WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring messages remain private between the sender and recipient. However, this also means that when a message is deleted, it’s gone for good.
Or is it? There are actually a few clever tricks that can help you retrieve and view deleted WhatsApp chats.
Why Would You Want to See Deleted Chats?
There are a few reasons why someone may want to view a deleted WhatsApp message:
- Curiosity – You may have seen a notification for a message that then disappeared and want to know what it said.
- Clarification – A conversation may have been accidentally or intentionally deleted and you need context.
- Accountability – In family, work or legal situations, reviewing deleted messages may provide information.
- Data recovery – If messages were mistakenly or accidentally deleted, you may want to restore them.
While the ethical implications around viewing deleted messages vary by context, the technical methods covered here show what is possible.
Method 1: Using Notifications
If enabled, WhatsApp shows notifications for new messages with a preview of the content. Even if the message is subsequently deleted, the notification remains on your device (unless specifically dismissed).
So if you see a WhatsApp notification for a deleted message, the full content may still be displayed in the notification shade. Simply open your notifications and look for the WhatsApp message you want to view. On Android devices, you may need to expand the notification to see the full message content.
This gives you a snapshot of the deleted message. However, if you dismiss the notification, this content will be lost. Also, no notification is generated for photos, videos or audio files that are deleted.
Method 2: From the WhatsApp Web Archive
WhatsApp Web offers a great way to use WhatsApp on your computer’s browser. But it also archives a history of your chats, even those deleted on your phone.
To view deleted WhatsApp chats on WhatsApp Web:
- Open web.whatsapp.com in your browser and scan the QR code to link your account.
- In the chat you want to view deleted messages from, click on the contact’s name at the top.
- From the dropdown menu, select WhatsApp Web History. This will display archived media and messages.
- Use the search bar to look for keywords from the deleted chat.
- The content will be displayed in the search results if it was ever sent or received while WhatsApp Web was connected.
This takes advantage of WhatsApp Web’s chat archiving. As long as the message was ever sent or received while connected to WhatsApp Web, it will be stored in the archive. Even if later deleted on your phone, you can search for it and view it on WhatsApp Web.
Method 3: Via Email Chat History
WhatsApp offers the option to email your chat history. This includes both current and deleted messages going back several months.
To view deleted WhatsApp chats via email:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat History.
- Select a contact or group chat and tap Export Chat. This will attach the chat history to an email.
- Open the email and the .txt file attachment. It will contain the full history including deleted messages.
Do note that this history log only goes back several months. But any deleted messages in that time period will be included since it pulls from a database backup versus your current chat screen.
Method 4: Via Local Database Backup
WhatsApp stores your messaging data in an encrypted local database on your device. This retains deleted chats beyond what is shown in your chat screens. Using specialized tools, you can access this database and view deleted content.
For Android devices:
- Install and open an SQLite database browser like SQLite Database Browser.
- Navigate to com.whatsapp/databases and open the msgstore.db.crypt12 file.
- Request read-only access to the database when prompted.
- Browse to the messages table and search for the chat contact you need.
- The full message history including deletions can be viewed here.
For iOS devices:
- Install and open a SQLite tool like SQLite Forensics.
- Locate the net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.sqlite file in WhatsApp’s Documents folder.
- Search for the chat contact and view all message data including deletions.
Since this pulls from a complete database backup, it contains the most extensive deleted chat history. However, navigating the encrypted database is complex for average users.
Method 5: Via Google Drive Backups
Google Drive can automatically backup WhatsApp data at preset intervals. These retain deleted chats beyond what is available on your phone.
To view deleted WhatsApp chats via Google Drive:
- Ensure WhatsApp backup to Google Drive is enabled in WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- On Google Drive access the WhatsApp folder and find the most recent backup.
- Download the msgstore.db.crypt12 file and decrypt it using an SQLite tool.
- Open the decrypted database and browse for deleted chats as outlined above.
With regular backups, this provides extensive access to deleted chats. However, decrypting and browsing the database still requires technical expertise.
Pro Tips
A few extra tips for viewing deleted WhatsApp messages:
- Act fast before notifications or backups are cleared, as they only provide temporary access.
- Web and email histories can be accessed on another device if deleted chats are no longer available on your phone.
- Use keywords in SQLite database searches to easily find relevant deleted chats.
- Multiple methods can be combined for the most extensive access to deleted data.
- Always respect privacy – view only what is necessary and legal.
Third Party Apps
Beyond the official methods above, there are third party apps that claim to restore deleted WhatsApp messages:
- WAMR – WhatsApp Message Recovery app for Android.
- iMobie PhoneRescue – iOS data recovery software.
- FonePaw Android Data Recovery – Recovers deleted WhatsApp content on Android.
- Tenorshare UltData – WhatsApp Recovery app for iPhone.
However, approach these tools with caution. WhatsApp does not endorse third party apps, some of which may violate WhatsApp’s terms of service or compromise your privacy and security.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp stores all messages end-to-end encrypted, snippets of deleted chats can still be recovered from notifications, archives and backups. Officially this can be done via WhatsApp Web, chat history emails, local database files or Google Drive backups. Third party apps also claim to restore deleted WhatsApp data but come with risks. Recovering deleted messages can be useful but should be done ethically and with care.