Have you bought a new phone and don’t want to lose all the conversations you made on WhatsApp? No fear. On this page you can find a guide that explains step by step how to move WhatsApp conversations to a new phone without losing data. The steps are quite simple, but it is good to follow all the instructions carefully to avoid not carrying the operation.

We also recommend that you read the entire guide before proceeding, not forgetting the warnings (at the bottom of the page) which are essential for the success of the procedure.

To transfer chats to the new device you need both the old phone and, obviously, the new one. There are two alternatives to transfer conversations, either via classic backup or via Google Drive backup. Let’s see how to proceed.

NB The method described here only works on devices with an Android operating system. If you want to transfer chats from Android to iPhone or vice versa, this guide is for you.

Move WhatsApp conversations to a new phone

Method 1 | Transfer via pc

»Manually backup chats to WhatsApp> Menu> Settings> Chats and calls> Backup chats .

»C onnect your phone to your computer with a regular USB cable. Access the mobile phone folder on your computer.

»Locate the sub-folder / sdcard / WhatsApp / (this folder represents the internal memory of your phone where all the backup copies that have been made are saved).

»Select and save all the files contained in the folder to your computer.

»Now take the new phone and insert the old SIM .

»Download and install WhatsApp on the new phone you have purchased.

I mportant !!! Do not start the application! First you need to:

»Copy and paste the saved folder to the new phone (Important: make sure you copy all the files without missing a single one and place them in the same folder).

»Then start WhatsApp on the new phone and perform the normal installation procedure to verify the phone number.

»If all the steps have been performed correctly you will receive a notification that a backup copy has been found. Just click Reset and that’s it.

Warnings

⁽¹⁾ The procedure only works if the same cell dimer is kept.

⁽²⁾ Before making the backup, it is a good idea to update the application to the latest version
available.

⁽³⁾ Before proceeding with the installation of WhatsApp on the new phone, it is recommended to make a copy of all the phone numbers from the old device to the new one (also copying them from the SIM to the phone). Thus, the application will be able to “recognize” your friends.

⁽⁴⁾ If the old messages still do not appear after the procedure, switch the phone off and on again.

Method 2 | Move conversations with Google Drive

An alternative that can be faster in some cases is to move the conversations to a new phone using the backup function on Google Drive. In this way, it is possible to make the transfer without using a PC. Just create an account and take advantage of the free memory provided by Drive. For those unfamiliar with the procedure for backing up to a drive, you can find all the information on this page , including instructions for backing up. After saving the backup, all you have to do is activate WhatsApp on the new phone and restore as described in the guide.

Method 3 | Move conversations with SD card

Finally, let’s see the simplest method to transfer chats to a new Android phone, but which only works if both the old phone and the new one have an SD memory card . In this case, just backup your chats first ( WhatsApp> Menu> Settings> Chats and calls> Chat backup ) and then insert the SD card on the new phone. By installing the application, verification will be requested and the old conversations will be restored.