WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the great things about WhatsApp is that it can be used not only on smartphones but also on computers. When using WhatsApp desktop app on your PC, you can send and receive messages, photos, videos, documents and more. But where exactly do all those WhatsApp files get saved on your computer?
WhatsApp Save Location on PC
When you install WhatsApp desktop app on your computer, it creates a dedicated WhatsApp folder to store all your chat data, media files and documents exchanged on the platform. The exact location of this WhatsApp folder depends on your operating system:
Windows
On Windows PCs, your WhatsApp data is stored in the user’s AppData folder. The full path is:
C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\WhatsApp
So for example, if your Windows username is “John”, the path would be:
C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\WhatsApp
Mac
On Mac computers, your WhatsApp files are stored in the Application Support folder. The full path is:
/Users/[Your Username]/Library/Application Support/WhatsApp
So if your Mac username is “Jane”, the path would be:
/Users/Jane/Library/Application Support/WhatsApp
WhatsApp Chat Backups
Within the WhatsApp folder on your computer, your chat history and media files are stored in multiple databases. The key ones are:
- Msgstore.db.crypt12 – This database file contains your entire chat history including text messages, calls, contacts etc.
- Media.crypt12 – This database stores all your WhatsApp media files like photos, videos, voice messages, documents etc.
Your chat databases are also regularly backed up as ZIP files in the WhatsApp folder. These backup files are saved with the .crypt12 extension and contain date and time stamp. So for example, a backup file may be named something like:
Msgstore-2022-10-14.1.db.crypt12.zip
These backups are created daily when your WhatsApp chats on desktop get synced with your smartphone. They help preserve your chat history and seamless syncing across devices.
Managing Space Used by WhatsApp
Since all your WhatsApp data including media content is stored on your computer, the app can quickly take up a lot of hard drive space. Here are some tips to manage WhatsApp disk usage:
- Regularly delete old chats and media that you no longer need.
- Enable auto media deletion in WhatsApp settings.
- Disable daily backups or keep limited backups.
- Export heavy media like videos and send to phone.
- Use a file manager to delete large unused WhatsApp files.
Accessing WhatsApp Folders
Here is how you can easily access the WhatsApp folder on your computer to view files or free up space:
Windows
- Open File Explorer and paste this path: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming
- Now open the WhatsApp folder
- You may have to set File Explorer to show hidden files and folders first
Mac
- Open Finder and hit Shift+Command+G to bring up Go to Folder
- Paste this path: /Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support
- Open WhatsApp folder
This will let you directly access all your WhatsApp data on computer including chat backups, media files and documents.
Sharing Files from WhatsApp Folder
If you ever need to extract a file or media from WhatsApp folder, here is how you can do it:
- Locate the file in the WhatsApp database on your computer
- Copy or move it to another location like Desktop or Downloads folder
- Now you can share or upload this file from the new location
Just be careful not to delete or move any important databases from the WhatsApp folder, as it may disrupt the app functionality.
Location of WhatsApp Backups
Apart from the live WhatsApp data, your chat backups are stored in a different location on computer. Here’s where to find your WhatsApp backups:
Windows
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\WhatsApp\Backups
Mac
/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/WhatsApp/Backups
Backups are organized by date so you can find the backup of a specific date easily. You may want to access these backups to restore chats or recover deleted data.
Restore Chats from Backup
If you ever lose your WhatsApp chats on desktop, you can retrieve your chat history from a local backup:
- Uninstall and reinstall the WhatsApp desktop app.
- On the login screen, click Restore from Backup.
- Select the desired backup date and click Open.
- This will restore chats from that backup file.
Conclusion
WhatsApp desktop app stores your WhatsApp data like chats, media files and documents in a dedicated folder on your PC. On Windows it is in AppData while on Mac it is within Application Support folder. Your chat backups are also regularly created and stored in a separate Backups folder. Knowing the exact WhatsApp file location allows you to easily manage your storage usage and restore chats if needed. Just be careful not to tamper with the active databases within WhatsApp folder to avoid disruptions.