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How to backup WhatsApp: Never lose a message again
When you lose or break your phone, you’re losing much more than just a calling device. The actual cost comes in all of the data you may lose. Yes, Google Photos and Google Drive will back up some of your important files, but other apps aren’t automatic. One such app is WhatsApp, but there’s a way to make life easier. Here’s how to backup WhatsApp and save your data.
Read also: How to backup your Android phone
Fortunately, it takes just minutes to store your information in the cloud, and it’s completely free. Here’s how to backup WhatsApp and never lose another message again.
How to back up WhatsApp
If you’re worried about backing up your WhatsApp files, the good news is that your phone already has a backup. The app automatically creates a local backup every night, provided you are connected to Wi-Fi and have sufficient storage and battery life. That said, only cloud backups will protect you if you lose or break your phone.
Read also: How to add and delete a WhatsApp contact
To help with this, you’ll also find a built-in function to back up all of your messages and media to the cloud via Google Drive. You can schedule it to run automatically every day, week, or month, with the additional option of backing up manually whenever you want.
How to backup WhatsApp
- Tap the three dots in the top right, then Settings.
- Tap Chats, then Chat backup at the bottom.
- Configure your WhatsApp backup settings.
At the top of the screen, you will see a log of your recent WhatsApp backups, plus an option to back up right away. Make sure to do this on Wi-Fi if possible, as backing up media can use up heaps of mobile data.
Read also: 21 essential WhatsApp tricks and tips you should know
Below that, you can choose the Google Account you want to back up to, your backup frequency, and more. We recommend not backing up videos, as this will quickly eat through your Google Drive storage limit!
It’s worth noting that you can only backup WhatsApp files via Google Drive for now. If your phone doesn’t have Google Play Services (newer HUAWEI phones, for example), you may not be able to create a WhatsApp backup using the method above. Additionally, WhatsApp backups are not protected by end-to-end encryption like messages are, and your Google Drive purges them automatically after one year of inactivity.
Read also: How to delete a Whatsapp account
Restoring a WhatsApp backup
When you want to install WhatsApp on a new phone, the process for restoring all of your messages and media via your backup is simple. Before you get started, though, make sure you’ve logged into the same Google Account that you used for your backup.
How to restore a WhatsApp backup
- Install WhatsApp via the Play Store or App Store.
- Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
- Tap Restore when prompted during setup.
- Tap Next and wait for the WhatsApp backup to complete.
The app will restore all of your messages first, then move on to media, which may take longer. If you are reinstalling the app on a phone with a local backup, WhatsApp may use that copy instead. Your phone makes local backups every day by default, so it may have more recent data than your cloud-based backup files.
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