WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. It allows people to easily communicate with friends, family, colleagues, and more through text messaging, voice calls, video calls, and more.
With so many messages being sent daily on WhatsApp, many users wonder – where exactly are my old WhatsApp messages stored? How long are messages stored for before being deleted? Can I access and backup my message history if needed?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain where WhatsApp stores your message history, for how long, and how you can backup and save your old WhatsApp messages.
Where are WhatsApp messages stored?
When you send and receive WhatsApp messages, they are stored locally on your device’s internal storage. This includes text messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, and any other files exchanged on WhatsApp.
Specifically, your WhatsApp data is stored in the following folders on your smartphone:
- On Android: WhatsApp > Databases
- On iPhone: Filesystem > ChatStorage > msgstore.db.crypt12
The WhatsApp databases on your phone contain all your conversations, message history, contacts, settings, and more. They allow the app to quickly access and display your messages when you open WhatsApp.
In addition to local storage on your device, your WhatsApp data may also be stored on the company’s servers if you have enabled a backup to your Google Drive or iCloud account. We’ll go into more details about backups later on.
How long are WhatsApp messages stored?
By default, WhatsApp stores your message history on your smartphone indefinitely. There is no expiration date on local message storage set by WhatsApp.
This means your chat history remains available on your device until you manually delete conversations or delete the WhatsApp app itself. WhatsApp does not automatically delete old conversations after a certain time period.
However, there are some exceptions to indefinite message storage:
- If you delete a specific chat or message, it will be removed from WhatsApp’s local storage on your device.
- If you clear your message history or delete your account, all WhatsApp data will be erased.
- If your smartphone runs out of storage space, your operating system may delete WhatsApp databases and media files to free up space.
In summary, WhatsApp stores your entire message history indefinitely or until you manually delete conversations, the app, or your account.
Can I access old WhatsApp messages?
Since WhatsApp keeps your chat history saved on your phone until explicitly deleted, you are able to access old and archived WhatsApp messages at any time unless you have manually removed them.
To view past WhatsApp conversations:
- Open the WhatsApp app on your device.
- Go to the Chats tab, where all your conversations are listed.
- Scroll up in any chat to view previous messages exchanged with that contact.
- If you want to view an archived chat, tap on Archived chats at the top of your chat list and select the conversation.
This allows you to conveniently scroll back and read old WhatsApp chats from years or months ago if they have not been deleted.
How to backup WhatsApp messages
While WhatsApp stores your chat history on your phone by default, it is susceptible to data loss if your phone is damaged, lost, or wiped. That’s why it’s important to regularly back up your WhatsApp messages.
WhatsApp provides two ways to safely backup your message history:
- Google Drive backup (Android only)
- iCloud backup (iOS only)
Enabling these cloud-based backups ensures your WhatsApp data is saved externally from your smartphone. If you ever lose your device or switch to a new one, you can restore your chat history from Google Drive or iCloud during WhatsApp’s setup process.
Google Drive Backup for Android
To backup WhatsApp messages on Android using Google Drive:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the More options (3 dot) menu.
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap Back up to Google Drive and confirm.
- Select a backup frequency (daily, weekly, etc).
- Make sure Drive backup is enabled.
Your WhatsApp data will now be regularly backed up to Google Drive. You can also manually trigger a backup anytime by going to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Back up now.
iCloud Backup for iPhone
To backup WhatsApp on an iPhone using iCloud:
- Go to iPhone Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Make sure iCloud backup is enabled.
- Scroll down and check WhatsApp is toggled on under Apps Using iCloud.
- Tap Back Up Now to trigger a manual iCloud backup.
Your WhatsApp chats will be included in regular iCloud backups as long as WhatsApp backup is enabled in iCloud settings.
How to restore WhatsApp messages
If you get a new phone or reset your device, you’ll need to restore your WhatsApp backup to access your old chats. Here’s how to restore backed up messages:
Restore from Google Drive
- When setting up WhatsApp on your Android phone, tap Restore when prompted.
- Select the Google account your backup is stored on.
- WhatsApp will fetch your most recent backup and restore your messages.
Restore from iCloud
- When installing WhatsApp on your new iPhone, tap Restore when asked.
- Sign in to iCloud and allow WhatsApp to access iCloud data.
- WhatsApp will find your iCloud backup and restore your chats.
And that’s it! Following these steps will securely bring back all your old WhatsApp chats to your new or reset device.
How long are WhatsApp backups stored?
WhatsApp backups on Google Drive and iCloud have limited retention periods set by the platforms:
- Google Drive retains WhatsApp backups for up to 1 year from the date of backup.
- iCloud retains WhatsApp backups for up to 1 year from the date of backup.
So any WhatsApp backups older than 1 year on Google Drive or iCloud will automatically be deleted by the platforms. To keep backups indefinitely, you need to regularly create new backups to refresh the retention period.
You can also separately save WhatsApp media like photos and videos to your device storage or cloud storage services like Google Photos to permanently retain those files.
How to Export WhatsApp Messages
In addition to platform-specific backups, you can also export your WhatsApp chat history to a downloadable file as another way to preserve your conversations:
Export WhatsApp on Android
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat History.
- Tap Export Chat and select the conversation you want to export.
- Choose whether to Include Media or not.
- Tap Export. Your chat will be exported to a downloadable ZIP file.
Export WhatsApp on iPhone
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat History.
- Tap Export Chat and pick the chat to export.
- Choose to Include or Exclude Media.
- Tap Export Chat and your chat will export to a ZIP file in your Files app.
You can save these exported WhatsApp chat files as permanent records of your messaging history.
Conclusion
To summarize:
- WhatsApp stores your entire chat history on your phone’s local storage until you manually delete conversations.
- You can access old WhatsApp messages by simply scrolling up in any chat.
- Enable Google Drive or iCloud backup to protect your chats from loss.
- Backups are retained for 1 year before being deleted.
- Export chats to ZIP files for permanent archives of conversations.
Following this WhatsApp message backup guide helps ensure your important conversations are never lost due to device issues or replacements. Let us know if you have any other questions!