What happens if you delete a WhatsApp account and then restore it? Will the data be saved - briefly?
If you delete your WhatsApp account and later decide to restore it, your chat history, media, and other data will not be recoverable. Once an account is deleted, the associated data is permanently removed from WhatsApp's servers.
What happens if you delete a WhatsApp account and then restore it? Will the data be saved - in detail?
Deleting a WhatsApp account triggers a series of events that can have significant implications for your data. When you decide to delete your WhatsApp account, the process begins with an initial 30-day grace period during which the account is in a 'pending deletion' state. During this time, you can choose to restore your account and all associated data will be preserved as if nothing had happened.
Once the 30 days have elapsed, the account enters a 'soft delete' phase where the account information and messages are no longer accessible, but they remain stored on WhatsApp’s servers for an additional 90-day period. This is primarily to accommodate users who may have changed their minds about deleting their accounts or who need to retrieve important data.
If you opt to restore your account within this 120-day window (30 days of pending deletion plus the 90 days of soft delete), all of your messages, media, contacts, and other associated information will be fully restored. This includes group chats, personal conversations, shared files, and any other data tied to your WhatsApp account. The restoration process is seamless, meaning you will pick up exactly where you left off, with no loss of data.
However, if the 120-day window closes without any action from you, the account moves into a 'hard delete' phase. At this stage, all your data is permanently deleted from WhatsApp’s servers and cannot be recovered. This includes messages, media files, contacts, and any other information associated with your account. Once hard deletion occurs, there is no way to retrieve or restore any of the lost data.
In summary, if you delete your WhatsApp account and subsequently decide to restore it within 120 days, all of your data will be saved and fully restored. However, beyond this period, the data will be permanently deleted and irrecoverable.