How to Back Up Your WhatsApp Chats
Keep your WhatsApp messages safe by backing them up to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone) — takes only a few minutes to set up.
4 min read · 6 steps · Checked April 2026
Step 1. Open WhatsApp Settings
Open WhatsApp on your phone. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner (Android) or tap Settings at the bottom-right (iPhone). Then tap Chats.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: On Android the three-dot menu is sometimes called the "more options" button.
Step 2. Find Chat Backup
Inside the Chats menu, tap Chat Backup. You will see details about your most recent backup and when it was completed.
Step 3. Android — Connect to Google Drive
Under "Back up to Google Drive," tap the dropdown and choose how often you want backups to happen: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. Then tap Google Account and select the Google account where the backup will be stored. Tap Back Up to run your first backup right away.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: Choose "Back up over Wi-Fi only" to avoid using your mobile data plan.
Step 4. iPhone — Turn On iCloud Backup
On iPhone, tap Auto Backup and choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. WhatsApp will then save your chats to iCloud. If you see a message that iCloud Drive is off, go to your iPhone Settings, tap your name at the top, tap iCloud, then turn on iCloud Drive.
Warning
Make sure you have enough free space in iCloud before backing up. Apple gives you 5 GB for free. If your iCloud is full, the backup will not complete.
Step 5. Check That the Backup Worked
Return to Chat Backup and look at the "Last backup" line. It should show today's date and a recent time. If it says "Never" or shows an old date, tap Back Up Now to run a manual backup.
Step 6. Restore Chats on a New Phone
When you set up WhatsApp on a new phone and sign in with the same phone number, it will automatically detect your backup and ask if you want to restore your chats. Tap Restore and your messages will be downloaded from Google Drive or iCloud.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: You must sign in with the same phone number and the same Google or Apple account to access a backup.
WhatsApp stores all of your text conversations, photos, and voice messages on your phone. If your phone is lost, stolen, or replaced, those messages disappear unless you have a backup saved somewhere safe. The good news is that WhatsApp can automatically back up your chats to cloud storage — Google Drive if you use an Android phone, or iCloud if you have an iPhone. Once the backup is set up, your messages are protected and can be restored the next time you sign into WhatsApp on any phone.
On Android phones, WhatsApp connects to your Google account and saves your chat history to Google Drive. You can choose how often the backup happens — daily, weekly, or monthly. If you back up over Wi-Fi only, it will not use your mobile data plan.
On iPhone, WhatsApp uses iCloud to store your backup. You need to have iCloud Drive turned on in your iPhone settings before WhatsApp can save anything there. Once it is enabled, WhatsApp will run its backup automatically on the schedule you choose.
It is a good habit to check that your backup is actually working from time to time. WhatsApp shows you the date and time of the last successful backup inside the settings menu. So you can confirm everything is running correctly. Setting up an automatic daily backup means you never have to think about it again — your messages stay safe without any extra effort on your part.
Official sources
- Apple Support — support.apple.com
- iPhone User Guide — support.apple.com
- AppleCare contact options — support.apple.com
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