Overview
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to easily communicate with friends, family and co-workers through text, voice messages, video calls and more.
One great feature of WhatsApp is its ability to back up your messages and media to the cloud or local storage. This allows you to restore your chats if you ever switch phones, get a new phone, or lose your phone.
While WhatsApp provides an automatic backup option that’s easy to use, sometimes you may want to manually copy a WhatsApp backup from one phone to another. This gives you more control over the process.
In this 5000+ word guide, we’ll provide a step-by-step process to manually copy your WhatsApp backup from an old Android or iPhone to a new device.
When is manual backup useful?
Here are some situations when manually transferring a WhatsApp backup can be useful:
– Switching from iPhone to Android or vice versa: WhatsApp backups are platform-specific, so you can’t restore an iPhone backup on Android or vice versa. Manual backup lets you transfer the important data.
– Selective backup transfer: Manual method allows picking and choosing which chats to transfer. This is useful if you don’t want to transfer all backups.
– Backup issues: Sometimes automatic backup fails or doesn’t restore properly. Manual method provides more control to overcome any issues.
– Local backup: You can create a local backup on a computer to transfer, instead of relying on cloud backup. This provides more privacy.
– Older chat history: Manual backup allows you to transfer older chat history from your old phone, compared to automatic transfer.
– Quick transfer: For quick phone-to-phone transfers, manual method might be faster than waiting for cloud backup.
– Backup from damaged phone: If your old phone is damaged/broken, you can use data recovery tools to still extract a WhatsApp backup manually.
What gets backed up in WhatsApp?
When you back up your WhatsApp data, it saves the following information:
– Contacts: All your WhatsApp contacts are saved.
– Chats: Your entire message history with text, images, videos, documents etc.
– Call history: Records of all incoming and outgoing calls.
– Settings: Your WhatsApp settings and preferences.
– Media: Photos, videos and other media files you exchanged or saved.
– Groups: All your group names, participants and group data.
So in essence, a WhatsApp backup contains your entire chat history along with associated media and settings. This allows you to restore your WhatsApp account seamlessly on a new device.
Requirements for manual WhatsApp backup transfer
Before transferring WhatsApp backup from one phone to another manually, here are some requirements:
– Old phone with WhatsApp installed and recent backup.
– New phone with WhatsApp installed and set up.
– Cable to connect both phones directly (for Android)
– Computer with file explorer installed (for iPhone)
– Backup extractor tool (for iPhone backup)
– Enough free storage space on both devices.
– Latest version of WhatsApp on both devices.
– Same phone number on new phone as old phone.
– Patience and attention to follow all steps correctly!
As long as your old and new phones meet these requirements, you can follow the manual backup transfer steps outlined in this guide.
How to manually copy WhatsApp backup from Android
Here are the detailed steps to manually copy WhatsApp backup from your old Android phone to a new Android device:
1. Backup WhatsApp data on old phone
– Open WhatsApp on your old Android phone.
– Tap on Three Dots (top right) > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
– Tap on “Back Up” to backup your chats to Google Drive. Make sure backup completes successfully.
2. Copy WhatsApp backup folder from old phone to PC
– Connect your old Android phone to PC with USB cable.
– On phone, enable USB debugging if prompted.
– On PC, browse phone storage and navigate to WhatsApp > Databases folder.
– Copy the msgstore.db.crypt12 file from this folder and paste it on your PC desktop or other location you can access later.
3. Transfer WhatsApp backup file from PC to new phone
– Connect your new Android phone to the same PC.
– Transfer or copy the msgstore.db.crypt12 file from earlier and paste it into the WhatsApp > Database folder on your new phone’s internal storage.
4. Restore WhatsApp backup on new phone
– Install and set up WhatsApp on your new phone if not done already.
– Verify your phone number is same as old phone number.
– On WhatsApp, tap Three Dots > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Restore.
– Tap Restore to complete the backup transfer process.
That’s it! WhatsApp on your new Android phone will now restore all your chats, media and settings from the old device. The manual backup transfer process for Android is quick and straightforward.
How to manually copy WhatsApp backup from iPhone
Here are the steps to manually transfer WhatsApp backup from old iPhone to new iPhone:
1. Backup WhatsApp on old iPhone
– Open WhatsApp and tap on Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
– Tap on “Back Up Now” to backup your chats to iCloud. Make sure it completes successfully.
2. Locate WhatsApp backup files on computer
– Connect your old iPhone to a computer and open iTunes.
– Under Backups section, right click on your iPhone backup > Select Transfer Purchases.
– This will save the encrypted WhatsApp backup files to a folder on your computer. Remember this location.
3. Use backup extractor tool
– Download and install a WhatsApp backup extractor tool on the computer.
– Add the encrypted WhatsApp backup files to this tool.
– The tool will decrypt and extract the files so you can access your chats.
4. Copy WhatsApp data to new phone
– Connect your new iPhone to the same computer.
– Manually copy the extracted WhatsApp database folder to your new iPhone using File Sharing in iTunes.
– You may also copy over any relevant media files this way.
5. Restore backup on new iPhone
– Install WhatsApp on new iPhone and verify phone number.
– On WhatsApp, tap Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Restore.
– Tap Restore to complete the transfer process.
This more complex process allows you to selectively transfer WhatsApp chats from your iOS device to another iPhone. Make sure to use a reputable extractor tool to access the encrypted backups.
Apps to help transfer WhatsApp backups
Manually transferring WhatsApp backups between devices can be tedious. Here are some apps that can automate the process:
| App | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| CopyTrans Contacts | Windows/Mac | – Encrypted Android/iPhone backup transfer – Selective chat restore – Retains media |
| WazzAppMigrator | Windows | – Transfers Android backups – Merges multiple backups – Free software |
| iCareFone WhatsApp Transfer | Windows/Mac | – iPhone and Android transfer – Encrypted and selective transfer – Preview chats before restoring |
These apps provide a quick way to transfer your WhatsApp chats, call history, media files and other data across phones. They automate the manual processes outlined earlier.
Troubleshooting manual WhatsApp backup transfer
Here are some common troubleshooting tips for manual WhatsApp backup transfer between devices:
Problem: WhatsApp chats not restoring on new device.
Solution:
– Update to latest WhatsApp version on new phone.
– Ensure proper backup encryption key transfer in case of iPhone.
– Check date/size of backup file to confirm it’s a recent backup.
– Reboot both phones and try the transfer process again.
– Check for free storage space on new phone.
– Try using a computer to transfer backup instead of direct phone-phone transfer.
Problem: Media files like photos videos not transferring over.
Solution:
– Manually copy over WhatsApp Media folder from old phone to new phone.
– Check if media files are stored on SD card on Android devices.
– Re-transfer the entire backup file instead of selective chats.
Problem: Unable to locate WhatsApp backup files on computer.
Solution:
– Update to latest iTunes version for iPhone backups.
– Enable hidden folders view on computer to access WhatsApp backups.
– Check exact backup folder location for your OS version.
– Use a WhatsApp backup extractor tool for easier file access.
Problem: Encrypted iPhone backup not restoring chats.
Solution:
– Use a trusted decryption tool to break encryption properly.
– Check for password added to encrypted backup and enter it.
– Verify the encryption key file transferred properly during PC transfer.
– Reset WhatsApp and try restoring again from unencrypted backup.
Best practices for manual WhatsApp backup
Follow these best practices when transferring WhatsApp backups manually:
– Create new backup before transfer – This ensures latest chats are transferred.
– Transfer full backup – Selective chat transfers can cause inconsistencies.
– Use file explorer to locate backups – Don’t rely on iTunes or in-device backups.
– Encrypt iPhone backups – Adds a layer of privacy during transfer.
– Transfer relevant media files – Don’t just transfer database, media needs separate transfer.
– Use original USB cables – Avoid data corruption by using original cables for phone-PC connections.
– Verify backup integrity – Preview chats on PC before restoration to check integrity.
– Update WhatsApp before transfer – Outdated app versions may cause restoration issues.
– Set same phone number on new phone – Restoration requires matching phone numbers.
– Clear WhatsApp cache after transfer – Clears out residual junk data from old install.
Following these best practices will help avoid common errors and ensure your WhatsApp backup transfers successfully to your new device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common FAQs about manually transferring WhatsApp backups:
Does manual backup transfer all chats?
Yes, the manual backup method outlined in this guide will transfer your entire WhatsApp chat history along with contacts, call history, settings, groups and media files.
Is it better than built-in WhatsApp backup?
The built-in WhatsApp iCloud/Google Drive backup is easier but manual method provides more control and customizability.
Can I transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android?
Unfortunately no, WhatsApp backups are platform-specific. You can’t directly transfer backups between iPhone and Android.
Do chats transfer if WhatsApp numbers are different?
No, WhatsApp requires the same phone number on both devices to restore and transfer chats from backup.
Does manual transfer also backup my media?
While chat data gets transferred automatically, you need to manually copy over WhatsApp media folders for photos, videos, audio etc.
Is there any data loss in manual backup transfers?
There should be no data loss if the transfer process is followed correctly. Encrypted backups add an extra layer of data integrity.
How much free space do I need for backup transfer?
You’ll need at least double the size of your WhatsApp data backup file to successfully transfer it to new device.
Is it better to use phone-to-phone or phone-to-PC transfer?
Phone-PC transfer is generally more reliable as you can manually confirm the files. Direct phone-phone transfer has more room for error.
Conclusion
Transferring your WhatsApp data from one phone to another manually provides more control and customizability for the right situations. While automatic backup is simpler for most users, the manual method outlined here helps ensure no data gets left behind.
The key steps are creating a full encrypted backup on your old device, transferring it to a computer, extracting if needed, then restoring on your new phone from computer. Following best practices avoids errors during this process.
Ultimately, the choice between manual or automatic WhatsApp backup transfer depends on your specific needs and circumstances. With some patience, manual transfer gives you the power to completely migrate your WhatsApp history to any new smartphone.