How to stop restoring WhatsApp media?

How to stop restoring WhatsApp media - briefly?

To prevent WhatsApp from automatically restoring media during backups and chats migration, you can adjust the settings within the app or use external tools to manage your storage preferences effectively.

How to stop restoring WhatsApp media - in detail?

To stop restoring WhatsApp media, you can follow these detailed steps:

  1. Disable Automatic Media Download: WhatsApp has an option that allows automatic downloading of media files. To disable this feature:

    • Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
    • Navigate to Data and Storage Usage.
    • Tap on Media Auto-Download.
    • Here, you can choose to disable the auto-download for all types of media (photos, videos, documents) by selecting No.

  2. Clear Existing Media: If media files have already been downloaded and you want to clear them:

    • Go to Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
    • Tap on Storage Usage.
    • You will see a list of chats along with the amount of storage they are using. To delete media from a specific chat, tap on it.
    • Select the types of files you want to delete (photos, videos, GIFs, etc.).
    • Tap Clear and confirm your action.

  3. Use Data Saver: WhatsApp's Data Saver feature can help reduce data usage by preventing media from being downloaded automatically when you are on a slow or expensive connection:

    • Go to Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
    • Toggle on Data Saver. This will prompt you before downloading large files.

  4. Check Your Phone's Storage Settings: Sometimes, the phone itself might be set to automatically save media from WhatsApp to your device’s gallery. To check this:

    • Go to your phone’s Settings app.
    • Look for Apps or Application Manager.
    • Find and tap on WhatsApp.
    • Check the permissions and settings related to media storage. Disable any options that allow WhatsApp to save media automatically.

  5. Regularly Delete Old Media: Make it a habit to periodically review and delete old media files from your device’s gallery or WhatsApp storage to free up space:

    • Go to Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
    • Tap on Storage Usage.
    • Review the list of chats and media types. Delete any unnecessary files.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage and control the downloading and storage of WhatsApp media, ensuring that your device’s storage is not unnecessarily cluttered with unwanted files.