How to Take Backup of WhatsApp in 8 Easy Ways

Getting a new phone is exciting until you need to decide how to keep your WhatsApp chats, media, and backup history intact on the next device.

WhatsApp backups matter for two common situations: recovering deleted chats and moving to a new phone without losing important messages.

You can keep a cloud backup protected with end-to-end encryption, or use an unencrypted local or computer backup when you need more direct access to the stored data.

This guide compares the practical backup routes for WhatsApp, including cloud backups, local Android copies, full iPhone backups, and computer backups that are easier to restore later.

Via Mobitrix: The Best Way to Backup and Restore WhatsApp

What's Mobitrix?

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer is the easiest and most efficient way to backup WhatsApp messages on a PC and then restore it to a new phone. The tool is professionally designed for people who don’t want to lose their WhatsApp chats in a phone switch.

Best Way to Take Backup of WhatsApp on PC and Restore

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Mobitrix Features:

• Take a backup of WhatsApp without storage limit
• Transfer WhatsApp when switching from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android
• Support WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business

Steps

1. Launch Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer on your computer.


Launch Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer

2. Connect the two devices you want to backup from and restore to.
3. Set the required device as source and destination.


Backup WhatsApp to computer and restore

4. Select the transfer option and wait for it to complete.
   

   Complete your Whatsapp transfer

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Why I Do Recommend Mobitrix?

• It is presented as the quickest full computer-backup route in the list, with less manual setup than the free workaround methods.
• The computer-backup route avoids the tighter space limits that usually matter more with cloud backups.
• The backup includes the usual WhatsApp content people care about most, such as chats, images, videos, and attached files.
• The software supports a wide range of Android and iPhone models, including recent Android 16 devices and current iPhone software versions.

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2,133,423 users

Former Apple Technican

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer is my all-time favorite because the processing is so fast. You will find multiple WhatsApp backup tools on the internet, but Mobitrix keeps the privacy protection of its users as a priority.

If you are the type of person who never likes to delete messages, you probably would have more than 10 GBs of messages on WhatsApp already. In such cases, it’s best to back up your WhatsApp to a computer, so you can restore them to any phone later.

How to Take Backup of WhatsApp using Samsung Account

Samsung users can also try the Samsung Account route when they only need backup support inside the Samsung ecosystem.

Steps

1. Open the settings of your Samsung phone.
2. Go to 'Accounts and backup.'
3. Click 'Backup and restore.'
4. Locate 'Backup data.'
5. Sign in to your Samsung Account if asked.
6. Choose WhatsApp to backup or restore accordingly.
7. Click 'done' when the backup is finished.

Backup WhatsApp via Samsung account

Pros

• The method is fast and simple to try.
• You do not have to uninstall WhatsApp from your device.
• It does not require you to connect to a computer.
• You get free storage of up to 15 GB with your Samsung Account.

Cons

• The method only works for Samsung devices.
• It does not transfer WhatsApp to iOS or other Android devices.
• You might have to pay for an upgrade if storage is not enough for data.

How to Backup WhatsApp to Google drive?

Google Drive is still one of the most common WhatsApp backup routes on Android. It is convenient, but backup and restore reliability still depend on network quality, available storage, and using the same Google account on restore.

Steps

1. Launch WhatsApp and go to settings by clicking three dots in the top corner.
2. Locate the chats tab and open chat backup.


WhatsApp chat backup settings

3. Click Google Account, and select a Gmail account connected to your device or add a new account.


Authenticate Gmail account on WhatsApp

4. Tap 'Back up to Google Drive' and choose a backup option from the drop-down list. Click 'Back up over' and choose 'Wi-Fi' or 'Wi-Fi or cellular'. Note: Choosing the cellular option and backing up your WhatsApp may cost you additional data charges from your ISP.


Backup WhatsApp to Google Drive

5. Videos are not backed up by default, don't forget to turn on 'Include videos.'


Backup WhatsApp videos

6. Click 'Back up' to start a backup to Google Drive.


Backup WhatsApp to Google Drive

Pros

• The setup is easy to follow, which is why Google Drive is still the default choice for many Android users.
• It does not need a computer.

Cons

• It does not work with restoring the backup on the iPhone.
• It is hard to backup WhatsApp on a computer.
• The method takes a lot of time, and processing can get stuck also.
• You have to uninstall WhatsApp while restoring, which might cause a loss of local backup.

End-to-end Encrypted Backup

End-to-end encryption means no one can see a conversation except the two persons in chat, not even the developers. Once encrypted, your WhatsApp chats will be stored in cloud servers protected by a password or a 64-digit encryption key.

End-to-end encrypted Backup

Here is how you can enable end-to-end encryption:

1. Go to your WhatsApp settings.
2. Open chats > backup > end-to-end encrypted backup.
3. Follow the prompt to enter a security key.
4. Select create and wait for it to end.

Take end-to-end encrypted backup of Whatsapp

Note: Write your key down and keep it somewhere safe, because if you lose it, you will not be able to access that encrypted backup.

How to Find Google Drive WhatsApp Backup?

1. Open Drive.Google.com and sign in with your Google Account.


Sign in Google account

2. Tap on the Settings icon (gear icon) and choose settings to open.


Google account settings

3. Select Manage Apps.


Manage apps on Google account

4. Scroll down in the list of apps to locate Whatsapp messenger.


Find WhatsApp backup on Google Drive

5. Google Drive only allows you to Disconnect from Drive or delete hidden WhatsApp data.
   

   Google Drive WhatsApp backup options

How to Download Google Drive WhatsApp Backup on PC?

1. Download whapa free tool and install  python3.8.10 to configure your computer settings.
2. Locate the file settings.cfg


Download Google Drive WhatsApp backup

3. Configure your Google drive username, password, and phone number.


Configure Google Drive account

4. View WhatsApp messages with the command python whagodri.py –i


View WhatsApp messages with the command

5. Download backup using the command: python whagodri.py -s -o data
   

   Download WhatsApp backup using command

Now, you can clearly see all the backup information in your google driver, including: backup name, backup time, total size of backup files, backup database size, size and number of backup audio and video files, etc.

Check downloaded WhatsApp backup

How to Take Backup of WhatsApp to Android Local Storage

Backing up your chats in Android local storage is a better idea than Google drive as it does not require a strong internet connection. Besides this, Android backups and restoring procedures do not lag or get stuck like Google drive.

Steps

1. Go to the settings on your WhatsApp.
2. Open chats and locate backup.


WhatsApp chat backup settings

3. Click on Backup to Google Drive, and select Never from the list.


Never backup WhatsApp to Google Drive

4. Click on the backup button to start the backup to your phone's internal storage.


Backup WhatsApp to local storage

Pros

• Backing up via local storage is easy and fast to process.

Cons

• Local backups are rotated on the phone, so they are better for short-term recovery than for a long archive.
• The restoring process comes with complications.
• Uninstalling your WhatsApp will delete your local backup.

How to find WhatsApp Backup on Android local storage

For Android 11 or higher

1. Go to "My Files" or File manager on your Android device.
2. Locate Internal storage and select Android
3. Now, open media and then com.whatsapp
   

   Find local WhatsApp backup Android 11

For Android 10 or earlier

Steps

1. Open "File Manager" > "Internal storage"
2. Look for the WhatsApp folder in the directory
3. The "Databases" folder is the backup database. The Media" folder is the files sent and received in the chat
   

   Find local WhatsApp backup Android 10

And you will find your WhatsApp backup in Android local storage, but this data is not in the format to view. Backing up Unencrypted Android WhatsApp to your device will let you view your messages in backup.

How to Backup Unencrypted Android WhatsApp to Local Storage

With the unencrypted Android WhatsApp backed up in your local Android storage, you can easily view all the messages since they are not protected with encryption. This method can be followed with different third-party tools such as GBWhatsApp, FMWhatsApp, OGWhatsApp, etc. The steps are as follows:

Steps

1. Download GBWhatsApp and launch it.
2. Go to "Settings" > "Universal" > "Backup and restore" >"Backup WhatsApp Data" to backup WhatsApp.

Backup unencrypted Android WhatsApp

How to Find WhatsApp backup on local storage

1. Find "GBWhatsApp/ModsBackup/com.gbwhatsapp" directory in the memory card.
2. The folder "databases" is the backup of your WhatsApp chats.

Find unencrypted local WhatsApp backup

How to Take Backup of WhatsApp to iCloud

On iPhone, iCloud is the built-in WhatsApp backup route, and automatic backup matters if you want the cloud copy to stay current without doing it by hand each time.

Steps:

1. Launch WhatsApp
2. Go to Settings > Chats button > Chat Backup
3. Toggle "Include Videos" to save your videos as well.
4. Choose "Back up Now" to run a backup.
5. Toggle auto back up to keep backing up automatically.
   

   Backup WhatsApp to iCloud

Pros

• iCloud is an additional option for iOS users.
• Backing up with iCloud is very easy.

Cons

• You do not have to uninstall WhatsApp for restoration.
• It does not let you backup WhatsApp on Android devices.
• Only 5 GB of free space is available on iCloud, and you will have to pay for additional space.

How to Take Backup of WhatsApp iPhone to Computer via iTunes

If iCloud is not practical, iTunes or Finder gives you the Apple computer-backup fallback, but it backs up the whole iPhone rather than only WhatsApp.

Steps

1. Keep the iTunes version on your computer up to date.
2. Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes if it doesn't open automatically.
3. Select the "Device icon" on the left side.
4. Click on "Back up Now"
   

   Backup WhatsApp via iTunes

Wait for iTunes to finish the backup and keep the cable connection stable. Remember that the restore later will come from a full device backup, not a WhatsApp-only file.

Pros

• Unlike iCloud, you do not have to worry about storage problems.

Cons

• You have to update iTunes regularly.
• The process is time-consuming and might get stuck also.
• It does not specifically backup WhatsApp but complete data on your iOS device.
• iTunes does not restore your data on Android devices.

How to Take Backup of WhatsApp in Readable and Printable Format

Has your friend accidentally deleted their WhatsApp messages with you and do not have a backup too? Don’t worry. Share your WhatsApp conversation with him in a printable form to keep record of important information. Nothing to worry about anymore because I have discovered a way to do so.

Email, PDF, or HTML

One way to do this is to transfer WhatsApp messages through Email in a text form. Here are the steps to transfer WhatsApp via Email.

1. Go to WhatsApp and open a conversation thread you want to transfer.
2. Click on the three dots and select more > Export chat.
3. Select Gmail, enter a recipient, and hit the send button.
4. Open the recipient email and download the .txt file.
   

If you want a PDF or HTML copy, the practical route is still to export the chat as TXT first and then convert that file outside WhatsApp.