We as humans have an inbuilt curiosity inside us. Therefore, when someone deletes messages on WhatsApp before we can read them, it piques our curiosity.
We become restless and eager to uncover what lay behind those deleted messages that the person was hiding from us, this restlessness and curiosity led us to download some Android apps that claim to recover those deleted messages on WhatsApp, However, this comes with a downside; these apps sometimes bring viruses which can defect the device, not only that but can also consume excess storage space on your phone which will affect the functioning of other apps.
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So, to get rid of this situation we have come up with some amazing tips and tricks through which you can see deleted messages on WhatsApp without using any app on your Android phone.
Can you see deleted messages on WhatsApp without any app?
The WhatsApp feature ‘delete for everyone’ gives us the ability to delete mistakenly sent messages within a set time frame, But sometimes when we see some other has deleted the text we get filled with curiosity and frustration, that “This message was deleted” words kill all our peace and arouse our curiosity to uncover the secrets behind the deleted messages on WhatsApp, which leads us to download to some android apps that claim to “restore deleted messages on WhatsApp” which is the fastest ways to recover deleted messages on WhatsApp, but these apps does not guarantee safety, so then how to see deleted messages on WhatsApp without using any app on Android?
No worries, here are some methods that if you follow, you can recover those deleted messages on WhatsApp and see what was deleted!
How to see deleted messages on WhatsApp without using any app on Android
Method 1 – via Google Drive backup
Sometimes mistakenly we delete some WhatsApp messages that contain some important images and files and later on when we try to recover them, we fail. No more worries here is a quick trick to recover those deleted messages on WhatsApp via Google Drive.

If you have turned on the WhatsApp backup then the backup option may contain some deleted messages, to get access to the deleted messages follow the steps below.
- You have to uninstall WhatsApp and install it again.
- Open your WhatsApp on the same number you used previously while setting up.
Restore the Chats: WhatsApp will show an option to back up data from Google Drive. Just click “Restore,” and your deleted messages will come back.
- After verification, if you have turned on the backup option then WhatsApp will find your backup on Google Drive and ask if you want to bring back your chat history. Just click “Restore,” and your deleted messages will come back.
But if you haven’t turned on the backup option then no messages will be recovered. So, make sure to back up your data on WhatsApp. To turn on the backup option, here are a few simple steps:
Open WhatsApp –> go to Settings –> Chats –> Chat backup. Now, select your google account for backup, the frequency, and done! have successfully activated the backup option.



Method 2 – See deleted messages on WhatsApp via Notification
If there is no backup option available to you go for another method to solve that. For this method, make sure to have at least an Android 11 version. This version has a notification log that stores all the notifications. You can open the deleted messages through the notification log.
Here is a step-wise guidance to enable this option:
- Go to ‘Settings’
- There will be an option for notifications, either with the name ‘Apps and Notifications’ or ‘Notification & status bar’. Select that option.

- Go to ‘More settings’
- Tap on ‘Notification history’
- Then, just turn on the ‘Notification history’ option.



Once you enable the ‘Notification history’ option, you can see all the future notifications on this page.

Please Note: If it is difficult to locate the ‘Notification history’ option mentioned above, then just simply search for the term ‘Notification history’ in the settings.
Method 3 – Retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages using local backup
Here is another bit of complicated but great method that you can follow if you want to restore deleted WhatsApp messages without backup. In this method, we will learn how to restore deleted messages on WhatsApp with the help of a local drive stored on the Android device.
Follow the steps below if you want to see deleted messages on WhatsApp without using any apps on Android:

- Use a file manager app to find the WhatsApp database folder on your device.
- Look for a file named “msgstore.db.crypt14” or “msgstore.db.crypt12” if it is on an earlier protocol– this is your chat backup. The easiest way to do this is to search ‘WhatsApp’ in your file manager app and it will list your WhatsApp related files.
- Rename this file to “msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt14” (For “msgstore.db.crypt12“ rename the file to “msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt12”)
- Now, find the most recent backup file, which usually looks like “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14” (or “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12”)
- Rename this file to “msgstore.db.crypt14” (or “msgstore.db.crypt12”, if it is “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12”)
- Now, uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it.
- Open WhatsApp and click on “restore”, and you can see the deleted messages.
Please Note: This method relies on having local backups on your device, and these backups only keep the last seven days of your chat history.
We hope that these methods we’ve shared will help you to see deleted WhatsApp messages without using any app on Android. Let us know if you’ve any questions in the comments.
FAQs
Are deleted WhatsApp messages gone forever?
When you delete messages on WhatsApp, they are still saved on your phone, and you can get them back using the app’s recovery feature or using your local backup. WhatsApp doesn’t keep your chat history on its servers, but it says your messages are stored in different places that aren’t as secure as WhatsApp’s encryption. So, it is important to be careful before sending any message that might want to keep private.
How far back can WhatsApp messages be deleted?
WhatsApp messages can be deleted using the “Delete for Everyone” feature within two days after they were sent. After that two-day period, you won’t be able to delete messages for everyone in the chat.
However, you can still delete messages for yourself, which removes them from your chat but not from the recipient’s chat.
If you want to change a message you sent, you can do so within 15 minutes after sending it. After that, you won’t be able to edit it.
Can I retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages without backup?
Yes, you can retrieve your deleted messages even if you didn’t back them up. You can check your phone’s backup on Android, or explore other third-party apps to recover your missing messages.
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