensitivity: The sooner you try to recover, the better your chances
• Backup dependency: Recovery mainly works if you had backups enabled
• Media files: Some methods may recover text but not photos or videos
• Encryption: WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption can make recovery challenging
• Permanent deletion: Messages deleted for everyone are harder to recover than those deleted just for yourself

People Also Read: GB WhatsApp Pro

Conclusion

Losing important WhatsApp messages can be stressful, but there are several methods to recover them. Start with the built-in backup options, then try local backups or third-party tools if needed. Remember that prevention is key—set up regular backups to avoid future data loss.

The most successful recoveries happen when you act quickly after deletion and have backups already in place. By following this guide, you’ll have the best chance of getting your valuable conversations back.

Frequently Asked Questions