WhatsApp is a communication tool that allows us to chat with any contact –even if they have blocked us– instantly and even make video calls (although there are much better videoconferencing apps, WhatsApp is not bad at all). But it is no less true that we also use it to send many photos and videos.
If we are not used to saving these multimedia files, we are in danger of accidentally deleting them at some point and not being able to access them. Do youDeleted WhatsApp Photos Can Be Recovered? Effectively. And what about the videos? Can they also be recovered? And it is!
I want this to be the most complete guide on the whole network to recover photos and videos from WhatsApp, so I am going to do my best not to leave a single detail up in the air. Let's go there!
We'll see nowhow to recover deleted WhatsApp photos and videos using 4 different techniques:
- Re-downloading the photo / video from the WhatsApp servers.
- By using recovery apps.
- Performing a backup restore.
- Making use of recovery applications for PC / Mac.
A little check before starting photo and video recovery
All the files that we exchange by WhatsApp, including photos, videos, audios, documents and others, are stored in a folder within the local memory of our device. A good habit before you start restoring copies or going into lengthy recovery processes is usually to take a look at this folder. Maybe the file we have lost is there!
If we work with Android, the folder where WhatsApp photos and videos are stored is located in the following path: «Local / WhatsApp / Media«. Here we will find all the multimedia files classified into folders: images, videos, audios, GIFs, etc.
To access these folders we need a file explorer. Normally most mobiles usually bring a pre-installed browser, but if we do not have any we can install STAR, a highly recommended free manager: easy to use and also has no ads.
Download QR-Code File Manager ASTRO Developer: App Annie Basics Price: Free We must also remember that if one day our phone breaks, breaks or turns into a brick, we will lose access to the internal memory and with it to all our WhatsApp photos. So that this does not happen, it is recommended have the backup in Google Drive activated, as well as an SD memory where we can save our favorite photos and videos from time to time to avoid possible irreparable catastrophes.
Saving a backup in Google Drive can avoid many scares. And don't forget to activate the "include videos" tab!Restoring photos and multimedia files from WhatsApp servers
WhatsApp has begun to save backup copies on its servers of all the multimedia files that we receive for a period of 3 months. If the deleted image or file is less than 3 months old, we can recover it directly.
For this, these 3 conditions must be met:
- That we have not erased the chat where we receive the image / video.
- That we have not erased the message (or speech bubble) where we receive the image / video.
- That the deleted file was located in the foldersdcard / WhatsApp / from our phone. This is the folder where all the documents sent to us by WhatsApp are saved by default. If we have not made any changes in this regard we should not have any problems.
If we meet these 3 conditions and the shipment is less than 3 months old, WhatsApp will have a backup of the file on its servers. We will know that it will be available if in the thumbnail of the original shipment image appears with a download icon.
To recover it, we only have to click on the blurred image and it will be downloaded to our phone again. As simple as that.
We can re-download the image, since the shipment has not been deleted. Therefore, WhatsApp will download it again from its servers.Personally, I must admit that in all the years that I have been using WhatsApp, this trick has rarely served me well. Either because I had deleted the chat or message where they had sent me the file or because too much time had passed for the image to still be on the application's servers. But don't worry, there are more solutions that you can help us solve the problem!
How to recover WhatsApp photos with Restore Image
One of the advantages of using Android is its large market for free applications that provide solutions for practically any need. If you have deleted your WhatsApp photos you can install the Restore Image app to recover them. It is an application for Android devices whose sole purpose is to locate and recover photos and videos deleted from our messaging applications, such as WhatsApp or Line.
Most applications to recover deleted photos and videos from our phone require root permissions to recover the photos. On the other hand, Restore Image does not need these permissions to work, which makes it a tremendously useful tool.
Download QR-Code Restore Image (Super Easy) Developer: AlpacaSoft Price: Free 
With this app you can recover your deleted photos and videos in a simple wayThe alternative: try MobiSaver
If we do not get results with Restore Image we can also try to install the app MobiSaver. Today it is the app with which I have obtained the best recovery results.
Download QR-Code EaseUS MobiSaver-Recover Photo & Contacts Developer: EaseUS Data Recovery Software Price: Free It is capable of restoring files deleted from the internal memory of our Android, filtering and leaving out thumbnails and very small files. Its power increases incredibly if we have root permissions, although it is not essential for its use. Note: you can see how to root Xiaomi, Moto, HTC, One Plus mobiles in THIS POST. You can also see how to root Huawei, Samsung, LG, Sony and Nexus devices in this ANOTHER POST.
If we also get the paid version we can recover many more photos, videos and files, but the free version is usually more than enough In most cases. Recommendation: try the free version first and see what it shows.
Uninstall the app and restore a backup
If with Restore Image you do not get results and you still do not see how to recover your WhatsApp photos, you can always choose to uninstall and reinstall the application. During the installation process WhatsApp will ask you if you want to recover old messages. All you have to do is say yes for WhatsApp to recover a backup. The backup will allow us to recover our old chats, as well as to recover WhatsApp photos and all the videos that this backup copy contains.
Remember what we mentioned at the beginning of the post: Videos take up a lot of storage space, and therefore, they are not included by default in WhatsApp backups. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to indicate to WhatsApp that we also want the videos to be copied. To do this, we must go to the WhatsApp settings menu to "Chats -> Backup" and activate the "Include videos«.
That being said, WhatsApp performs cloud backups of all our conversations and files for a period previously established by us (we can choose between daily, weekly or monthly copies). Besides that, WhatsApp also performs a daily local backup, every night, for 7 days.
Therefore, if the deletion has been recent, you can opt for reinstallation as a way to recover your deleted files. You can see how to carry out the process step by step in THIS POST.
Install WhatsApp again to recover a backup of your messages and filesReviewing local and Google Drive backups
Local backups are made for 7 days, which means that we will have 7 backup copies stored on our mobile. And in Google Drive too, if we have this option activated -we can check it from «Settings -> Chats -> Backup«.
- In local: Backups are saved in the folder «WhatsApp / Databases /»With the nomenclaturemsgstore.db.crypt12 (with variants for each of the copies of previous days).
msgstore.db.crypt12 is the most recent copy. The rest are from the previous 6 days.- On Google Drive: Google Drive saves a backup copy of WhatsApp in the folder «Backups»Under the heading«WhatsApp backup«.
As you can see, here is the last copy, and it is today at 4 in the morning.
If when reinstalling WhatsApp we have not been able to recover the photo or video that we have lost, we will proceed to reinstall backups made in previous days (Maybe at that time WhatsApp still had the document that we long for).
To reinstall old backups, please take a look at the post we mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, where we explained everything step by step.
Recover Deleted WhatsApp Photos and Videos from PC / Mac
We have not had any luck with Restore Image or the backup and we still cannot recover any photo or video? Relax, we can try more things. There's still a few more bullets in the chamber. There are desktop applications for Windows, Linux or Mac that perform deep search and recovery processes. Of course, these tools can also serve us perfectly to recover the photos and videos that we had stored on our Android, even if we have not received them by WhatsApp.
As a user I usually recommend the application Recuva, which has a free version that is great and very easy to use. Anyway, with Recuva we are only going to be able to recover WhatsApp photos if we had them stored in the SD memory of our phone. Take it into account!
To recover photos, videos and files with Recuva, we mustremove the microSD memory from the phone and connect it to a PC. To connect the memory to the PC we must use an adapter of the MicroSD-SD type or similar. Once the system recognizes the SD, we will launch Recuva and ask you to search our card.
Recuva allows you to filter your search by file type (photos, videos, etc.)These types of recoveries usually take time, so we will have to give the application several minutes to complete the file search.
How to recover WhatsApp photos with Dr. Fone or Mobisaver
None of these methods have worked for you? In this case it is possible that it was a photo stored in the internal memory of your phone for a long time. How can we then recover filesstored in internal memory? In situations like this, if we do not have the phone rooted, we can find several alternatives that promise to recover deleted photos and videos from WhatsApp, such as Dr. Fone or Mobisaver.
We are talking about desktop applications: we just have to connect the phone via USB to the PC and launch one of these applications. The recovery process is practically the same as that of the previously mentioned Recuva. What is the problem? That both applications are paid, and their cheaper versions are around $ 40. You have to need a photo or video a lot for us to pay such an amount.
Are Dr. Fone and Mobisaver really effective or are they just a scam?
If you search online how to recover deleted WhatsApp photos Many pages recommend Dr. Fone. The problem is that even if you download the free version, it does not allow you to recover any photos or videos. It is a trial version that does not recover anything.
As I was quite interested in knowing the true efficiency of this application, I have searched people's opinions, and although most indicate that they have not been able to recover anything, it seems that the paid version does work. Unfortunately I am not in a position to pay for the license to check it -at least for now-, so it will be necessary to trust. In any case, from the outset it would be necessary to take it very, very cautiously.
UPDATED : I finally got a license and I was able to try one of these famous desktop applications: MobiSaver. The big downside of this program is that we need to have root permissions on Android as an indispensable requirement. Notice for navigators: In most devices, rooting usually requires the previous formatting of the terminal, so, unless we already have the phone rooted, root will only help us to complicate things and make recovery even more difficult.
Once this barrier is overcome, the application conscientiously recovers large number of deleted images, photos and videos, both WhatsApp and Android in general. It is even more effective than the app version of MobiSaver for mobile phones.
Therefore, YES, MobiSaver works (let's see if in a while I can try Dr. Fone and I also confirm its effectiveness first-hand).
One last try: Try to recover the document from WhatsApp Web
This little trick has recently appeared on several websites. It basically consists of accessing the web version of WhatsApp from a PC (or from another phone) and looking there for a copy of the lost photo or video.
- We access //web.whatsapp.com in the PC browser.
- Now, we go to the mobile, open WhatsApp and click on the top drop-down, choosing "WhatsApp Web”.
- Next, we scan with the mobile the QR code that appears in the browser.
- Once we have WhatsApp activated and synchronized in the web version, we just have to look for the photo or document and see if it is still there.
This method works especially well if the file was deleted from the phone's image gallery. If what we did was delete the chat or WhatsApp message where the photo was, it is more difficult for it to appear.
What do you think of these recovery methods? Here is a short video from our YouTube channel on the subject:
Preventive methods to recover WhatsApp photos and videos
Another very useful way with which we can recover our photos and videos from WhatsApp is by using the application Dumpster. Once installed, it fulfills the function of the classic Windows recycle bin in our system Android.
That is, if we delete any WhatsApp file, Instead of being permanently deleted, it will go to the Dumpster's trash., and we can easily recover it simply by searching the trash.
Anyway, if we have already deleted the photo / video, it will be useless to install Dumpster later, since it is a preventive tool. If you want to avoid problems in the future, here is the link to the application on Google Play. Frankly recommended.
Download QR-Code Recycle Bin Dumpster Developer: Baloota Price: Free Recovering WhatsApp photos and videos is easier with root permissions
To finish, comment that if our phone or tablet is rooted it will be much easier to recover the lost files. Recovery apps and programs are much more effective on a device where we have administrator permissions and we can perform much more effective searches.
One of the clearest examples is the previously mentioned MobiSaver, which only works with root. In this case it is not an option, but an indispensable requirement!
Rooting a terminal is a very delicate process in which if something goes wrong we can lose data or even disable the device. Therefore, before venturing into such a process it is important that we be very clear about what we are doing at all times. It is best to find a specific rooting method for our exact terminal model. They are the ones that work best. If not, we can always take a look at the next article .
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