WhatsApp allows creating backups in the cloud thanks to Google Drive. However, this is an option that the user must activate beforehand. If you’ve lost a chat and want to recover it, but find out that you haven’t activated a backup in Google Drive, in this article we will tell you how you can do it anyway in a very simple way.
How to restore WhatsApp chats without backup
In addition to backing up to the cloud, WhatsApp automatically creates a local backup. To get there, open the relevant folder on your phone’s internal storage.
Access to the WhatsApp directory
In the application directory, click on the folder that contains the database.
Access to the app’s database directory
Under Databases (databases) you will find all the backups that WhatsApp has made in the last seven days. Each file contains the conversations you’ve had with your contacts. How can I restore a specific backup?
First find the file you want to use to restore your chats. You can easily identify them because the filename includes the date. Of course, you should choose the time before the day you deleted the chat you want to recover. However, if it exists, delete the file mgstore.db.crypt14.
View backup history and select a backup
Select the copy you want to restore, open the three vertical dots menu and tap the rename file button.
Rename the backup you want to restore
The name you need to give the copy is the same as the name of the file you previously deleted, ie mgstore.db.crypt14. Make sure you keep the file extension throughout the process.
Enter new name
Finally, uninstall WhatsApp and download the installation file from this page. Set up your account again and restore the backup when the wizard allows you.
Restore backup during configuration process
With this method, you should keep the following points in mind:
- We’ve mentioned it before, but we have to repeat it: WhatsApp stores the last seven days’ backups locally. It is not possible to retrieve previous conversations.
- Depending on your WhatsApp version, the backup files may have the extension crypt12 or crypthave 13 Please always keep the appropriate extension to avoid errors.