Where are the backed-up WhatsApp messages on Android - briefly?
On an Android device, backed-up WhatsApp messages are stored in Google Drive. To access them, you need to restore from a backup during the setup process of WhatsApp or by going to the app settings and selecting the "Restore" option.
Where are the backed-up WhatsApp messages on Android - in detail?
Backed-up WhatsApp messages on Android are stored in two primary locations: Google Drive and local device storage.
When you back up your WhatsApp messages to Google Drive, the data is encrypted and uploaded to your Google account. The backup includes all conversations, photos, videos, and other media files. To access these backed-up messages, you need to restore them from Google Drive when setting up WhatsApp on a new device or reinstalling it on your current device.
Here’s how the process works:
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Backup to Google Drive: WhatsApp automatically backs up your chats and media to Google Drive daily at 2 AM, provided you have set up backup in WhatsApp settings. You can also manually back up data by going to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back Up.
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Restore from Google Drive: To restore your messages from Google Drive, you need to follow these steps:
In addition to Google Drive, some of the data may also be stored locally on your Android device in specific directories:
-
Local Storage: WhatsApp creates a directory named
Media
in the internal storage of your device. This folder contains subfolders likeWhatsApp Images
,WhatsApp Video
, andWhatsApp Audio
. These folders store media files sent or received through WhatsApp, which are also backed up to Google Drive if backup is enabled. -
Backup Files: WhatsApp creates a backup file named
msgstore.db.crypt12
in the internal storage directory/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases
. This file contains all your message data, including text, images, and other media files. It is encrypted for security purposes.
To summarize, while the primary location for backed-up WhatsApp messages on Android is Google Drive, some data may also be stored locally in specific directories on your device. Understanding these storage locations can help you manage and restore your WhatsApp data effectively.