Many smartphone users are faced with a situation where the device’s internal memory or cloud storage is full. Often the culprit for the lack of free space is the messenger WhatsApp, which by default creates regular copies of correspondence and media files. This data accumulates for months, taking up gigabytes of valuable space that could be used to install new applications or store photos.
The cleaning process is not as obvious as it might seem at first glance, since backups are stored in two different places: on your device and in the cloud service Google Drive. Simply deleting chats within the application does not always erase the backup files themselves, especially if automatic backup creation is enabled. In this article, we will take a closer look at where exactly to look for these files and how to safely delete unnecessary data to free up memory.
It is important to understand the difference between local storage and the cloud before starting the procedure. Deleting a copy from your phone will not affect the data in your Google Account, and vice versa. For a complete cleanup, you will need to perform steps on both sections of the system. Below are step-by-step guide for each method, as well as important nuances that you should know about.
Cleaning backups in Google Drive
The main storage location for cloud backups for Android users is the service Google Drive. This is where the messenger sends encrypted archives of your conversations when synchronization is enabled. To find and delete this data, you need to go to the settings of the cloud storage itself, and not to the phone settings.
Open the application Google Drive on your smartphone or go to the web version of the service through a browser. Click on the menu icon (three horizontal bars) in the upper left corner of the screen. In the list that opens, select Backups. Here you will see a list of all applications that save their data in the cloud.
Find a line in the list with the name WhatsApp. By clicking on it, you will see detailed information: the date of the last backup and its size. A menu icon (three vertical dots) will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on it and select the option Delete backup. The system will ask you to confirm the action.
⚠️ Attention: After deleting a backup from Google Drive, you will not be able to restore your correspondence history when you reinstall the application or change the device if you have no other saved data.
It is worth noting that deleting a backup from the cloud does not automatically disable creating new copies. If you want to stop accumulating data in the future, you need to further change the settings inside the messenger itself. This will prevent your Google account from filling up with unnecessary files again.
Before deleting, check the date of the last copy. If it is old, perhaps the data is no longer relevant, and cleaning will be painless for your correspondence history.
Deleting local files on the device
In addition to the cloud, WhatsApp daily creates local copies of the database directly in the memory of your smartphone. These files are stored in hidden system folders and take up space even when cloud synchronization is disabled. To access them, you will need a file manager.
In modern versions of Android, the folder structure has changed for security reasons. Previously, the files were located in the root of the internal memory, now the path has become deeper. Open the application Files or any other explorer and go to the following path:
Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/DatabasesIn some older versions of the operating system, the path may look different: WhatsApp/Databases at the root of the internal memory. In this folder you will find files with names like msgstore.db.crypt14 (the number at the end may differ depending on the encryption version). A file with the name msgstore.db.crypt... without a date in the name is the most recent copy.
All other files contain a date in the name (for example, msgstore-2023-10-05.1.db.crypt14) and are archives for previous days. You can safely delete old files, leaving only the most recent one, if you plan to restore correspondence in the future. To mass delete, long press on unnecessary files and click the trash can icon.
☑️ Check before deleting local files
After cleaning the folder Databases the amount of occupied memory will be significantly reduced. However, the messenger will continue to create new files daily unless you change the backup frequency settings. It is recommended to periodically check this folder manually to monitor memory fill.
Setting the frequency of creating copies
To prevent the problem of full memory from returning, you need to configure the frequency of creating backups. By default, WhatsApp can do this daily, which is not always advisable for users with a large volume of media files.
Go to the messenger settings by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of the main screen. Select item Chats, and then go to section Backup chats. Here you will see an option Backupwhere you can select the frequency: daily, weekly, monthly or never.
Select option Never will completely disable the automatic creation of backups both in Google Drive and locally. This is a radical solution that is suitable only for those who are ready to completely lose their correspondence history if the phone breaks down or the application is deleted.
| Copying frequency | Space consumption | Risk of data loss | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | High | Minimum | For active correspondence |
| Weekly | Average | Average | Optimal balance |
| Monthly | Low | High | For rare chats |
| Never | Absent | Critical | Only if there are alternatives |
Also in this menu you can disable loading videos to the backup copy. Video files take up the lion's share of backup volume. If you uncheck the item Video, the copy size will decrease significantly, while the text history and photos will be saved.
Cleaning through Android application settings
There is another way to manage messenger data, which allows you to clear the cache and partially data through the Android system settings. This method does not always delete database files, but it helps to free up space occupied by temporary files and thumbnails.
Go to Settings your smartphone, then find the Applications or All applicationssection. Find WhatsApp in the list and click on it. Next, select Storage or Memory.
Here you will see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear data. Using the button Clear cache is safe and will only delete temporary files without affecting your correspondence. This can free up anywhere from several hundred megabytes to a gigabyte of space.
⚠️ Note: Clicking the "Clear data" button will delete all local settings and may erase local copies of databases, but will not affect cloud backups in Google Drive. Use with caution.
This method is useful for quickly optimizing the operation of the device if the messenger begins to slow down. However, for targeted deletion of backup copies, it is better to use the file manager or settings inside the application itself, as described in the previous sections.
Restoring correspondence after cleaning
If you deleted a backup by mistake or just want to understand what will happen the next time you install the application, it is important to know the recovery mechanism. WhatsApp during the first installation after entering the phone number, it will automatically checks for backups.
First, the application scans the local memory of the device. If a file is found in the folder Databases msgstore.db.crypt..., you will be prompted to restore from it. If there are no local files, the messenger will turn to Google Drive.
If you deleted the copy both from the cloud and from the phone, recovery will become impossible. When installing, the application will offer to start from scratch. All old messages will be lost forever unless you have exported them in advance in another way.
Is it possible to restore a deleted copy from Google Drive?
Unfortunately, Google does not provide a recycle bin for deleted application backups. After confirming the deletion in the Drive interface, the data is erased from the servers forever and cannot be restored.
There is a nuance with local copies: if you deleted a file today, but you have a file manager with history or synchronization with your PC, you can try to find the deleted file there. But using regular Android tools, it is extremely difficult to recover a deleted file from internal memory without root access.
Alternative archiving methods
Complete refusal of backup copies can be risky. If your goal is to free up space but preserve important data, consider alternative archiving methods. For example, the function Export chat allows you to save correspondence as a text file.
You can select a specific conversation, click on the contact name at the top of the screen, scroll down and select Chat Export. The file can be sent to yourself by email or saved in a reliable cloud storage other than Google Drive, for example, in Dropbox or Yandex.Disk.
This method takes up significantly less space, since you can include media files when export. A text history of correspondence over several years can weigh only a few megabytes, while a full backup with video can weigh tens of gigabytes.
Exporting individual chats in text format is the best way to save history when you run out of space, without resorting to a full system backup.
Regular cleaning of media files inside the messenger itself also helps reduce the size of future copies. Go to Settings → Data and storage → Storage management. There you can delete files larger than 5 MB or view the largest files in each chat and delete them selectively.
Frequently asked questions
Will the correspondence in the application be deleted if I delete the backup copy?
No, deleting the backup copy does not affect the current correspondence in the application. You can continue to use the messenger as usual. A copy is needed only to restore data in case of losing the phone or resetting the settings.
Where exactly is the folder with databases on Android 11 and newer?
On new versions of Android, the path has changed to Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases. The old path WhatsApp/Databases in the root memory may be empty or missing due to root directory access restrictions.
Is it possible to delete a backup but leave autosave enabled?
Yes, you can manually delete an existing copy in Google Drive. However, during the next scheduled backup (for example, at night), the system will create a new copy and upload it to the cloud if the autosave setting is active.
How much space does one WhatsApp backup take?
The size of the copy depends on the number of messages and, most importantly, on the size of media files (photos and videos). It can range from 50 MB for text chats to several gigabytes for active groups with video sharing.
What happens if you run out of Google Drive space?
⚠️ Note: If your Google storage is full, WhatsApp will not be able to create a new backup in the cloud. You will receive an error notification, and the latest data will not be saved until space is freed.
Local copying will continue to work if there is free memory on the phone.