A WhatsApp backup won’t open like a normal file. WhatsApp’s route is to restore it into WhatsApp on a phone with the same number, then export the chat you want, which gives you a text file you can read anywhere. Before you restore, export anything you need from the phone, because restoring can replace what’s on it.
A backup and an export are different things
| Backup | Export | |
|---|---|---|
| What it’s for | Getting your chats back into WhatsApp | A copy you can read |
| Where it lives | Your Google Account, iCloud or, if you have it, WhatsApp cloud storage | Wherever you save it |
| Can you read it | Only after restoring it in WhatsApp | Yes, it’s a text file |
| Can it go back into WhatsApp | Yes | No, WhatsApp says it’s a text file and not a backup file |
| How many you keep | Each new Google backup replaces the last, and iCloud keeps one | As many as you make |
Why you can’t just open it
WhatsApp doesn’t describe the backup’s file format anywhere we could find. What it does say points one way:
- WhatsApp says the only way to recover a backup or move it to another Android phone is with your Google Account or WhatsApp cloud storage. On iPhone, it’s iCloud or WhatsApp cloud storage.
- The German tech magazine heise puts it plainly: you can’t open and read old chats on Google Drive.
- A backup can be end-to-end encrypted with a passkey, a password or a 64-digit key, and WhatsApp says you can’t reach it without one of those.
How to get readable chats from a backup
You need the same phone number the backup was made with, plus the same Google Account on Android or the same iCloud account on iPhone, if that’s where the backup is. An Android backup can’t be restored on an iPhone, or the other way round.
- Export what you need first. Export any chat on the phone that you’d miss. WhatsApp’s steps start by uninstalling the app, which removes its data, and messages sent after the backup can’t be restored.
- Check the backup. Go to Settings, Chats, Chat Backup, where you’ll see the time and size of your last backup. It’s the only one you’ll get back. On iPhone, also make sure WhatsApp is syncing to iCloud Drive.
- Reinstall WhatsApp. Uninstall and reinstall it, then verify your number, and your Apple ID on iPhone.
- Restore. On Android, tap Restore when asked. On iPhone, tap Restore Chat History.
- Wait. After a restore, search can take time to work again.
- Export the chat. You now have a text file, and a ZIP on iPhone. Our guide shows how to open it.
If your chats are on another phone, our article on getting messages from an old phone covers the other routes.
What can go wrong
- An old backup. WhatsApp warns that if your latest backup is more than 120 days old, restoring may not be possible.
- Making a new backup while you search. Google stores one backup per phone number, so a new one permanently replaces the backup holding your missing chats. Turn off automatic backups until you’ve found them, if you can.
- Skipping the restore. If you tap Skip and another backup runs, WhatsApp says your old history can’t be recovered.
- A backup left alone. Google may delete a backup that hasn’t been updated in five months.
- A lost password. WhatsApp can’t reset it or restore the backup for you. If you still have access to your account, you can change the password from inside WhatsApp, though WhatsApp says restoring a backup that already exists takes the original password, key or passkey. You get five tries when restoring before you have to wait.
- A partial backup. A bad connection or low storage can leave a backup incomplete.
- Disappearing messages. These are deleted when you restore.
What about local backups on Android
You’ll still see guides telling you to rename a msgstore file on your phone to restore an older backup. WhatsApp’s help page described this in 2023, along with seven days of local backups. It had gone from the English page by August 2023. WhatsApp’s page on backing up now mentions a local backup only in passing, and says your Google Account or WhatsApp cloud storage is the only way to recover a backup. We can’t say whether the old method still works, so don’t count on it.
Backup viewers and other tools
Tools that promise to read a backup are unofficial. Their own pages describe needing the encryption key from a rooted phone, or access to your Google Account and your phone number. One open-source viewer says it no longer works with WhatsApp’s latest format. We haven’t tested any of them.
Before you use one, think about what you’re handing over. A backup holds every chat you have, including other people’s messages.
WhatsApp has warned about related things, though not about viewers by name. It says unofficial apps can carry malware and can get your account banned, and that other data transfer apps aren’t supported.
Request account info won’t help
WhatsApp’s account information report doesn’t include your personal messages, and WhatsApp points you to exporting chats for those.
Once you have the export
You can open your export on Chatonfile.com and read, search and filter it free on your own device, with nothing from the chat sent to us. The first date is at the top of the chat, so you can check whether the restore brought back what you were looking for.
If the messages matter, you can order a dated PDF with every voice note in the export written out and a summary of the key highlights and promises. Our pricing page shows what it costs. A PDF you’ve saved somewhere else stays readable whatever happens to your phone or your backup. We delete our copy after 30 days.
Common questions
Can I read my WhatsApp backup in Google Drive?
WhatsApp offers no way to do that. Its help pages say you recover a backup through your Google Account or WhatsApp cloud storage, by restoring it into WhatsApp on a phone. Then you can read the chats there and export them.
Can I open a WhatsApp backup on my computer?
Not through WhatsApp. Restore the backup on a phone and export the chat you want, which gives you a text file you can open anywhere. Unofficial tools describe needing a key, root access or access to your account.
Will restoring a backup delete my current chats?
It can. The steps start by uninstalling WhatsApp, which removes its data from the phone, and messages sent after the backup can't be restored. Export anything you need before you start.
Does Request account info include my messages?
No. WhatsApp says account information reports don't include your personal messages. To get a copy of those, it points you to exporting your chat history.
