WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to send messages, photos, videos, documents and more to your contacts. WhatsApp saves all your chat history, media files and other data related to the app in internal storage.
While WhatsApp doesn’t allow accessing its data directly through the app, you can view and manage your WhatsApp data using your phone’s file manager. However, the WhatsApp folder is hidden by default in the file manager. So you need to enable ‘Show hidden files’ option to view the WhatsApp folder.
In this article, we will show you how to find the hidden WhatsApp folder on Android devices using file managers like File Manager, My Files, Files by Google etc. We will also look at how to access your WhatsApp data and manage files like photos, videos, documents etc.
Where is the WhatsApp folder located?
The WhatsApp folder containing all your chat history, media files and documents exchanged on WhatsApp is located in your phone’s internal storage.
The path to access it is:
Internal Storage > Android > media > com.whatsapp
This ‘com.whatsapp’ folder houses all your WhatsApp data. However, it is hidden by default and you need to enable showing hidden files option to view it in file manager.
Enabling Show Hidden Files option
To view the hidden WhatsApp folder, you need to enable ‘Show hidden files’ option in your file manager app. Here are the steps to do so in some popular file manager apps:
File Manager
– Open File Manager app on your Android phone.
– Tap on the 3-line menu button at top left.
– Select ‘Settings’ option.
– Scroll down and enable the toggle for ‘Show hidden files’.
My Files
– Launch My Files app on your device.
– Tap on the 3-dot menu button at top right.
– Select ‘Settings’ option.
– Enable the toggle for ‘Show hidden files’.
Files by Google
– Open Files app by Google.
– Tap on the 3-line menu button at top left.
– Choose ‘Settings’ option.
– Enable the toggle for ‘Show hidden files’.
This will make the file manager display hidden files and folders, including the WhatsApp folder.
Accessing the WhatsApp folder
Once you have enabled showing hidden files, here are the steps to access the WhatsApp folder in file manager:
- Open your file manager app on Android.
- Navigate to Internal Storage or Phone Storage.
- Open the ‘Android’ folder.
- Open the ‘media’ folder inside it.
- You will now see the ‘com.whatsapp’ folder. Open it.
This WhatsApp folder contains all your chat backups, media files exchanged on WhatsApp and other app data.
What’s inside the WhatsApp folder?
The WhatsApp folder contains several files and sub-folders with your chats, media files and other data. Here are some key folders and files it contains:
Databases
This folder contains SQLite database files with your WhatsApp messages, contacts info, settings etc.
The msgstore.db.* files store your actual chat history and messages.
Media
This folder houses all your WhatsApp media like photos, videos, voice messages, GIFs, documents etc. sent and received on WhatsApp.
Backups
Contains your WhatsApp chat backup files. Especially useful if you want to restore from a backup or transfer chats to a new device.
Logs
Has log files related to various WhatsApp operations and performance tracking.
Cache
Stores temporary cache data used by WhatsApp. Can be cleared to free up space.
What can you do with the WhatsApp folder?
Here are some of the key things you can do when you access the WhatsApp folder in file manager:
– View and extract your chat history.
– Extract and save media files like photos, videos exchanged on WhatsApp.
– Take backups of important chats locally on device storage or cloud drives.
– Restore chat history and media files from local backup files.
– Transfer chat history to a new device.
– Delete unnecessary files and folders to clear up space.
However, you need to be careful while accessing WhatsApp data directly as tampering with some files can lead to issues like chat loss.
How to view and extract chats?
If you wish to view, export and take backups of your WhatsApp chats, follow these steps:
- Open the WhatsApp ‘Databases’ folder in file manager.
- The msgstore.db.crypt* files store your actual chat data.
- Long press and copy the msgstore file to another location like Downloads folder.
- Rename the copied .crypt file to .zip.
- Open the .zip file. It will contain a msgstore.db file which is readable.
- You can view chats in this DB file using SQLite browser tools or extract chat history to CSV/TXT format.
This allows you to view, search and back up your chat history outside WhatsApp.
How to save media files from WhatsApp?
To save the photos, videos, GIFs, voice messages and other media files exchanged on WhatsApp, follow these simple steps:
- Go to the WhatsApp ‘Media’ folder in file manager.
- Open the type of media you wish to save – like Video, Gif, Audio, Wallpaper, Documents etc.
- Long press the file you want and select ‘Copy to’ option.
- Choose a destination folder like Pictures, Downloads etc. to copy the file.
This lets you easily save important media files from WhatsApp to your device storage.
Use cases for accessing WhatsApp folder
Here are some common use cases and scenarios where accessing the WhatsApp folder in file manager can be useful:
Backing up chats
You can take manual backups of important chats locally or on cloud drives by exporting the msgstore database file.
Transferring chats to new device
When changing your phone, you can transfer chat history by copying the msgstore file to the new phone.
Recovering deleted chats
If you have accidentally deleted WhatsApp chats, you may be able to recover from local msgstore backup files.
Saving important photos/videos
Quickly save photos, videos from WhatsApp to your device gallery without forwarding to self.
Freeing up space
Deleting unnecessary files like old backups and cached data can free up storage space.
Troubleshooting issues
Accessing logs can help troubleshoot issues like chat not syncing, media not downloading etc.
Limitations of accessing WhatsApp folder
While accessing the WhatsApp folder directly gives more data control, there are some limitations you should be aware of:
- Altering critical files like msgstore database carelessly can lead to chat loss or app crashes.
- Encrypted media files will require decryption key to view contents.
- Backups may not always contain full chat history.
- You cannot directly view encrypted chat databases.
- Files are structured for WhatsApp internal usage, not direct user access.
So you should be careful while handling files directly and ideally take encrypted backups rather than exporting chat databases.
Precautions when modifying WhatsApp data
If you need to access and manage your WhatsApp data through file manager, here are some recommended precautions:
- Close WhatsApp app before accessing its data files.
- Do not delete or replace original databases/files unless you have backups.
- Make copies of important files before modifying or deleting.
- Only use reputable tools like official SQLite browsers.
- Don’t force delete files if facing access issues.
- Cross-check chat history after restoring from backups.
Following these precautions will help avoid potential chat loss or app issues.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp doesn’t make it easy to directly access your chat data, you can view and manage it through your phone’s file manager. The key WhatsApp folder containing your chats, media and backups is located at – Internal Storage > Android > media > com.whatsapp.
By enabling ‘Show hidden files’ option in your file manager, you can access this folder. You can view chats, export media files, take backups and delete unwanted data based on your needs. However, care should be taken not to tamper with critical files to avoid chat loss.
We hope this tutorial helped you locate the hidden WhatsApp folder in your phone’s storage. With direct access, you can better control and back up your WhatsApp data. But make sure to take necessary precautions when handling critical app files.