There is a popular saying on the Internet; what you do on the web, stays on the web. Actually, I just made that up but its true. Nothing is really deleted irrespective of what multinational companies tell you. WeChat says that they have a no-log policy which means once you switch your phones, all your chat history will be lost. As such, it is your responsibility to take back ups at regular intervals. You know, for that rainy day when you lose your phone due to water log, theft, or space hazards! Learn how to back up, restore, and recover chat history in WeChat below.
Because there are more than one ways to deal with this problem, I have selected the easiest and the most straightforward method possible. That will save you time and make it easier to take or restore backups.
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Why Take WeChat Chat History Backups
Here are a few reasons to take regular backups of chat history when you are using WeChat.
- WeChat never saves any data on their server or so they say. Either way, in case you loose access to your mobile due to theft or other reasons, all your precious chats are lost forever.
- Virus or Malware attack can render all data and even apps unusable in some cases. When that happens, sometimes, the only option is to reinstall the app.
1. How to Backup Chat History in WeChat
WeChat has made it easy to take backups of your chat history. There are multiple ways to do it, so let’s take a look at all of them. For the first method, you will need a Windows or macOS computer. Download and install WeChat on your computer and sign in using the same WeChat ID as on your smartphone. Make sure that both the devices are now connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Now, launch WeChat on your computer and on the lower left corner, click on Settings icon and select Backup and Restore option. In the pop-up that follows, under the Chat Backup tab, you will find a few options.
Click on the Back up on PC option to backup all chat history on your computer. Your computer has way more storage space than your smartphone. Also, its much safer to store backups on computer because you may lose access to your smartphone due to a number of reasons like theft, waterlog, and more.
In the next screen, you will be asked to select chats that you want to take a backup of. To be on the safe side, I would recommend you to click on Select All, but you can be selective here. WeChat will notify you how much data will be freed from your device once the operation is completed.
The only difference between taking WeChat backup son Windows and macOS is that in the later, you can’t choose where the backup file will be saved.
You can also take a backup of WeChat history using the web version, but we don”t recommend it because it is slow as hell. WeChat web consumes a lot of resources, but can be used if you want. The process will remain the same once you sign in to your WeChat account.
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2. How to Restore Chat History in WeChat
Once you have taken a backup, restoring it will follow the same procedure for the most part. You will connect both your smartphone where you want to restore the backup, and your computer you have the backup stored to be restored, to the same Wi-Fi network. Sign in to WeChat and go to Chat Backups under Settings.
This time, you will select Restore on Phone option. Once you do, you will be asked to select the chat history that you want to restore to the phone, how much space that will require, and then begin the process.
3. How to Transfer Chat History in WeChat
Most people sell one smartphone before buying another. What they do is take a backup of the data on their computer or memory card, buy a new phone, and set it up from scratch. If you have access to your new and old phone at the same time, you can directly transfer WeChat chat history without having to work with your computer.
Make sure that both the smartphones are connected to the same Internet or WiFi network. Open WeChat on the old phone and go to Me > Settings > Chats > Backup & Migrate Chats > Migrate Chats to Another Device. You will be asked to choose the chat history that you want to transfer. Select as needed.
Don’t close WeChat on the primary phone. Now, open WeChat on the second or new phone where you want to transfer the WeChat history. Sign in to your WeChat account and tap on the ‘+’ icon to at the top to find option to scan QR code. You will now see a QR code. You know what to do here. Just scan the QR code to give access and begin the migration or transfer process.
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Backup, Restore, Transfer WeChat Chat History
As you can see, there are a number of ways to backup and restore or transfer your WeChat chat history from one device to another. It’s always a good idea to to do so from time to time, just in case something unexpected happens. What I do is set up a reminder for different apps and services that I use, that reminds me to take backups on a monthly basis. I know, its a chore but has to be done, and takes only a few minutes in my case.
Note that when you are backing up or restoring WeChat chat history from mobile to computer or vice versa, or mobile to mobile, there are a few other options. For example, you can backup and restore data based on time and content. That way, you get freedom to eliminate old messages that are irrelevant or content that you no longer need. If you are unsure, just backup everything to a computer, so you can sift through it later at the time of restoring.
