WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. Many users rely on WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family and to share photos, videos, and other media.
A key feature of WhatsApp is its built-in backup system. This allows users to save their WhatsApp data like messages, photos, and videos to the cloud. If you ever lose your phone or switch to a new device, you can restore your chat history and media from your latest WhatsApp backup.
What are WhatsApp backups?
WhatsApp gives users the option to backup their app data to the cloud automatically on a regular basis. Backups include your messages, photos, videos, voice messages, call logs, contacts, and other data from WhatsApp.
Backups are encrypted end-to-end, which means the backup data can only be accessed by you. Not even WhatsApp can read your backed up messages or media. This ensures your data remains private.
By default, WhatsApp backs up to Google Drive for Android users and iCloud for iOS users. You can also manually backup to local storage. Backups allow you to restore your chat history if you ever lose your phone or switch devices.
What gets backed up?
Here’s an overview of the WhatsApp data that gets backed up:
- Messages – All text messages, group messages, media captions.
- Photos & Videos – Images and videos you received or sent.
- Voice Messages – Any audio messages.
- Call Logs – Records of incoming/outgoing calls.
- Contacts – Phone numbers registered to your WhatsApp account.
- Settings – Your profile name, About section, notification settings, etc.
Anything you delete will be removed from subsequent backups. Any media like photos or videos will also be deleted if removed from your device’s local storage.
How often are WhatsApp backups done?
Backups don’t happen continuously. WhatsApp gives you control over how often backups occur:
- Daily – 1 backup per day provided your phone is charged, connected to the internet, and WhatsApp is running.
- Weekly – 1 backup per week under the same conditions.
- Monthly – 1 backup per month.
- Never – Turn off backups.
Daily is the default setting, which is recommended to prevent major data loss. Backups typically happen overnight when your phone meets the requirements.
You can manually trigger a backup anytime by going into WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back Up Now. Manual backups don’t interfere with the automatic schedule.
Where are WhatsApp backups stored?
Backups are saved to the cloud. The storage location depends on your platform:
- Android – Google Drive account linked to your phone.
- iPhone – iCloud account linked to your phone.
- Windows Phone – OneDrive account linked to your phone.
- Nokia – Nokia cloud service account.
You can also configure local backups to save directly to your device’s internal storage or SD card. Cloud backups are enabled by default since they provide offsite storage and sync across devices.
How long are WhatsApp backups stored?
WhatsApp backups are stored until the limit for your cloud storage plan is reached. For example:
- Google Drive – Backups count against your overall Google storage limit of 15GB for free accounts.
- iCloud – Backups count against your overall iCloud storage limit of 5GB for free accounts.
Once your cloud storage is full, older backups will start being deleted automatically to make space for new backups. Media like photos and videos take up the most space.
If you exceed the free limits, you can purchase more cloud storage to accommodate WhatsApp backups. Alternatively, you can switch to local backups with no storage limit.
How to view previous WhatsApp backups
Only your most recent backup is accessible through WhatsApp’s restore feature. But it is possible to view older WhatsApp backups stored in your cloud drive or local storage.
View Google Drive backups (Android)
To view previous backups in Google Drive:
- Open the Google Drive app on your Android phone.
- In the side menu, tap Backups.
- Select the WhatsApp backup folder.
- Tap the 3-dot menu next to a backup date and choose Download.
- The backup file will download to your Downloads folder.
- Use a file browser to navigate to the backup and view its contents.
You’ll see database files containing your messages, media files like photos and videos, and other data from that backup date. While you can view everything, you can only restore the most recent backup within WhatsApp.
View iCloud backups (iPhone)
To view previous backups in iCloud:
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage > Backups.
- Select your device name.
- Choose a previous backup date.
- Toggle on WhatsApp Messsages to view backup contents.
This will display your chat history, photos, videos, and other data from that backup. As with Google Drive, only the latest iCloud backup can be restored within WhatsApp.
View local backups
For local backups saved to your device storage or SD card:
- Install a file manager app to browse your device files.
- Navigate to the WhatsApp/Backups folder.
- Tap a backup to view its contents.
Backups are organized by date so you can select an older one to inspect. This gives you read-only access to previous backups stored locally.
How far back can you restore WhatsApp backups?
Although you can view older WhatsApp backups, you can only directly restore the most recent backup when switching phones or reinstalling WhatsApp.
During setup, WhatsApp will detect your latest iCloud or Google Drive backup and give the option to restore it. You cannot pick and choose data from multiple backups.
For Android users, backups saved within the last 7 days can be restored. For iPhone users, backups within the last 30 days can be restored.
If you need to recover an older backup, you would first need to overwrite your latest backup with the one you want to restore. This requires manually downloading the backup file from cloud storage and replacing the current backup in your WhatsApp folder.
Does WhatsApp delete old backups?
WhatsApp will automatically delete old backups over time when cloud storage reaches its limit. Media like photos and videos take up the most space, so once you hit the limit for iCloud, Google Drive, etc. the oldest backups are removed first.
There is no set expiration date for backups – the age at which they get deleted depends entirely on your usage and how much space you have available. The more media you exchange, the faster backups will reach the limit.
To retain backups for longer periods, you have a few options:
- Upgrade your iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive storage plan.
- Switch to local backups with no storage limit.
- Manually back up your WhatsApp data to another location.
- Regularly move older backups from your cloud to local storage.
With unlimited cloud storage or regular manual backups, you can keep as many old backups as you want. Otherwise, heavy WhatsApp usage will mean backups get removed after a few weeks or months.
How to delete WhatsApp backups
If you want to manually delete backups to free up space, here are the steps:
Delete Google Drive backups (Android)
- Open Google Drive and go to the WhatsApp backup folder.
- Tap the 3-dot menu next to a backup.
- Select Delete to remove that backup.
Delete iCloud backups (iPhone)
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
- Select your device.
- Swipe left on a backup to reveal a Delete button.
Delete local backups
- Use a file manager to navigate to the WhatsApp/Backups folder.
- Long press a backup folder and choose Delete.
This will permanently erase that backup from cloud storage or local device storage. Make sure you don’t delete your only recent backup.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp backups
Here are some common issues with managing WhatsApp backups and their solutions:
Backup not working
- Ensure your phone is connected to power, internet and WhatsApp is open.
- Check you have enough storage space for new backups.
- Force stop WhatsApp and clear app data to restart backup process.
Can’t restore backup
- Make sure you’re restoring from the latest iCloud/Google Drive backup.
- Check your internet connection is working properly.
- For local backups, grant WhatsApp access to device storage.
Backups using too much space
- Set backups to weekly or monthly instead of daily.
- Delete old chat history within WhatsApp to shrink backups.
- Upgrade your cloud storage plan or switch to local backups.
Backup file missing
- WhatsApp may have automatically deleted old backups that exceeded your storage limit.
- Check recently deleted files in Google Drive or iCloud.
- Try searching your device storage for backup files.
Conclusion
Although only the latest WhatsApp backup can be directly restored, users can access older backups by viewing cloud storage or device files. Media consumes the bulk of space, so backups are automatically deleted over time as you reach storage limits.
To retain backups longer, increase cloud storage, use local backups, or manually save copies outside of WhatsApp. With some file management, you can archive years of WhatsApp backup data.