WhatsApp makes it possible to delete messages from conversations. These deleted messages can be recovered, though. We show you how it is done.
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Recovering deleted WhatsApp messages: These are your options
- First, make sure that you have a backup of your WhatsApp chat history. You can check when the last update was made under WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Uninstall the app on your phone.
- Reinstall it and restore your chat history. This also restores all deleted messages.
- Alternatively, there are also Apps that can restore deleted WhatsApp messages. These often enable you to choose which messages to restore and which to leave untouched.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone
In the following we'll show you how you can restore your deleted WhatsApp messages with a backup on your iPhone. Don't worry if you don't have a backup which covers your latest messages. We'll also show you how to retrieve your deleted WhatsApp messages without a backup on your iPhone.
How to restore deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone with backup
If you have an up-to-date backup of your chat history, reading deleted messages is a piece of cake. In case you are not sure when your last backup was, the information can be found under WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Check that the last backup includes the latest messages. If not, backup your chat history.
- To display the deleted messages, you first have to uninstall WhatsApp.
- Reinstall the app.
- Enter your phone number and follow the on-screen prompts to recover your chat history. This is what you need the backup for.
- Now, even formerly deleted messages are displayed.
How to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone without backup
If you don’t have a backup or simply want to recover a specific deleted message, you will have to work with a third-party app. MiniTool Mobile Recovery for iOS is one such program.
- Download and install the program on your PC.
- Connect your phone with your computer. If this is the first time you do this, you have to manually confirm that the PC is trustworthy. There will be a popup to that effect on your phone’s screen.
- Open the recovery program
- Click “Scan” and wait for the process to be finished. This can take a few minutes.
- Select “WhatsApp” from the data type list on the left. This will display all messages, including deleted ones.
- Search and select the deleted messages you want to recover.
- Click “Recover” in the lower right corner of the program interface.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone for free
- MiniTool Mobile Recovery for iOS is completely free. The program can be installed on PCs and Macs and supports iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and iOS 11.
- iMyFone D-Back iPhone data recovery offers a free trial that supports most Apple devices and a variety of data formats.
Do you want to learn how to recover messages on iPhone in more Detail? ◄ Then make sure to check out our HowTo!
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Samsung
Just like on an iPhone there is a way to retrieve your deleted WhatsApp messages on a Samsung device with a backup. In case you don't have a backup we'll show you another way to restore your messages.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Samsung with backup
- First, you must uninstall WhatsApp.
- Reinstall the app.
- Enter your phone number. After a while the app will remind you to restore your chat history.
- Do this to recover your old messages, including deleted ones.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Samsung without backup
- Download and install the program on your PC.
- Upon first opening the program, a popup will appear asking you to install the latest drivers. Click “OK” and wait for the installation to be finished.
- Choose “Recover from Phone”
- Connect your phone with your computer. The program will automatically detect the device.
- Once this is finished, you will be prompted to enable USB debugging mode. To do this, follow the on-screen tutorial
- To access all recoverable data, you also need to root your smartphone.
- WARNING: Rooting a phone basically grants you developer access on your device, unlocking options, files and settings usually not available to users. It also isn’t a completely safe process, so a backup of all your phone’s data before attempting this is strongly advised.
- Next, go to “Device Ready to Scan” and choose whether you want to do a “Quick Scan” or a “Deep Scan”.
- Select which types of data you want to scan.
- Click “Next” to start the scan and wait until it is finished.
- Now you can see and restore deleted WhatsApp messages as well as other data. To quickly see deleted files, there’s a slider to “Only display the deleted items”.
- Select the messages (or other data) you want to recover and then click “Recover” in the lower right corner of the program interface to restore them.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages online
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages from local backup
- First, uninstall WhatsApp Desktop.
- Reinstall the app.
- Enter your phone number. Follow the on-screen prompts to restore your chat history.
- Doing this will recover your old messages, including deleted ones
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages from Google Drive
- Before deleting WhatsApp, make sure you have a backup on your Google Drive and that your WhatsApp is set up to look for backup Data on the right Google Drive.
- Uninstall WhatsApp Desktop.
- Reinstall the app and finish the setup.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to restore your chat history.
Apps to recover deleted WhatsApp messages for free
- iMyFone D-Back offers programs to restore WhatsApp messages on Andriod (iMyFone D-Back (Android)) as well as iOS devices (iMyFone D-Back).
- MiniTool Mobile Recovery also has a dedicated program for iOS- and Android-Smartphones.
- WA Delete for Everyone (Android only) saves all deleted WhatsApp messages as long as they were unread upon deletion.
Whatsapp Message recovery FAQ
How to restore deleted WhatsApp messages by sender
There are no apps or tricks that allow you to restore messages by sender. However, apps like WhatsRemoved make it possible to read individual deleted messages.
Can I recover individual deleted messages?
Yes. Unless the person who deleted it got really lucky and caught the message before it was sent (which is nearly impossible unless you have a terrible connection), the message is saved on your phone as a notification. These notifications can be assessed, though the process is a bit difficult. The easier option is to let an App like WhatsRemoved do it for you. This app shows you all deleted WhatsApp messages by reading your notifications.
How far back can you recover deleted whatsapp messages?
The different recovery methods all use the most recent backup, so this is how far back you can go. One small exception is the phone’s storage. Here, messages are kept for seven days. This means you can access the backed up
Do I have to use third-party apps?
No, provided you have a backup of your chat history. However, these apps often offer more options to recover deleted messages, videos and more. They are also designed for ease of use, offering a clear interface to work with.
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Sandra Sporer
My name is Sandra Sporer. I’m a 27-year-old English Literature student with an interest in gaming, art, books (of course), cinema and history. My love for writing sparked my interest in journalism and I completed a one-year-internship at my local newspaper right after school. From 2018 onward I have been writing articles for CHIP, Focus, How2ForU and other websites.
