WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. Many people rely on WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family and share photos and videos. As the app is used more and more, the chat history and media can take up a large amount of space on your phone. To free up space or transfer your chats to a new device, you’ll want to back up your WhatsApp data. Here’s how to easily backup your WhatsApp chats and media.
Backing Up Chats
WhatsApp gives you two options for backing up your chat history – iCloud for iPhone users, and Google Drive for Android users. Here’s how to setup each backup method:
iPhone – iCloud Backup
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your name at the top of the screen.
3. Select iCloud.
4. Tap on iCloud Backup.
5. Make sure WhatsApp is toggled on to backup your chats.
6. Tap Back Up Now to perform an iCloud backup.
Your chat history will now be securely backed up to iCloud. Your media files will also be included in the backup. iCloud has the advantage of being built right into iOS, so it’s easy to setup. Just make sure you have enough iCloud storage space for your backup.
Android – Google Drive Backup
1. Open WhatsApp on your Android device.
2. Tap the 3 dot menu icon in the top right.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Chats.
5. Tap Chat backup.
6. Select Backup to Google Drive and tap Account.
7. Select the Google account you want to backup your chats to.
8. Tap Back Up to perform a manual backup.
WhatsApp will now periodically back up your chat history to your Google Drive account. You can also setup a daily, weekly or monthly automatic backup schedule. Just note that your WhatsApp media files will count against your Google Drive storage quota.
Exporting Chats
In addition to cloud backups, you can also export your WhatsApp chats and media to store them locally on your device or computer. Here are the steps for exporting chats on Android and iPhone:
iPhone
1. Open the WhatsApp app.
2. Go to the Chats tab.
3. Tap on the chat you want to export.
4. Tap on the contact name at the top of the screen.
5. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
6. Choose to include media or not.
7. Your chat will be exported and saved to your Files app.
Android
1. Open WhatsApp and go to Chats.
2. Tap the 3 dot menu icon.
3. Select More.
4. Choose Export chat.
5. Select the conversation you want to export.
6. Tap Export.
7. Choose whether to include media files.
8. The chat will be exported and saved as a .txt file on your device.
Exporting chats gives you a readable text file that can be easily stored and transferred. The disadvantage is that you need to manually export each chat separately.
Backing Up to a Computer
If you want to save a complete backup of your WhatsApp account to your computer, you can use tools like Dr.Fone and iMyFone iTransor for WhatsApp Transfer:
Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Transfer (Android & iPhone)
Dr.Fone is a data recovery and transfer tool that can backup WhatsApp chats, messages, photos, videos, voice messages and more from Android and iPhone devices to a computer. Here are the key steps:
1. Download and install Dr.Fone on your computer.
2. Connect your Android phone or iPhone to the computer via USB.
3. Open Dr.Fone and select WhatsApp Transfer.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to backup your WhatsApp data.
5. Your chat history and media will be saved to your computer in HTML and JSON files.
iMyFone iTransor (iPhone)
iMyFone iTransor is designed specifically for backing up and managing WhatsApp data on iPhone. To use it:
1. Download and install iMyFone iTransor on your computer.
2. Connect your iPhone via USB cable.
3. Open iTransor and select WhatsApp Backup & Restore.
4. Follow the prompts to backup your WhatsApp chats and media.
5. Your WhatsApp data will be exported and saved on your computer.
The advantage of using a specialized tool is that it can backup your entire WhatsApp account in one go. The backup can also be encrypted for security.
Restoring Chats from Backup
Once you’ve backed up your WhatsApp data, you can restore it in case you lose your chats or move to a new device. Here’s how to restore from the different backup sources:
iCloud Backup
1. Install WhatsApp on your new iPhone.
2. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
3. On the Restore Chat History screen, tap Restore.
4. Your chats and media will be restored from iCloud.
Google Drive Backup
1. Install WhatsApp on your new Android phone.
2. Open WhatsApp and verify your number.
3. Tap Restore when prompted to restore chats and media from Google Drive.
Local Backup File
1. Transfer the backup file from your old device to the new device via email, cloud storage, AirDrop, etc.
2. On the new device, open WhatsApp and verify your number.
3. On the Restore Chat History screen, tap Import from backup and select the file.
4. Your chats and media will be imported and restored.
Following these steps will bring back your chats, contacts, and media from an iCloud, Google Drive, or local backup file.
Transferring Chats to a New Phone
When you get a new phone and install WhatsApp, there are a couple options to transfer your existing chats:
Move to iOS App (Android to iPhone)
– Use the Move to iOS app from Apple to transfer chats and data from your Android phone to your new iPhone.
Smart Switch App (Samsung to Samsung)
– For Samsung devices, use the Smart Switch app to transfer your chats and data to your new Samsung phone.
Local Backup File
– Manually transfer a local backup file from your old phone to your new phone, then import within WhatsApp.
Third-party Apps
– Use apps like iMyFone iTransor or Dr.Fone to transfer WhatsApp chats from your old phone to the new phone.
Using these transfer methods allows you to seamlessly move your WhatsApp account from one device to another with ease.
Backup Tips
Here are some tips to ensure your WhatsApp chats and media are properly backed up:
- Backup chats regularly – Don’t just rely on automated backups, do manual backups weekly or monthly.
- Include media in backups – Make sure your backup settings are configured to include photos, videos and other media.
- Export important chats – Manually export conversations that are important to you for safe keeping.
- Save local copies – In addition to cloud backups, save copies locally on your computer or external drive.
- Encrypt backups – Use encrypted backup tools for added security and privacy.
- Test restoring – Verify that you can successfully restore from a backup by importing it on a separate device.
- Update backups – When getting a new phone, make a fresh backup to transfer all your latest chats.
Following these tips will help ensure you have a complete, up-to-date backup of your WhatsApp account and can restore your messages if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android?
There is no direct transfer method from iPhone to Android. You’ll need to backup your iPhone WhatsApp chats to iCloud, then install WhatsApp on your Android phone and restore from the iCloud backup.
Can I backup WhatsApp without Google Drive or iCloud?
Yes, you can export WhatsApp chats manually to your local storage. You can also use third-party apps to backup chats and media to your computer.
How far back does WhatsApp backup go?
WhatsApp backups include your chat history for the last 7 days by default. You can include older chats by enabling the setting to include chats older than 7 days.
Is WhatsApp backup encrypted?
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for messages in transit, but backed up chats are not encrypted. You can use third-party tools like iMyFone to encrypt WhatsApp backups.
Can I backup WhatsApp to external hard drive?
Yes, you can use tools like Dr.Fone or iMyFone iTransor to backup your WhatsApp chats and media to an external hard drive or USB flash drive connected to your computer.
How do I transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone?
Backup your Android WhatsApp chats to Google Drive, then install WhatsApp on your new iPhone and restore chats and media from the Google Drive backup during setup.
Conclusion
Keeping regular backups of your WhatsApp chats and media can save you from losing precious conversations, photos, videos if you lose your phone or switch to a new device. WhatsApp provides convenient cloud backup options to iCloud and Google Drive. You can also export chats manually or use third-party apps for encrypted local backups. With the proper backup procedures in place, you can safely migrate your chat history when upgrading to a new phone.