WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It’s common for WhatsApp users to backup their chat history to Google Drive or iCloud. However, you may have multiple WhatsApp backups stored, for example if you’ve changed phones. So how can you combine multiple WhatsApp backup files into one?
Why Would You Want to Merge WhatsApp Backups?
There are a few reasons why you may need to merge two or more WhatsApp backups:
- You’ve switched phones and created a new backup, but still have an old backup from your previous phone.
- You have WhatsApp backups stored in multiple locations (e.g. iCloud and Google Drive) and want to consolidate them.
- You accidentally created multiple backups so have redundant copies.
Merging your WhatsApp backups allows you to get one comprehensive backup containing the entire chat history from all your previous backups. This saves you from having to restore from multiple backups and piecing together your conversations.
Requirements for Merging WhatsApp Backups
Before merging WhatsApp backups, there are a few requirements:
- The backups must be from the same WhatsApp account. You cannot combine backups from different accounts.
- The backups should be stored in the same location – iCloud, Google Drive, or local storage.
- There should not be too old of a time gap between the backups. Backups over a year apart may have compatibility issues.
As long as your backups meet these requirements, you should be able to combine them into one seamlessly.
How to Merge WhatsApp Backups on iPhone
If you use an iPhone and backup WhatsApp to iCloud, here are the steps to merge backups:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap “Back Up Now” to create a new backup containing your latest chats.
- Go to your iPhone’s Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
- Find your latest WhatsApp backup and swipe left to delete it.
- Now only your old backup remains in iCloud.
- Go back to WhatsApp and create a new backup again – this will merge the old backup with your new chats.
Your WhatsApp chats from both the old and new backups will now be consolidated into one merged backup.
Merging WhatsApp Backups on Android
For Android users who backup WhatsApp to Google Drive, use these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap “Back Up” to create a new backup with your latest chats.
- Open your phone’s File Manager app and go to Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Databases.
- Here you will see multiple .crypt12 files – these are your WhatsApp backups. Delete the most recent backup file.
- Go back to WhatsApp and create a new backup again. This will re-backup your chats into the old backup.
This overwrite the old backup with the new one, merging all your WhatsApp chats into a single up-to-date backup.
Using a Third-Party App to Merge WhatsApp Backups
Manually merging WhatsApp backups by deleting and recreating backups can be tedious. An easier way is to use a dedicated third-party app for combining WhatsApp backups:
1. WazzapMigrator (Android, iOS)
WazzapMigrator is a popular app for migrating and merging WhatsApp backups. To use it:
- Install WazzapMigrator on your phone.
- Give it access to your WhatsApp backups stored in Google Drive or iCloud.
- Select the backups you want to merge.
- Click Merge – the app will combine the backups into one for you.
2. Backuptrans (Android, iOS)
Backuptrans is another well-known app for managing WhatsApp backups. Here’s how to merge backups with it:
- Get Backuptrans on your computer.
- Connect your phone to the computer and launch Backuptrans.
- Select the WhatsApp backups you want to merge.
- Click Merge Backups – Backuptrans will combine the files for you.
The merged backup will be saved to your computer. You can then restore it to your phone.
Merging Local WhatsApp Backups
If you have WhatsApp backups saved locally on your phone or computer, you can manually merge them as well. Here’s how:
- Locate your WhatsApp backup files. They will be named msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.
- Copy the more recent backup file and rename it to a different filename (e.g. msgstore-recent.crypt12).
- Open the older backup file using a database editor app like SQLite Editor.
- Copy all the tables from the recent backup and paste them into the old one, overwriting tables.
- Save the changes to the old backup – this now contains data from both backups.
While a bit complex, this allows you to merge even old local WhatsApp backups that are not stored in the cloud.
What Happens When You Merge WhatsApp Backups?
When you combine WhatsApp backups, here’s what happens behind the scenes:
- The media files (photos, videos, audio etc.) are combined from both backups.
- The chat databases are merged, with more recent chats overriding old ones.
- Contact information, call logs, settings are updated from the newer backup.
- The merged backup will have the timestamp of the newest backup.
Essentially, all your WhatsApp data from across multiple backups is consolidated into one up-to-date backup containing everything.
Tips for Merging WhatsApp Backups
Here are some useful tips when merging your WhatsApp backups:
- Merge backups from the same phone number only, not different accounts.
- Try to merge backups created on the same phone model for best compatibility.
- Delete old backups after merging to save storage space.
- Merge backups before switching phones or reinstalling WhatsApp.
- Make sure you have sufficient free space for the merged backup file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to merge WhatsApp backups?
Yes, it is generally safe to combine WhatsApp backups from the same account. However, make sure you delete the old backups after merging to avoid duplicate data.
Will my chat history be lost when merging backups?
No, merging WhatsApp backups combines your chat history from multiple backups. No data is lost in the process.
Can I merge an iCloud and Google Drive backup?
Unfortunately no, you can only merge WhatsApp backups stored in the same location – either Google Drive or iCloud, but not both.
Do I need a third party app to merge backups?
No, you don’t need third party apps. You can manually merge WhatsApp backups through your phone’s settings or file manager, though it’s more complex.
Will merging backups overwrite my current chats?
Merging will not overwrite or delete your current chats. Your latest chats are combined with your chat history from old backups.
Conclusion
Merging multiple WhatsApp backups into one helps consolidate your chat history and makes restoring from backup simpler. The process differs slightly depending on whether your backups are stored in iCloud, Google Drive or locally. Using a specialized third-party app can make merging easier. With these apps or by manually overwriting backups, you can combine multiple backup files into a single up-to-date WhatsApp backup containing all your messages and media.