How to back up and restore WhatsApp data
WhatsApp remains to hit the top of the most popular messengers’ ratings worldwide. The app offers a wide range of extended features and WhatsApp backup is one of the most popular ones. It allows you to store your messages along with some personal data on the hard drive or cloud-based services.
The process is usually quick and easy. However, it might require a little bit more time for the first backup on your device. Before initiating the process, make sure to connect your device to the power source.
How to backup your messages in WhatsApp?
- Using your SD card or hard drive.
If you are planning to save your messages for the first time, choose Settings. Tap on Chats and then Chat Backup. Your backup process will be launched immediately.
As a rule, the app will save your data on the SD card in case you have one. Otherwise, it will automatically save the required information to the hard drive of your PC or laptop.
- Using Google Drive.
The users of most Android smartphones can also back up their messages to cloud-based services. This way, start with logging in to your Google Account using your device and check whether you’ve already installed Google Play. Make sure you have enough free space for your data.
After that, go to the same menu and choose Back up to Google drive. You can also automatically save your messages daily, weekly or monthly by setting up this feature explicitly.
How to restore WhatsApp?
Both restore and recovery processes don’t require any additional skills since they are also incredibly easy.
1. Automatic recovery
The only thing you will need to do to restore your WhatsApp data from a backup is to uninstall and install your app once again:
- Reinstall the app
- Verify your phone number
- Confirm whether you want to restore your messages from Google Drive or iCloud
- Tap Restore button to launch the process.
Note: If you restore your data to Google Drive but haven’t used WhatsApp more than one year, your messages history will be automatically deleted. If you still want to save your data, it is recommended to restore files manually. However, manual recovery might take you a little bit more time than an automatic option.
2. Manual recovery
- Go to your Google Drive
- Find your WhatsApp backup file
- Right click and choose the Make a copy option
This way, you will get an additional version of your file, which can be moved to another location on your cloud service. This file can’t be deleted automatically unless you decide to do it manually.
