How to See Deleted WhatsApp Messages by Sender

This guide explains the only legitimate ways to recover or view WhatsApp messages that a sender has deleted, whether for yourself or for messages sent to you. You’ll learn the built-in methods that work on Android and iPhone, plus what to do if you have no backup at all. No third-party app can truly recover deleted WhatsApp messages, so the steps below focus on what actually works.

What You’ll Need

• A WhatsApp account with the chat history where the deleted message was sent.
• Access to the phone that received the message (the sender’s phone can’t help you).
• For backup methods: a Google Drive or iCloud backup that was made before the message was deleted.
• For notification methods: notification history enabled on Android (varies by phone model).

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Check if the Message Was Actually Deleted

1. Open the WhatsApp chat where the message was sent.
2. Look for the placeholder text: “This message was deleted.” If you see it, the sender used “Delete for everyone.”
3. If you don’t see that placeholder, the message may have been deleted only from the sender’s phone (“Delete for me”), and it’s still visible on your phone. Scroll up to find it.

Method 2: Use WhatsApp’s Built-in “Undo” (Within Seconds)

1. If you see the deleted message placeholder and a notification appears at the top of the chat saying “You deleted this message” or “This message was deleted,” you might be able to undo it—but only if you are the sender and you just deleted it.
2. Tap the “Undo” button that appears briefly (about 5 seconds) after you delete a message for everyone. This restores the message before it’s permanently removed.
3. This only works for the sender, not the recipient. If you’re the recipient, skip to the next method.

Method 3: Restore from a Google Drive Backup (Android)

1. Before you start, note that restoring a backup will replace your current chats with the backup version—you’ll lose any messages received after the backup date.
2. Uninstall WhatsApp from your phone.
3. Reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
4. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
5. When prompted, tap “Restore” to restore your chat history from Google Drive.
6. Choose the backup that was created before the message was deleted (if you have multiple backups, pick the most recent one that predates the deletion).
7. After the restore completes, open the chat where the message was deleted. If the backup included that message, it will be there.

Method 4: Restore from iCloud Backup (iPhone)

1. This method also replaces your current chat history with the backup version.
2. Delete WhatsApp from your iPhone.
3. Reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store.
4. Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
5. When prompted, tap “Restore Chat History” to restore from iCloud.
6. If you have multiple backups, you may need to restore from an older device backup (via iCloud settings) if the message was deleted before the latest backup.

Method 5: Check Notification History (Android Only)

1. On many Android phones, you can view a log of past notifications, which may include the full text of a deleted WhatsApp message before it was removed.
2. Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications > Notification history (the exact path varies by phone manufacturer).
3. Enable “Notification history” if it isn’t already on.
4. Open the notification history list and look for WhatsApp notifications around the time the message was sent. The message text may appear there, even if it was deleted in the chat.

Method 6: Use a Local Backup (Android Only, No Google Drive)

1. WhatsApp on Android also creates local backups every night at 2 AM, stored on your phone’s internal storage or SD card.
2. Use a file manager app to navigate to Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Databases.
3. Look for files named like “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14” (or similar). Choose the one dated before the message was deleted.
4. Rename the current “msgstore.db.crypt14” file to something else (e.g., “msgstore_old.db.crypt14”).
5. Rename the chosen backup file to “msgstore.db.crypt14”.
6. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, then restore from local backup when prompted. This method requires that the backup file is from the same phone number.

Common Mistakes

• Restoring the wrong backup: If you restore a backup that was made after the message was deleted, you won’t see the message. Always pick a backup that predates the deletion.
• Forgetting that restore replaces current chats: Any messages you received after the backup date will be lost. Make a fresh backup of your current chats before restoring, if possible.
• Using third-party recovery apps: Most apps claiming to recover deleted WhatsApp messages are scams or malware. They cannot access WhatsApp’s encrypted database, and they may steal your data.
• Checking the sender’s phone: When a message is deleted for everyone, it’s removed from both phones. You can’t recover it from the sender’s device either.

Tips

• Enable automatic backups daily (Settings > Chats > Chat backup) so you always have a recent backup to restore from.
• If you want to keep a copy of important messages, take a screenshot before they might be deleted.
• On Android, turn on notification history before you need it—it only logs notifications after it’s enabled.
• For iPhone, you can also back up your entire phone to iCloud or a computer (via Finder or iTunes) and restore from that, but it’s more complex.

Troubleshooting

• Restore didn’t show the deleted message: The backup you restored likely didn’t contain that message (it was made after the deletion, or the message was too old to be in any backup). Try an older backup if you have one.
• No backup exists: If you never enabled backups, there’s no way to recover a deleted message. Your only hope is notification history on Android.
• Restore fails or gets stuck: Make sure you have a stable internet connection and enough free storage. On Android, ensure you’re using the same Google account that was used for the backup. On iPhone, check your iCloud storage and that WhatsApp has iCloud backup enabled.
• Notification history is empty: Notification history only records notifications after you enable it. If you didn’t enable it before the message was deleted, it won’t be there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I see a deleted message without a backup?
Only if you had notification history enabled on Android before the message was sent. Otherwise, no.

Q: Can the sender see if I’ve restored a backup to read their deleted message?
No. WhatsApp doesn’t notify anyone when you restore a backup. The sender will still see “This message was deleted” on their end.

Q: Do third-party apps really work?
No. WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted and stored in an encrypted database. No third-party app can decrypt that without your phone’s credentials, and most such apps are fraudulent.

Q: Does this work for group chats?
Yes, the same methods apply to group chats. If a message is deleted for everyone, you can try restoring a backup that includes it.

Q: What if I have a new phone and the backup is from my old phone?
You can restore a Google Drive or iCloud backup to a new phone as long as you use the same phone number and account. The restore process is the same.

Q: Can I recover a deleted message if I never opened the chat?
Yes, the message is still delivered to your phone, and it will appear in the chat when you open it, unless the sender deleted it for everyone before you opened it. In that case, you’ll see the “This message was deleted” placeholder, and you’d need a backup to recover the original text.

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