WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows easy sharing of photos, videos, documents, and other media between contacts. However, a common issue many users face is accidentally deleting important WhatsApp files and wanting to recover them.
Why do users need to recover deleted WhatsApp files?
There are several reasons users may need to recover deleted WhatsApp files:
- Accidentally deleted an important photo or video
- Cleared chat history and lost valuable conversations
- Factory reset phone and lost WhatsApp backup
- Switched phones and failed to transfer WhatsApp data
- WhatsApp account got deleted losing all associated data
Losing such important and irreplaceable WhatsApp data can be devastating. Fortunately, with the right tools and techniques, recovering deleted WhatsApp files is often possible.
Is it possible to recover deleted WhatsApp files?
The short answer is yes, it is possible to recover deleted WhatsApp files in many cases. However, the chances of recovering deleted WhatsApp files depends on:
- How soon after deletion you attempt recovery
- If the files were backed up
- Whether WhatsApp media files were saved to phone storage
- If the phone data is overwritten after deletion
If you act quickly and the deleted files are intact, there is a good chance of recovering them. However, the more you use WhatsApp and your phone after deletion, the lower your chances due to data overwriting.
How WhatsApp deletion and backup works
To understand WhatsApp file recovery, it helps to know how WhatsApp handles file deletion and backups:
- WhatsApp stores media on phone storage even after sending
- Deleting WhatsApp chats only removes chat history, not media files
- Media files stay on phone storage until manually deleted
- WhatsApp automatically backs up chats and media to Google Drive or iCloud
- Backups allow restoring chats and media after reinstalling WhatsApp
- WhatsApp files remain in phone storage and backups until intentionally removed
So even after deleting WhatsApp chats and media, the files may still be recovered from phone storage or backups. However, any new data added has the risk of overwriting deleted files.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp files
Here are the main ways to recover deleted WhatsApp files and chats:
1. Retrieve from WhatsApp backups
If you have WhatsApp backups enabled, you may be able to restore deleted files from the backups. This includes chat history, photos, videos and other WhatsApp data. Here’s how to restore WhatsApp backup:
- Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
- Verify your phone number on WhatsApp
- On the ‘Restore Chat History’ screen, select the backup to restore
- WhatsApp will restore chats and media from the backup
However, any files deleted afterthe last backup was created will not be retrieved.
2. Use data recovery software
If your files are not in the WhatsApp backup, specialized data recovery software offer the best chance of retrieving deleted files. They scan your phone’s storage and find any remnants of deleted WhatsApp files that have not been overwritten.
Some popular data recovery apps like iMyFone D-Back and Fonelab can recover deleted WhatsApp photos, videos, chats, voice messages and documents from Android and iPhone devices. The success rate depends on how soon you run the software after deleting the WhatsApp files.
3. Retrieve from Google Photos or iCloud
If you had media auto-backup enabled for WhatsApp, your photos and videos may have been backed up to cloud storage like Google Photos or iCloud.
So you may be able to find your deleted WhatsApp media files there and restore them to your device. However, any files not auto-backed up will be unrecoverable through this method.
4. Seek professional data recovery service
For difficult WhatsApp file recovery cases, seeking professional help from a data recovery service may be your best chance. They use specialized tools and techniques to extract deleted data from phone storage.
This method is most useful when all else fails and has the best success rates. However, it can be expensive and takes more time. But for invaluable lost data, the cost may be worth it.
Tips to avoid losing WhatsApp files
Prevention is always better than a cure. Follow these tips to avoid losing your important WhatsApp data:
- Enable auto backup in WhatsApp settings to Google Drive or iCloud
- Manually backup WhatsApp to device storage regularly
- Export important chats to email or documents
- Save important WhatsApp media to phone gallery
- Be careful before deleting any WhatsApp files
- Use a file manager with recycle bin to recover deleted data
- Install anti-virus software to prevent malware data loss
Conclusion
Recovering deleted WhatsApp files is possible in many situations if the right recovery method is used promptly. WhatsApp backups, data recovery apps, and cloud storage provide ways to restore deleted data in some cases. However, prevention is always better than cure. So be careful when deleting WhatsApp files and enable backups to avoid permanent data loss.