WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, used by over 2 billion people worldwide. WhatsApp Business is a version of WhatsApp designed specifically for small businesses, enabling companies to communicate with customers easily. However, like regular WhatsApp, your WhatsApp Business messages are not saved by default when you uninstall the app or switch devices. So if you don’t have a backup, you risk permanently losing valuable chat history and data if your phone is damaged, lost or stolen.
Thankfully, there are a few ways you can attempt to recover deleted WhatsApp Business messages from up to one year ago, even without a recent backup. In this guide, we’ll outline the top methods to restore your lost WhatsApp Business data step-by-step.
Method 1: Restore from Google Drive Backup
The easiest way to recover old WhatsApp Business messages is to restore them from your Google Drive backups. WhatsApp gives you the option to automatically back up your chats to Google Drive, which can save chat history from the past year.
Here are the steps to restore an old Google Drive backup on Android:
- Open WhatsApp Business and tap the 3 dot menu in the top right.
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap BACK UP to confirm the latest backup.
- Now uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp Business.
- When prompted, tap Restore to restore chats and media from Google Drive.
- Select the backup date you want to restore.
On iPhone, the process is similar:
- Open WhatsApp Business > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Back Up Now to create a new backup.
- Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp Business.
- Log in with your phone number and tap Restore when prompted.
- Select the backup date to restore chats from iCloud.
If you have Google Drive backups enabled, this will allow you to restore WhatsApp Business messages from up to 1 year ago. However, a limitation is that your backup needs to have been created before you deleted the messages you want to recover.
Method 2: Use WhatsApp Business Data Extractor Software
If you don’t have an existing Google Drive backup to restore from, your best bet is to use third party WhatsApp Business data recovery software. These programs are designed to extract chat history directly from your phone by scanning the WhatsApp databases where your messages are stored.
Popular and reputable WhatsApp Business data recovery apps include:
- Dr.Fone – Recovers WhatsApp Business messages without backup on Android and iPhone.
- FoneDog Toolkit – WhatsApp Recovery – Restores deleted WhatsApp Business chats on Android.
- iMyFone D-Back – Retrieves old WhatsApp Business messages on iPhone.
These tools dig deep into your phone’s storage to find recoverable WhatsApp Business data, even if you no longer have your chat backups. The key advantages are:
- Retrieve WhatsApp Business messages from up to 1 year ago.
- Recover deleted WhatsApp Business conversations and media files.
- Support recovery on both Android and iPhone devices.
- Preview recoverable data before restoring.
- Retrieve WhatsApp data without backups.
Here is an example of how to use Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Recovery to restore lost Android WhatsApp Business messages from the past year:
- Download and install Dr.Fone on your computer.
- Open the program and click WhatsApp Business Recovery.
- Connect your Android phone to your computer via USB.
- Dr.Fone will scan your phone to find recoverable WhatsApp Business data.
- Preview and select the messages you want to restore.
- Click Recover to save the WhatsApp Business messages to your computer.
For iPhone, the process is the same except you need to enter your iCloud credentials so Dr.Fone can download your WhatsApp Business backup from iCloud to scan.
Method 3: Retrieve Messages from WhatsApp Business Local Databases
Without a backup, your last resort is to directly access the WhatsApp Business databases on your phone where all your chat history is stored. These databases are located in your phone’s internal storage or SD card. By extracting these databases off your device, specialized tools can read the encrypted data and recover your messages.
Here are the WhatsApp Business databases to locate on Android and iPhone:
| Platform | WhatsApp Database | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Android | msgstore.db.crypt12 | /sdcard/WhatsApp Business/Databases |
| iPhone | ChatStorage.sqlite | /User/Library/Databases/ChatStorage.sqlite |
To view and restore your WhatsApp Business data from these databases:
- Access your phone’s file system or root your device.
- Navigate to the WhatsApp Business database location.
- Copy the WhatsApp databases to your computer.
- Use a database reader tool to parse and decrypt the data.
- The tool will read and recover your WhatsApp Business messages and media.
However, this method is complex compared to using recovery apps and may not always work. You need technical expertise working with database files and the right decryption tools.
Tips to Avoid Losing WhatsApp Business Messages
Following these best practices will help ensure you don’t lose important WhatsApp Business messages again in the future:
- Enable automatic daily backups to Google Drive or iCloud.
- Manually back up your chats regularly.
- Export important chat history to your computer.
- Don’t delete messages unless you have a backup.
- Update to the latest WhatsApp Business version.
- Create a reminder to back up your chats periodically.
- Backup your chats before uninstalling WhatsApp Business.
Conclusion
Retrieving your deleted WhatsApp Business messages from a year ago without a existing backup can be difficult, but is possible in some cases. Your best options are using data recovery apps to extract lost WhatsApp Business chats from your phone or trying to access the local databases directly. Just don’t overwrite your phone’s storage or your chances of recovery will be much lower. Following backups best practices moving forward can help avoid this situation.