How to Retrieve Deleted WhatsApp Messages Sent by Someone

When a contact sends you a message on WhatsApp and it disappears—whether they hit “Delete for Everyone” or you accidentally deleted it yourself—it can feel like the conversation is gone forever. However, there are several reliable methods to recover those messages, depending on how your phone is set up. This guide walks you through every practical option, from restoring a full backup to digging into notification logs on Android, so you can get those messages back.

What You’ll Need

• Your Android or iPhone with WhatsApp installed
• Access to your Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone) account
• A computer (optional, for local backup extraction)
• Patience—restoring a backup will overwrite your current chats

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Restore from Google Drive (Android)

1. Uninstall WhatsApp from your phone.
2. Reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
3. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number (the same one you used before).
4. When prompted, tap Restore when WhatsApp finds a Google Drive backup.
5. Wait for the restore to complete. This can take several minutes if the backup is large.
6. Tap Next after your chats are restored. The deleted messages will be back if they were included in the backup.

Method 2: Restore from iCloud (iPhone)

1. Delete WhatsApp from your iPhone.
2. Reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store.
3. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
4. When asked, tap Restore Chat History.
5. Wait for the download from iCloud to finish. Do not close the app during this process.
6. Once restored, your messages—including the deleted ones—will appear in your chats.

Method 3: Restore from a Local Backup (Android)

1. Open your phone’s file manager app.
2. Navigate to Internal Storage/WhatsApp/Databases.
3. Look for files named msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14 (or similar). These are daily backups.
4. Find the backup from the date before the message was deleted.
5. Rename the current msgstore.db.crypt14 to msgstore.db.crypt14.bak.
6. Rename your chosen backup file to msgstore.db.crypt14.
7. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, then verify your number.
8. Tap Restore when prompted.

Method 4: Check Notification History (Android)

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap Notifications or Apps & Notifications.
3. Select Notification History (this may be under “Advanced” settings).
4. If enabled, you’ll see a list of recent notifications, including WhatsApp message previews.
5. Look for the sender’s name and read the preview text. This only shows a snippet, not the full message.

Method 5: Ask the Sender to Forward It

1. Open the chat with the person who sent the deleted message.
2. Explain that you missed the message and ask them to resend or forward it.
3. If they still have it on their device, they can share it with you again.

Common Mistakes

• Restoring without backing up current chats: Restoring an old backup overwrites everything you’ve received since that backup. Always export a chat backup first if you need to keep recent messages.
• Waiting too long: Google Drive and iCloud only keep the most recent backup. If the message was deleted weeks ago, it may already be gone from the backup.
• Using the wrong phone number: WhatsApp backups are tied to your phone number. If you verify a different number, the restore will not find your chats.
• Forgetting to enable backup: If you never turned on Google Drive or iCloud backup, there is nothing to restore. Check your backup settings before you need them.
• Ignoring the local backup date: On Android, local backups are only kept for 7 days. If the message was deleted more than a week ago, the local backup won’t contain it.

Tips

• Turn on automatic backups now: In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and set it to daily. This is your best safety net.
• Use WhatsApp’s “Export Chat” feature: If you want to keep a permanent record of a conversation, export it as a text file and save it to cloud storage.
• Enable notification history on Android: Go to Settings > Notifications > Notification History and turn it on. It’s a free way to see message previews even after they’re deleted.
• Check the sender’s phone: If they deleted the message for everyone, it’s gone from their phone too. But if they only deleted it for you, they can screenshot it and send it again.
• Don’t uninstall WhatsApp before checking your backup: Make sure you know what date your last backup is from, and confirm the message you want is in it, before you wipe the app.

Troubleshooting

• Restore button not appearing: If WhatsApp doesn’t prompt you to restore, it means no backup was found for your number. Double-check you’re using the same number and that you’re logged into the same Google Drive or iCloud account.
• Restore stuck at 99%: This often happens with a weak internet connection. Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network and try again. Do not force-close the app.
• Messages still missing after restore: The backup you restored may be older than the message you’re looking for. Try a different local backup file (Android) or check if a newer iCloud backup exists.
• “Restore Unsuccessful” error: This usually means the backup file is corrupted or incompatible. On Android, try a different local backup file. On iPhone, ensure you have enough free storage space.
• Notification history is empty: If you hadn’t enabled it before the message was deleted, it won’t show anything. You can only see notifications that arrived after you turned it on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a message that was deleted for everyone?

Yes, if you have a backup from before the message was deleted. The “Delete for Everyone” feature removes it from all devices, but backups made earlier still contain the message text.

Does WhatsApp notify the sender if I restore a backup?

No. Restoring a backup is a local process on your device. The sender will not receive any notification that you recovered the message.

How long does WhatsApp keep backups?

Google Drive backups are kept as long as you use WhatsApp and have storage space. iCloud backups are also retained until you delete them. Local Android backups are kept for 7 days.

Can I recover deleted messages without uninstalling WhatsApp?

On Android, you can try the notification history method without uninstalling. For full message recovery, you must uninstall and reinstall the app to trigger the restore process.

Will restoring a backup lose my current chats?

Yes. Restoring an old backup replaces your current chat database with the older one. Any messages received after the backup date will be lost unless you export them first.

Is there a way to recover deleted messages on WhatsApp Web?

No. WhatsApp Web is a mirror of your phone. If a message is deleted on your phone, it is also deleted on WhatsApp Web. There is no separate backup for the web version.

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