Overview
WhatsApp stores your chat history in regular backups to preserve your conversations in case you lose your phone or switch devices. While this can be useful, you may want to delete your chat history from the WhatsApp backup for privacy reasons or to save storage space on your phone or iCloud/Google Drive.
Deleting your chat history from WhatsApp backups is possible on both iPhone and Android, but the process differs slightly between operating systems. On iPhone, you will need to turn off chat backups and clear your iCloud storage. On Android, you need to clear your Google Drive storage or use a file manager to locate and delete backup files manually.
Why Delete WhatsApp Chat History from Backup?
Here are some common reasons you may want to delete your WhatsApp chat history from the backup:
- Privacy – To permanently erase sensitive conversations and media from the cloud.
- Storage Space – Backups can take up a lot of iCloud or Google Drive storage over time.
- New Device – Clearing chat history gives you a fresh start when setting up WhatsApp on a new phone.
- Troubleshooting – Sometimes resetting the backup can fix issues with crashed or stuck backups.
Before deleting your chat history, make sure to export any important conversations, photos, or files you want to keep. Once deleted from the backup, your WhatsApp chat history cannot be recovered.
How to Delete WhatsApp Chat History from iCloud Backup on iPhone
Here are the steps to clear your WhatsApp chat history from iCloud backups on iPhone:
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your Apple ID banner at the top of the screen.
3. Select iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
4. Tap on your device name.
5. Tap on WhatsApp under the Backup Options.
6. Tap Disable & Delete Backup.
This will immediately turn off WhatsApp chat backups and schedule the existing backup for deletion. It can take up to 40 days for iCloud to completely clear the WhatsApp backup data.
You can also manage your iCloud storage and delete backups manually by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage. Select the WhatsApp backup and tap Delete Data.
Turn Off WhatsApp Chat Backups on iPhone
If you just want to stop backing up your WhatsApp data, but keep your existing backup intact, do this:
1. Open WhatsApp Settings.
2. Tap Chats > Chat Backup.
3. Toggle the switch off for Auto Backup.
This will prevent any new WhatsApp chats from being added to iCloud storage. However, your existing backup will remain in place. Follow the steps above to delete that backup.
Delete WhatsApp Chat History from Google Drive on Android
Here is how to delete your WhatsApp chat history from Google Drive on Android:
1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu in the top-left.
3. Choose Backups.
4. Select your device’s WhatsApp backup.
5. Tap the trash can icon to delete the backup.
6. Confirm the deletion in the pop-up prompt.
This will permanently erase your WhatsApp chat history from Google Drive. The process is simple, but remember that the backup cannot be recovered once deleted.
Prevent WhatsApp from Backing Up Chats on Android
To stop WhatsApp from backing up new chats in the future, while keeping your existing backup:
1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right.
3. Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
4. Toggle off the option to back up to Google Drive.
This will stop WhatsApp from adding new chat data to your Google Drive account. Follow the steps earlier in this section to delete the existing backup.
Manually Deleting WhatsApp Backups on Android via File Manager
You can also use a file manager app to manually locate and delete WhatsApp backup files stored in your phone’s internal storage or SD card. Here’s how:
1. Download a file manager app like File Manager or Astro File Manager.
2. Navigate to the WhatsApp folder location:
- Internal storage – WhatsApp > Databases
- SD card – WhatsApp > Database
3. Long press the msgstore DB file and select Delete.
4. Confirm the file deletion.
This will permanently erase your chat history from the local backup. However, your Google Drive backup will remain unaffected, so remember to delete that as well if needed.
Does Deleting WhatsApp Backup Also Delete Chats?
Deleting your WhatsApp backup from iCloud or Google Drive will only erase the conversations stored in the backup itself. Your actual WhatsApp chats and messages on your iPhone or Android phone will remain intact.
Think of your local WhatsApp chats and your cloud backup as two separate copies. Deleting the backup does not affect the chats on your device.
However, resetting or deleting WhatsApp entirely from your phone will erase your local chat history. And if you do not have a backup, then your chats cannot be restored if you reinstall WhatsApp.
How to Restore WhatsApp Chats After Deleting Backup
If you change your mind after deleting a WhatsApp backup and want to restore your chat history, here are your options:
- iCloud: You can recover deleted backups from iCloud for up to 40 days after deletion. Just re-enable WhatsApp chat backups in Settings.
- Google Drive: Unfortunately, you cannot restore deleted WhatsApp backups from Google Drive.
- Local File Manager: If you manually deleted a local backup, recovery apps may be able to restore it.
- Third-party Apps: Some apps like iMyFone D-Back can extract WhatsApp chats from your phone and back them up.
- Android Debug Bridge: Advanced users can use ADB backup commands to pull WhatsApp data from some Android phones.
But beyond those options, there is no official way to retrieve deleted WhatsApp backups or chat history. Preventing improper data deletion is why it’s important to manually export or back up your essential WhatsApp conversations.
Does WhatsApp Automatically Delete Old Chats?
WhatsApp does not automatically or periodically delete old chats from your device or backups. Your chat history will remain intact indefinitely unless you manually delete chats or backups.
However, if you uninstall WhatsApp entirely, your local chat history will be erased from your phone. And not having an active backup would mean those chats are permanently deleted.
Here are some key points about WhatsApp deleting chats:
- WhatsApp does not delete old chats automatically
- Chats are deleted if you manually delete them
- Uninstalling WhatsApp erases local chat history
- Without a backup, deleted chats are permanently gone
- You can delete WhatsApp backups manually in Settings
So while WhatsApp won’t manage cleaning up your chat history for you, the control ultimately lies in your hands. Set chat backups as needed, review old chats to delete manually, and delete backups to save space.
What Happens When You Delete WhatsApp?
Here’s an overview of what happens when you delete WhatsApp from your iPhone or Android device:
- Your WhatsApp account is deactivated. You will be logged out.
- All local WhatsApp chat history is erased from your phone.
- Media content sent/received in chats is deleted.
- WhatsApp settings and preferences are reset.
- Your WhatsApp backup in iCloud or Google Drive is preserved.
- If reinstalled, WhatsApp will create a new account unless you restore your backup.
So in essence, deleting WhatsApp erases the app data and chats from your phone only. Your actual account remains intact for a period of time, unless you request to delete your account from WhatsApp.
You can preserve your chat history by backing up WhatsApp before the deletion. Reinstalling WhatsApp and restoring from this backup will retrieve your chats.
How to Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account
If you want to permanently deactivate your WhatsApp account and erase your information from WhatsApp’s servers, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Account > Delete My Account.
- Select Delete My Account and confirm your choice.
- Enter your phone number in full international format when prompted.
- WhatsApp will now deactivate your account and delete your data after 30 days.
- To undo account deletion, simply reinstall WhatsApp and verify your number within 30 days.
After 30 days, your WhatsApp account is deleted forever along with your chat history. You cannot reuse the same phone number anymore to reactivate your old account.
WhatsApp chat backups are also erased when you permanently delete your account. So be sure to export chat histories or media files you want to keep before starting the account deletion process.
Conclusion
Deleting your WhatsApp chat history from backups provides an easy way to erase old conversations and reclaim storage space. Just be aware that once deleted, chats are gone for good unless you have another backup available.
Make sure to manually export important WhatsApp data you want to keep before removing backups. With a few taps in your phone’s settings, you can securely clear your WhatsApp chat history from iCloud or Google Drive. Just be cautious before deleting the WhatsApp app or account entirely, as that will erase your local chat history as well.