How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages Without Backup, by SafNex on YouTube. 3 min 33 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 33 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open WhatsApp and check Settings, then Chats, then Chat history to confirm no Google Drive backup exists. If one does, restore from it instead of this method.
Open your file manager and turn on the option to show hidden files. Go to Internal storage, then Android, then media, then com.whatsapp.
Open the Databases folder. Look for files ending in.crypt12 or.crypt14 with recent dates. These are the local chat databases.
Copy the newest database file to a safe folder outside the WhatsApp directory, such as your Downloads folder, so it is not deleted later.
Uninstall WhatsApp from Settings, then Apps, then WhatsApp. Do not clear app data first if you have not copied the database file.
Reinstall WhatsApp from the Play Store and verify your phone number. Stop when the app asks you to restore from a backup.
Before tapping restore, copy the saved database file back into the WhatsApp Databases folder and rename it msgstore.db.crypt14 if needed.
Tap Restore in WhatsApp and wait for it to read the local file. Open your chats to check whether the deleted messages are back.
Tips and common mistakes
This only works if the local database file still exists on the phone, so check before you uninstall anything.
Copy the database file to a computer or cloud folder first, since uninstalling can wipe the WhatsApp folder.
If the restore fails, the file may be corrupt or too old, and recovery is not guaranteed.
Never install random recovery apps that ask for full access to your chats.
Questions
Does this work if I already uninstalled WhatsApp?
Usually not. Uninstalling often removes the WhatsApp folder and its database files, so the method depends on those files still being on the phone.
Can I recover messages that were never backed up at all?
Only if a local database file from before the deletion is still stored on your phone. Without that file or a Google Drive backup, the messages cannot be restored.
Will this bring back photos and videos too?
Only media still saved in the WhatsApp Media folder. Files already deleted from storage cannot be recovered this way.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
