How to save WhatsApp chats, conversations and images

The most used app on smartphones is undoubtedly WhatsApp, which allows you to chat with all our friends and relatives using the phone numbers saved in the address book as a basis. If we have to change phones or we want to keep a copy of all conversations and photos shared on WhatsApp, we will have to use the automatic backup system offered by the app itself or one of the alternative methods to be able to save this type of data.
In this guide we will show you how to save WhatsApp chats, conversations and photos, showing you for each data the official methods supported by the app and some alternative methods to access the database containing all the conversations exchanged with our contacts, both on Android devices and on iPhones.

How to save WhatsApp chats

The methods described below will allow you to save all WhatsApp chats, so that you can restore them in the event of a phone change or to be able to reread them on a PC. Photos can be saved either with internal backup or by using the backup features offered by some free services.

How to make internal backup of WhatsApp

The automatic backup system in WhatsApp is very precise and effective, including both chats and multimedia elements.
To activate the internal backup of WhatsApp on Android we open the app on our smartphone, press the top right on the menu with the three dots, select the menu Settings, we press on the menu Chat and finally we press on Backup of chats.

To perform the backup immediately, press on Backup and confirm the Google account to use (the backup will be uploaded to Google Drive). To allow the app to automatically perform the backup, press the Backup on Google Drive item and choose between.
The backup will automatically include both chats and shared photos; if we want to include videos too, just activate the check mark on the item Include videos. From the screen we can also choose whether to back up only via Wi-Fi or also using the data network (only if we have a very large mobile Internet subscription, of at least 20 GB).

To activate the internal backup of WhatsApp on iPhone we open the app on the iPhone, press on Settings, we select Chat and finally we press on Backup of chats.

To perform the backup immediately, press on Back up now; to schedule future automatic backups, click on Automatic backup and choose between Daily, Weekly O Monthly. The WhatsApp backup on iPhone will be uploaded to iCloud, the cloud service offered by Apple.

To restore the chats and multimedia contents we will not have to do is log in with the specific account on the smartphone (Google on Android and iCloud on Apple), reinstall the app on the new phone and enter our mobile number : at the first access, the presence of the backup will be checked and we will be asked if we want to restore it.
As easily understood, it is not possible to pass an Android cloud backup to iPhone (and vice versa), unless you use alternative methods like those shown in our guide on How to transfer Whatsapp from one phone to another or to another number.

How to backup WhatsApp photos and videos

An alternative method to save photos, images and videos on WhatsApp involves using the app Google photo, available free for Android and iOS.
Once the app has been installed on the phone and logged in with our Google account, we open the menu at the top left (with the three horizontal lines), press on Settings, we select the menu Backup and synchronization and finally on Device folders backed up.

In the screen that opens, make sure to activate the check mark next to the items WhatsApp Images (to save all images), WhatApp Video (to save videos) e WhatsApp Animated Gifs (to save GIFs shared in chats).
The folders will be synchronized on Google Photos and on Google Drive, so as to be accessible even outside the internal WhatsApp backup (even in the case of different backups between iPhone and Android).

READ ALSO: How to save Whatsapp photos

How to export a single chat

A little-known method to save WhatsApp chats involves theexport of chats via email. To perform this type of operation, open the WhatsApp app, go to the chat we intend to save, press on the three dots at the top right then select the item More -> Export chats.

The app will ask us if we want to include the multimedia elements in the export; we make the choice then choose from the phone sharing menu where to save the exported backup. For convenience we can save the exported chat on Gmail (so you can read it again calmly, saving it among the drafts), send it to Telegram (which has a personal chat where you can save any file without limits), save it on Drive (with the Save in Drive button) or send it to another phone with Bluetooth O Shareme (Xiaomi devices only). If we want to save the backup of the chat in the phone’s internal memory and make it readable, just select the item Save in, in order to open the file manager integrated in the phone and choose the folder where to save the copy of the chat.

Conclusions

The various elements of WhatsApp (chats and multimedia files) can be easily saved by using the backup systems integrated in the app, the cloud services present on every modern smartphone or by manually exporting the chat of our interest, so that it can be recovered or read in a second time.

In another article we showed you how to restore and recover whatsapp messages and history.
If instead we want to discover other tips and tricks for WhatsApp, we invite you to read our guide Whatsapp: 30 tricks and secrets of chat on Android and iPhone.
Are we afraid that our WhatsApp account is under control? To avoid the spies, just apply all the tips provided in our article on Can you spy on Whatsapp? How to protect chats and messages from hackers and spy apps.