A Google Drive Backup of WhatsApp messages can be a life saver when you delete something by mistake and you want it back. But if you had never enabled the automatic backup option in WhatsApp or you have an iOS device, there may not be a lifeline to count on.
There are ways that you can restore WhatsApp messages back to your device even if you don’t have a Google Drive backup.
Let’s take a look at some of these solutions.
1st Case. Restore WhatsApp without Google Drive on Android
1.1 Restore WhatsApp Messages via Local Backup
WhatsApp automatically creates a backup of your chats to the device’s internal memory everyday at around 2A.M. You can use these simple steps to restore this backup to the device:
- Begin by uninstalling WhatsApp from your device. Reinstall the app from the Play Store.
- Complete the setup process and verify your phone number
- Once your account has been verified, WhatsApp should detect the local backup. Click “Restore” and WhatsApp will look for any offline backups available.
- Select one backup and then click “Next” and WhatsApp will begin restoring the messages.
restore local whatsapp backup
1.2 Restore WhatsApp Messages through File Explorer
Restoring the WhatsApp backup via local backup in the steps above will restore only the most recent backup. If you would like to choose the backup to restore, the best option is to use a File Explorer. Follow these simple steps to use this method:
- Install the ES File Explorer from the Play Store.
- Open the app and then look for the WhatsApp folder in the internal memory or the SD card. The folder is named /WhatsApp/databases. If you don’t find the folder, search for “msgstore” and then find the files in the following format: msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.
- Choose the backup file that you would like to restore and copy the file.
- Rename the file so that it looks like a more recent file.
- Then, follow the steps in part 1 above to restore the renamed backup.
install file explorer
whatsapp databases
If you don’t find the folder, search for “msgstore” and then find the files in the following format: msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.
2nd Case. Restore WhatsApp Without Google Drive on iPhone
If you are using an iPhone, you will obviously not have a Google Drive backup. Instead, your automatic WhatsApp backup is in iCloud. The following are some of the options you have when restoring WhatsApp backups to your iPhone:
2.1 Restore WhatsApp via iCloud
You can easily restore this WhatsApp backup in iCloud to your iPhone. Follow these steps to do it:
- Uninstall WhatsApp from the iPhone. Go the App Store to install the app again on to the device.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process and verify your phone number
- Once the verification process is complete, click on “Restore Chat History” and all messages will be restored to the device.
restore whatsapp chat history from icloud
2.2 Restore WhatsApp Messages via iTunes
If you backup your device on iTunes, all you have to do is restore the iTunes backup to the device to get the WhatsApp messages back. Follow these simple steps to do it:
- Open iTunes on your PC and then connect the iPhone to the computer using USB cables.
- Click on the device icon on the upper left side of the screen when it appears.
- Click on “Restore Backup” option from the drop-down menu. Select the most recent backup from the list of backup and then select “Restore”
restore whatsapp from itunes
Please note that restoring the device in iTunes from the recent backup will erase data such as images, documents, videos and photos that were not included in the backup.
3rd Case. Restore WhatsApp Messages on Both Android and iPhone
There is an easier way to backup and restore data on both Android and iPhone. The third-party tool – Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer is here to manage the WhatsApp messages and media on your device. In particular, you can use it to create a full backup of all the WhatsApp data on your device for FREE and restore the backup when you need to.
Download and install Mobitrix on to your computer and then follow these simple steps to backup WhatsApp messages:
Step 1: Open the program on your computer and then choose “Back up WhatsApp on Devices”.
connect the device to pc
Step 2: Connect the iPhone or Android device to the computer and once the program detects the device, click on “Back Up” to begin the process.
complete to backup whatsapp
The backup process will begin immediately and the program will notify you when the process is complete.
If you need to restore the backup to the device, follow these simple steps:
Step 3: Click on “Restore WhatsApp to Devices” from the options on the main page and then select a backup that contains that WhatsApp data you need to restore.
choose whatsapp backup
Step 4: Click “Restore” on the next window and the program will immediately begin restoring the WhatsApp data to the device.
start to restoring whatsapp messages
With the solutions above, you should be able to easily restore a backup to your Android device or iPhone even without a Google Drive backup. Select a solution that is applicable to your situation and then follow the instructions to implement it perfectly.
