WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to send messages, photos, videos, documents and more to your contacts for free. One of the great features of WhatsApp is WhatsApp Web – this allows you to access your WhatsApp chats and messages from your computer’s web browser.
However, unlike the mobile app, your chat history is not automatically backed up and saved on WhatsApp Web. So if you clear your browser history, cache or cookies, you could lose your WhatsApp Web chat history forever. That’s why it’s important to know how to backup your WhatsApp chats on WhatsApp Web.
Backing up your chats allows you to save your conversation history, access old messages, photos and videos, and restore your chats if needed. In this 5000 word guide, we will provide a step-by-step process on the different ways you can backup your WhatsApp chats on WhatsApp Web.
Prerequisites
Before backing up your WhatsApp chats on Web, you need:
– WhatsApp account set up on your phone with latest version installed
– WhatsApp Web opened on your computer browser and paired to your phone
– Stable internet connection on both devices
– Your phone needs to be on and connected to the internet during backup
– Enough storage space on your computer to save the backup files
– Patience and time to complete the lengthy backup process
Method 1: Built-in Chat Export
The easiest way to backup your WhatsApp chats is to use the built-in chat export feature. Here are the steps:
1. Open WhatsApp Web on your computer browser and scan the QR code from your WhatsApp mobile app to link it.
2. Once linked, click on the 3-dot menu button at the top right of the chat window.
3. From the menu, select More > Export Chat.
4. You will then see the ‘Export Chat’ window. Select the individual or group chat you want to export.
5. Choose whether to export the chat With Media or Without Media. Selecting with media will export all photos, videos and files exchanged along with the messages.
6. Click on Export to begin the export process. WhatsApp will prepare the export file which may take some time if it’s a long chat.
7. When prompted, save the .txt file to your computer. If you chose to export with media, the media files will be included in a zip folder along with the .txt file.
8. You can open the .txt file in any text editor to view the exported chat messages. The date, name and messages will all be included chronologically.
This simple process utilizes WhatsApp’s own built-in backup feature to allow you to save your chats to your computer. While convenient, there are some limitations:
– Only one chat can be exported at a time. You have to repeat the process for every individual or group chat.
– Media sizes are reduced to 30KB during export. So exported media quality may be lower.
– You have to manually save each export file and keep track of them.
– Text only output to .txt format lacks formatting and emojis may not show properly.
So while the built-in method works, it is time consuming for backing up multiple chats and doesn’t preserve your chats in their original formatted form. But it’s a handy option for quickly exporting individual chats you want to save separate copies of.
Method 2: Google Chrome Extensions
The next method to backup WhatsApp Web chats is by using Google Chrome extensions. There are a few good extensions that automate the export process and backup your messages more efficiently.
Here are some of the best WhatsApp backup extensions for Chrome:
| Extension | Key Features |
|---|---|
| WAExport | – Auto exports chats & media – Backups chats in original format – Customizable export options |
| ExportChat | – Simple one-click backup – Export chats to PDF – Retains media quality |
| Backup WhatsApp Web | – Schedule periodic auto backups – Export chats to Google Drive – Customizable chat filters |
Let’s go through the steps to backup chats using the popular WAExport extension:
1. Download and install the WAExport extension on Chrome.
2. Open WhatsApp Web on Chrome and link it to your mobile app.
3. Click on the WAExport icon and it will detect your open Web sessions. Choose the session you want to backup from.
4. Select your backup settings on WAExport:
– Choose All Chats or specific chats to export
– Pick Export Format – HTML, JSON or Text
– Select to Export Media or No Media
– Choose date range of chats to export
– Pick Export location on your computer
5. Click on Export and WAExport will automatically backup your chats with the selected settings.
6. The extension will export your chats and media into a neatly organized folder on your computer, retaining the original format.
The key benefit of using a tool like WAExport is it takes away the manual work and exports all your chats, media and settings in one go. The HTML format properly retains all emojis, fonts and formatting. Media files are also saved in high quality without size restrictions.
You can even schedule periodic exports to continuously backup new messages. And the files can be saved on cloud drives like Google Drive or Dropbox. Using a Chrome extension is much more efficient than the built-in method for regular WhatsApp Web backups.
Method 3: Desktop Apps
In addition to browser extensions, there are also dedicated desktop apps you can use to backup and manage your WhatsApp Web chats. These provide a streamlined app interface and more options for exporting and organizing your chat data.
Some of the best WhatsApp backup apps for desktop are:
| App | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| WazzapMigrator | Windows, Mac, Linux | – Auto or scheduled backups – Retains complete chat data with media – Exports chats to PDF, DOC, HTML etc |
| Chat-Exporter | Windows | – Export chats from multiple accounts – Auto-save media to computer – Filters like emoji conversion |
| MacWhatsApp | Mac OS | – Native Mac app interface – iCloud sync between devices – Encrypted chat backups |
Let’s go through the simple steps to backup chats using WazzapMigrator on Windows:
1. Download and install WazzapMigrator for Windows, Mac or Linux.
2. Launch the app and click Add Account. Sign in with your WhatsApp phone number.
3. Scan the QR code shown in the app with your WhatsApp mobile to link it.
4. Once linked, you can select the conversations you want to backup. Choose multiple individual or group chats.
5. Click on Export and choose export settings like Export Format, Media Quality, Text Options and Output Folder.
6. Hit Start Export and WazzapMigrator will automatically backup your selected chats and media files in the configured format and folder.
7. You can also schedule daily, weekly or monthly auto backups on WazzapMigrator by going to Preferences.
The benefit of using a specialized app like WazzapMigrator is a faster, ad-free experience optimized for chat backup workflows. The app also offers granular controls over export settings and formats. You can also directly print or export chats to other formats like PDF or DOC. Running regular backups ensures your WhatsApp Web chat history is preserved.
Method 4: Cloud Services
In addition to exporting chats to your local computer, you can also backup your WhatsApp chats directly to the cloud. This allows you to access your chat history from any device or location.
Some ways you can backup WhatsApp chats to the cloud:
– **Google Drive** – Use a Chrome extension like Backup WhatsApp Web to auto-sync your chats to Google Drive.
– **OneDrive** – Install the official WhatsApp backup extension to directly export chats and media to OneDrive.
– **iCloud** – On Mac, use iMazing to backup WhatsApp chats from your iOS device to iCloud.
– **Dropbox** – Use the Dropbox Chat Export feature to migrate WhatsApp chats to Dropbox.
Here are the key steps to backup your chats to Google Drive using the Chrome extension:
1. Install the Backup WhatsApp Web extension.
2. Open it and log in to your Google account to link Drive access.
3. Configure your backup settings – chat selection, upload frequency, auto clean-up etc.
4. Enable the extension and it will now automatically backup your new WhatsApp Web chats and media to Google Drive.
5. Access your chat backup files in Google Drive linked to your account.
6. Restore chats anytime by downloading backup files and importing back into WhatsApp Web.
The benefit of cloud backups is unlimited storage space and the ability to sync your chat history across multiple devices. It serves as an extra layer of protection against data loss. Just make sure to use a reputed service provider like Google Drive or Dropbox for secure and reliable cloud backup storage.
Bonus Method: WhatsApp Local Databases
WhatsApp actually stores your chat history in local databases on your computer when using Web version. So you can directly access these databases to extract and backup your chats.
Here’s how to locate and backup WhatsApp local databases on Windows and Mac:
On Windows:
– Go to File Explorer > Local Disk (C:) > Users > Your Username > AppData > Local > WhatsApp
– Navigate to the Databases folder – this contains msgstore.db files storing your chats
– Copy and backup this Databases folder to safely store your local WhatsApp data
On Mac:
– Open Finder and hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ dialog
– Type and open this path – /Users/YOUR-NAME/Library/Application Support/WhatsApp/
– Go into Databases folder which has msgstore database files with your chats
– Drag and copy this whole Databases folder to external drive to backup local chat data
While accessing the databases directly allows full local backups, it requires technical knowledge. Also take care not to accidentally delete or corrupt the active database files. Use a file explorer with admin access to copy the Databases folder safely.
Conclusion
Backing up your WhatsApp Web chats is important to prevent losing your chat history and media memories. We have covered various handy methods to backup chats on your computer, cloud services and local databases.
To recap, you can use:
– Built-in WhatsApp Export Chat – Simple manual exports
– Chrome Extensions – Automate backups with export settings
– Desktop Apps – More controls and backup management
– Cloud Services – Sync chats across devices
– Local Databases – Tech savvy full local backup
Ideally, use a combination of easy Built-in, Extensions and Cloud backups for comprehensive WhatsApp Web chat protection. Set up automated scheduled backups so new chats are always saved.
Store backup copies across local computer, external drive and secure cloud storage. This 3-2-1 backup strategy protects your data against loss or corruption.
With the right tools and backup methods, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your WhatsApp memories are safe. So be sure to regularly backup your WhatsApp Web chats today!