Losing your WhatsApp backup can be stressful, as you may have lost valuable conversations, media, and other data. However, there are several steps you can take to try to restore your backup or at least mitigate the damage.
Try to restore your existing backup
If you still have WhatsApp installed, open the app and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. See if there are any existing backups available that you can restore from Google Drive or iCloud. If you have multiple backups, choose the most recent one before you lost access to your backups.
This will overwrite your current WhatsApp data and restore everything to the state of your last backup. Ideally, this will restore all your lost chats, media, and other data. However, it’s possible your backup was also already corrupted or deleted when you lost access.
Contact your backup service provider
If you don’t see any of your backups available to restore in WhatsApp, contact your backup service provider. For example, if you use Google Drive backups, you would contact Google Support. Explain the situation and see if they can locate or recover any of your deleted WhatsApp backups.
Some key details to provide:
- Your Google/iCloud account email
- Approximate date of your last successful WhatsApp backup
- Date you noticed your backups were missing
The company may be able to recover your backups from their own servers or provide other troubleshooting tips.
Check your local WhatsApp storage
WhatsApp also saves a local copy of your backup on your device storage. Open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Backup to Local. See if there are any backups available here that you can restore.
Local WhatsApp backups can also sometimes be found in your phone’s native file manager app. Check the WhatsApp or Databases folders to see if there are any .crypt backup files available.
Use data recovery software
If you cannot locate any intact backups to restore, your last resort is to use data recovery software. This scans your device’s storage and attempts to recover deleted files, including your WhatsApp backup files. Some free options to try:
- iMyFone D-Back (iOS)
- FonePaw Android Data Recovery (Android)
- EaseUS MobiSaver (Android & iOS)
Run the software and scan your device for WhatsApp database or media files to recover. If successful, you can then load these backup files back into WhatsApp to restore your chats.
Reach out to your WhatsApp contacts
If you cannot recover your backup through any method, your next option is to reach out to your WhatsApp contacts. Explain that you have lost your chat history with them and ask if they would be willing to share old messages or media you exchanged.
Key contacts to message:
- Close friends and family
- Recent contacts and groups
- Businesses or services you frequently interact with
While you likely won’t be able to restore your entire chat history this way, you may be able to regain important or recent messages, photos, videos, and conversations this way.
Change your WhatsApp settings
Going forward, make sure you have changed your WhatsApp settings to prevent another backup loss:
- Enable auto daily backups in WhatsApp
- Turn on Google Drive or iCloud backups
- Create manual backups regularly as an extra precaution
It’s also a good idea to occasionally export your WhatsApp chats to your device storage or another cloud service like Dropbox. This gives you access to your chat history outside of WhatsApp.
You can also set up a backup reminder alert in WhatsApp to prompt you to create new backups periodically.
Prevent future backup losses
Here are some other tips to avoid losing your WhatsApp backup again:
- Don’t uninstall WhatsApp without backing up
- Don’t wipe your phone device without backing up
- Don’t delete WhatsApp media from your phone storage
- Make sure you have enough storage space for backups
- Don’t clear all WhatsApp data or storage
Be careful about any actions that could delete your WhatsApp database or media files before they are properly backed up. Maintaining good backup practices will provide protection if you ever lose access to WhatsApp again.
Be prepared to start fresh
If all recovery methods fail and you cannot get back any of your WhatsApp data, you may have no choice but to start fresh. Some tips:
- Inform your contacts you have lost your chat history
- Make new backups regularly going forward
- Gradually rebuild chat histories with key contacts
- Accept that some old media/messages may be lost forever
Losing your chat history is frustrating, but can also be a chance to declutter your messaging app and focus on the conversations that matter most going forward.
Avoid third-party WhatsApp transfer apps
Some apps claim they can transfer your WhatsApp data from one phone to another. However, be very cautious about using these apps. WhatsApp does not officially support or authorize any third-party data transfer tools.
These apps may:
- Not properly transfer your encrypted chat data
- Cause you to lose data or corrupt backups
- Pose security and privacy risks
It’s much safer to use WhatsApp’s official built-in chat transfer or use trusted backup methods like Google Drive and iCloud. Only resort to third-party apps if absolutely needed.
Conclusion
Losing your WhatsApp data can be a major inconvenience and source of frustration. However, there are various backup restoration, data recovery, and chat export options to potentially get back lost or deleted messages. Maintain regular backups, be cautious about chat deletions, and enable auto-backup to prevent future backup loss.
With some effort, you may be able to fully or partially rescue your chat history. If not, gradually rebuild your conversations, letting contacts know your situation. With improved backup diligence going forward, you can avoid risk of losing your WhatsApp chats ever again.