WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, documents and more to individuals or groups. One great feature of WhatsApp is its ability to backup chats to the cloud. This allows you to restore your chat history if you ever lose your phone or switch to a new device.
What is a WhatsApp backup?
A WhatsApp backup contains your message history, photos, videos, voice messages, call history, settings and more. It is saved to your Google Drive or iCloud account at set intervals or can be manually backed up at any time. This provides you with a way to recover your WhatsApp data if your phone is lost, damaged, stolen or upgraded.
What gets backed up in a WhatsApp backup?
- Message history and conversations
- Photos and videos sent and received
- Voice messages
- Call history
- Your settings and preferences
- Group information
- Profile photo
- Your block list
Can I view my WhatsApp backup on a PC?
Yes, it is possible to view and access your WhatsApp backups on a PC. However, WhatsApp does not provide an official solution, so you need to use third-party software to do this.
Here are the main ways to access WhatsApp backups on PC:
- Use a file manager app to directly access Google Drive or iCloud backup files.
- Use a desktop WhatsApp client like WhatsApp Web.
- Use backup extractor tools to export and view backup data.
- Manually transfer the backup files from your phone to a PC.
Access WhatsApp backup on PC using a file manager
If your WhatsApp backups are saved to Google Drive or iCloud, you can use file manager apps on your PC to directly access the backup files.
To access a Google Drive backup on PC:
- Install a file manager app like File Explorer on your PC.
- Log in to your Google account through the file manager.
- Navigate to the WhatsApp backup folder (WhatsApp/Databases).
- Here you can open and extract the database files that contain your chats.
To access an iCloud backup on PC:
- Install iCloud for Windows on your PC and log in.
- Open iCloud Drive and go to the WhatsApp folder.
- The backups will be in the ChatStorage.sqlite file which you can open.
While you can view your chat history this way, the database files themselves will be difficult to read and access without extracting them first.
Use WhatsApp Web to view backups
WhatsApp Web allows you to mirror your WhatsApp chats from your phone to your computer’s browser. Any messages and media saved in your WhatsApp backup will also be visible on WhatsApp Web.
To view backups on WhatsApp Web:
- Go to web.whatsapp.com on your PC browser.
- Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap Menu > WhatsApp Web > Scan QR code.
- Scan the QR code on the browser using your phone’s camera.
- Your WhatsApp chats and data will now be displayed in the browser.
This allows you to easily view and search your chat history on a bigger screen. However, your ability to export and save data may be limited.
Use apps to extract and view WhatsApp backup files
There are various third party apps available that can extract the database and media files from a WhatsApp backup for easy viewing on your PC:
For Android backups:
- Tenorshare iCareFone for WhatsApp Transfer – extracts Android backups from Google Drive
- Jihosoft Phone Transfer – transfer and view WhatsApp backups from Android phones to PC
- Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer – downloads Google Drive backups to PC
For iPhone backups:
- AnyTrans for iOS – view and save iCloud backups on PC
- Jihosoft iPhone Transfer – export and backup WhatsApp chats from iPhone to PC
- iMazing – extracts WhatsApp chats from iCloud backups
These tools make it easy to not only access chats and media from a WhatsApp backup, but also export in a readable format to your PC.
Manually transfer WhatsApp backup to PC
You can also manually transfer WhatsApp backup files from your Android or iPhone device to your computer using a USB cable:
For Android:
- Connect your Android phone to PC via USB and enable USB debugging.
- Open the phone’s file manager app and go to WhatsApp > Databases.
- Select the backup files and copy them to your PC.
- The files will usually be named msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.
For iPhone:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer and trust the PC.
- Open iTunes and select your iPhone.
- Go to File Sharing > WhatsApp > Save to Folder to export the backups.
- The ChatStorage.sqlite file contains your messages.
While a bit more complex, this gives you full control over transferring your WhatsApp backup from your mobile device to a PC.
Conclusion
Accessing your WhatsApp backup on a PC is possible using several different methods. File manager apps provide direct access to Google Drive or iCloud backups. WhatsApp Web mirrors chats to your browser. Backup extractor tools export backups for easy viewing. And you can manually transfer backup files from your phone to computer.
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is one of the main ways people communicate today. Having the ability to backup and view your WhatsApp data on a bigger screen provides added convenience and security. So whether you need to recover lost chats or migrate to a new device, accessing your WhatsApp backup on PC is a useful option for any avid WhatsApp user.