Someone asked about WhatsApp backups, where I use WhatsApp only because I
get videos and photos every day from iPhone family members, so I asked them
to use WhatsApp so that media wouldn't be blurred using SMS/MMS messaging.

I just now wanted to backup all the media to Windows, where it's stored in:
PC\Galaxy A32 5G\Internal storage\Android\media\com.whatsapp\WhatsApp\

There's a folder for "Media" which breaks that into a dozen different types
but the main 2 types for me are "WhatsApp Images" & "WhatsApp Videos".

Interestingly to the point someone made, there are folders for "Backups" & "Databases" in that area. However the files in there end with "crypt14".

Looking up what's going on, apparently WhatsApp puts encrypted local
backups of the chat data in Databases so I decided to test out backup.

1. On Windows, I displayed the Android mirrored onto my monitor
2. On that mirror, in WhatsApp, I tapped the top-right hamburger.
3. WhatsApp:Settings > Chats > Chat backup
4. Most people will have a Google Account so they will need to set
"Back up to Google Drive" to "Never" but I have no Google Account.
So mine says "Google Account: None selected"
5. Then press the big fat green "Back up" button.

That might work for most people who have accounts, but mine errors with
"Select a Google account to continue"

Hmm... what does that mean. Does it mean you can't do a local backup of WhatsApp chat messages unless you have a Google Account? Seems odd to me.

Any ideas?

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Chris <[email protected]> wrote:

Marion <[email protected]> wrote:

Hmm... what does that mean. Does it mean you can't do a local backup of WhatsApp chat messages unless you have a Google Account? Seems odd to me.

A simple google would reveal that WhatsApp only backs-up to cloud; google
on android, icloud on iphone.
https://faq.whatsapp.com/1144861179456352

Any ideas?

Try cracking the encryption.

On Android there's a WhatsApp folder on your local storage that contains messages db, media etc. Copy to the new phone and WA will access it.

On iOS you have to use iCloud. If you want to switch iOS to Android there
are migration tools that do an iTunes backup and then convert to Android format.

Theo

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On 2025-04-12 09:26, Chris wrote:

Marion <[email protected]> wrote:

Hmm... what does that mean. Does it mean you can't do a local backup of
WhatsApp chat messages unless you have a Google Account? Seems odd to me.

A simple google would reveal that WhatsApp only backs-up to cloud; google
on android, icloud on iphone.
https://faq.whatsapp.com/1144861179456352

Any ideas?

Try cracking the encryption.

There is no need to crack the encryption. Just copy the folders as they
are. At least on Android.


--
Cheers, Carlos.

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On Sat, 12 Apr 2025 15:31:45 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote :

I was being facetious.

Hi Chris,

I get it you tried to insult me, and that's fine. Many people try.
It's impossible, but that doesn't stop people from trying to put me down.

Essentially, they can't stand that I can do thing on Android they can't.
The reason is that I am not a slave following my MARKTETING Master Chris.

An example is I have no contacts in my contacts sqlite database, and yet I
can contact anyone on WhatsApp with a simple third-party WhatsApp dialer.

Do you think being able to do that is documented on the WhatsApp web pages?

I saw your joke about encryption, where I'm actually trying to do something that most people don't do - which is how I'm completely different than you.

Most people are unthinking sheep.
They're slaves.

They do exactly what marketing tells them to do.
And then they complain all day about not being able to have any privacy.

If Google tells them they must have a Google Account, they set it up.
If WhatsApp tells them they must have a Google Account, they set it up.

I am not a slave, Chris.
You are a slave. I'm not.

We're different.
So your joke is really just backing up my opinion that you're a slave.

My intent with this thread is to be able to back up to local storage the WhatsApp chats *without* needing to put those chats on the cloud first.

I'm asking here for your help (that's a royal you) in doing that.
If we (royal we) can figure that out, that's a bonus for everyone, Chris.

There might be a way, given there is an Android-to-Android chat transfer:
<https://faq.whatsapp.com/481135090640375/?helpref=faq_content&cms_platform=android>
"If you don't want to back up chats to your Google Account,
you can still transfer your chats between Android devices
using WhatsApp chat transfer."

What I might be able to do is transfer the chats to an emulator Android.
<https://faq.whatsapp.com/209942271778103/?helpref=search&cms_platform=android>

But that might not work with an emulator, given the requirements listed.
I don't know yet. That's why I ask.

I ask in the hope maybe someone on this newsgroup knows more than I do.

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On 2025-04-12, Marion <[email protected]> wrote:

My intent with this thread is to be able to back up to local storage the WhatsApp chats *without* needing to put those chats on the cloud first.

Just copy the files that you mentioned in the very first post over to
your desktop PC?

If something happens to your phone just copy them to the new device?

What am I missing here?

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On 12 Apr 2025 09:26:43 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote :

On Android there's a WhatsApp folder on your local storage that contains messages db, media etc. Copy to the new phone and WA will access it.

Hi Theo,

While that sounds so easy, I haven't tried it (as I'm afraid to lose
everything in testing) but it "might" not be as simple as a plain copy.

I found some steps on the net which are more complicated than a simple
copy, but which are, in theory, essentially a copy (with some tweaks).

1. Copy the WhatsApp Databases folder over to your Windows PC.
This PC\Galaxy A32 5G\Internal storage\Android\media\com.whatsapp\WhatsApp\Databases
2. Factory reset your phone & re-install WhatsApp but DO NOT OPEN IT!
3. Create the Databases folder (if necessary) on the Android filesys
4. Copy msgstore.db.crypt14 files from the Windows backup into it
If you have multiple backup files with dates in their names,
you might want to copy the most recent one only and rename it
to msgstore.db.crypt14. (Mine has a lot of "incremental" databases.)
5. Only after you've populated Databases, now you can start WhatsApp.
6. Go through the initial setup and phone number verification process.
7. WhatsApp should detect the local backup file you put in Databases.
8. When asked if you want to restore, tape "Restore".

What worries me is this next line which is found in most instructions:
"If you had end-to-end encrypted backups enabled
and if you don't have the password or key,
then you won't be able to restore them."

Also you need to act fast so you'd better know what you're doing.
Any messages received after you copied the directory to your PC will be
lost.

Most of the articles I've seen suggest the chances of a successful
restoration by simply copying it back after a factory reset are low.

That's said to be because WhatsApp's intended restoration method relies on Google Drive backups detected during the app's setup process. But I don't
see why Google Drive has to be involved just for encryption keys to work.

Do you have any idea how to *test* the encryption without danger of losing everything?

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On Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:00:26 -0000 (UTC), Jim Jackson wrote :

My intent with this thread is to be able to back up to local storage the
WhatsApp chats *without* needing to put those chats on the cloud first.

Just copy the files that you mentioned in the very first post over to
your desktop PC?

If something happens to your phone just copy them to the new device?

What am I missing here?

I completely understand your suggestion & hence, I fully agree with your
point that a simple copy from one phone "should" work on your phone after
you do a factory reset (assuming you keep the same phone number of course).

Yet, if you google whether a simple backup will actually work, the plot thickens. There's a *reason* WhatsApp backs up to a Google Drive, it turns
out. None of us yet seem to know what that specific reason might be.

So it's my understanding, based not at all on my own experience but only on
my search results, simply copying the WhatsApp directory to your Windows PC
and then copying the folders back to your phone after a factory reset will likely NOT restore your chats.

Apparently WhatsApp primarily relies on Google Drive for backups on
Android. When you reinstall WhatsApp after a factory reset, it will look
for backups linked to your phone number on Google Drive.

Local backups might exist, but the restoration process is usually tied to
the WhatsApp application itself detecting them during the reinstallation.

My research warned that manually copying folders might not trigger this detection process.

In addition, the results of my research implies that WhatsApp backups are
often encrypted and tied to your specific account and device at the time of backup. Simply copying the files might not include the necessary encryption keys for the reinstalled app to decrypt them.

Whether or not that's true I don't know because I have never tested it.
Has anyone?

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On 2025-04-13 23:20, Marion wrote:

On Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:00:26 -0000 (UTC), Jim Jackson wrote :

My intent with this thread is to be able to back up to local storage the >>> WhatsApp chats *without* needing to put those chats on the cloud first.

Just copy the files that you mentioned in the very first post over to
your desktop PC?

If something happens to your phone just copy them to the new device?

What am I missing here?

I completely understand your suggestion & hence, I fully agree with your point that a simple copy from one phone "should" work on your phone after
you do a factory reset (assuming you keep the same phone number of course).

Yet, if you google whether a simple backup will actually work, the plot thickens. There's a *reason* WhatsApp backs up to a Google Drive, it turns out. None of us yet seem to know what that specific reason might be.

That it is trivial for everybody to have, running automatically every night?

So it's my understanding, based not at all on my own experience but only on my search results, simply copying the WhatsApp directory to your Windows PC and then copying the folders back to your phone after a factory reset will likely NOT restore your chats.

Ten years ago, it did work.

Apparently WhatsApp primarily relies on Google Drive for backups on
Android. When you reinstall WhatsApp after a factory reset, it will look
for backups linked to your phone number on Google Drive.

Local backups might exist, but the restoration process is usually tied to
the WhatsApp application itself detecting them during the reinstallation.

My research warned that manually copying folders might not trigger this detection process.

In addition, the results of my research implies that WhatsApp backups are often encrypted and tied to your specific account and device at the time of backup. Simply copying the files might not include the necessary encryption keys for the reinstalled app to decrypt them.

That could be.

For most people, it is a non issue, having the same phone number and the
same google account.

Whether or not that's true I don't know because I have never tested it.
Has anyone?

--
Cheers, Carlos.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 2025-04-13 23:33, Marion wrote:

On 12 Apr 2025 09:26:43 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote :

On Android there's a WhatsApp folder on your local storage that contains
messages db, media etc. Copy to the new phone and WA will access it.

Hi Theo,

While that sounds so easy, I haven't tried it (as I'm afraid to lose everything in testing) but it "might" not be as simple as a plain copy.

I found some steps on the net which are more complicated than a simple
copy, but which are, in theory, essentially a copy (with some tweaks).

1. Copy the WhatsApp Databases folder over to your Windows PC.
This PC\Galaxy A32 5G\Internal storage\Android\media\com.whatsapp\WhatsApp\Databases
2. Factory reset your phone & re-install WhatsApp but DO NOT OPEN IT!
3. Create the Databases folder (if necessary) on the Android filesys
4. Copy msgstore.db.crypt14 files from the Windows backup into it
If you have multiple backup files with dates in their names,
you might want to copy the most recent one only and rename it
to msgstore.db.crypt14. (Mine has a lot of "incremental" databases.)
5. Only after you've populated Databases, now you can start WhatsApp.
6. Go through the initial setup and phone number verification process.
7. WhatsApp should detect the local backup file you put in Databases.
8. When asked if you want to restore, tape "Restore".

Yes. I have done this in the past, more than once, and it worked, till
they changed the location and I copied the wrong version. Whatsapp
simply used the remote backup instead.

What worries me is this next line which is found in most instructions:
"If you had end-to-end encrypted backups enabled
and if you don't have the password or key,
then you won't be able to restore them."

It refers to the google drive copy, which you do not have.

Also you need to act fast so you'd better know what you're doing.
Any messages received after you copied the directory to your PC will be
lost.

No. When you do the steps above, the phone has to be off internet. Any
message that arrives is pending, and you will get them when you connect
the phone to internet. In the new phone, it is on internet from the
start, but you do not start whatsapp till ready.

Most of the articles I've seen suggest the chances of a successful restoration by simply copying it back after a factory reset are low.

That's said to be because WhatsApp's intended restoration method relies on Google Drive backups detected during the app's setup process. But I don't
see why Google Drive has to be involved just for encryption keys to work.

Do you have any idea how to *test* the encryption without danger of losing everything?

It doesn't matter in your case.

Let me see, wasn't there the possibility of having the same whatsapp
account on two phones? You can do the above on a second phone, perhaps.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

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