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Help How to transfer whatsapp without google drive?

spman

Android Enthusiast
Hi,

How to transfer all whatsapp (without using google drive) to new phone so new phone will have all whatsapp messages/photos/videos.

Thanks
 
Before doing anything I'd take a backup on your old phone.

Simplest is to see whether the phone transfer tool that comes with the new phone will do it for you (you'll know when you activate WhatsApp).

Otherwise you should be able to do it by taking a local backup on the old phone, copying all of the WhatsApp directories to the new phone (media as well as the chat backup files) then restoring the chats from the backup.

Don't delete anything from the old phone until everything is on the new one. Then if all else fails you can do a one-off WhatsApp backup to Drive and restore that way (you'll have to reactivate WhatsApp on the old phone by putting your SIM back in it, but that's no issue).

(I'm assuming that you are keeping the same phone number - I've had the same number since 1994 so don't know about how to deal with WhatsApp if you change it!).
 
Before doing anything I'd take a backup on your old phone.

Simplest is to see whether the phone transfer tool that comes with the new phone will do it for you (you'll know when you activate WhatsApp).

Otherwise you should be able to do it by taking a local backup on the old phone, copying all of the WhatsApp directories to the new phone (media as well as the chat backup files) then restoring the chats from the backup.

Don't delete anything from the old phone until everything is on the new one. Then if all else fails you can do a one-off WhatsApp backup to Drive and restore that way (you'll have to reactivate WhatsApp on the old phone by putting your SIM back in it, but that's no issue).

(I'm assuming that you are keeping the same phone number - I've had the same number since 1994 so don't know about how to deal with WhatsApp if you change it!).

Using Samsung phone, so I guess Samsung smart switch is the phone transfer tool, it does not transfer whatsapp.

"Otherwise you should be able to do it by taking a local backup on the old phone, copying all of the WhatsApp directories to the new phone (media as well as the chat backup files) then restoring the chats from the backup."> Do you mean a manual copy the whole WhatsApp folder in the old phone and paste the whole WhatsApp folder in the new phone? (e.g. the WhatsApp folder at the location where I see there are DCIM folder, Download folder, WhatsApp folder...)

At what stage should I paste the old WhatsApp folder into the new phone? (just after installing new Whatsapp in new phone? or after setting up new Whatsapp in new phone or something else?) Is there a guide somewhere?

I am unable to backup to Drive as my phone is faulty.

I notice whatsapp Local and Google Drive will be backup time will be together. example in screenshot. Is there a way to only backup to internal storage and not google drive? Is there a way to only backup to google drive and not internal storage?

I am keeping the same phone number.

Thanks
 

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You can back up locally without backing up to Google drive just by turning off the option to back up to Google drive (change the frequency from "Daily" to "Never") and then tell it to do a backup. They actually take a daily local chat backup no matter how frequently you back up to Drive, but it's safer to explicitly take one.

I'd try copying the data to the new phone before installing WhatsApp, but after installing should be fine (though my instinct is to do it before activating). I know this is possible because my brother did it a few years back, but I don't know about guides (most web resources just tell you to use Drive, but that might just be because the instructions for doing that can be written in 1 line). The thing is to make sure you can find the folders with the media and the backups in them and copy the whole lot to the right place. On older phones/versions these used to be in internal storage/WhatsApp, but on my current phone they are in internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp (which has 3 folders, Backups, Databases and Media). I'd copy the entire com.whatsapp folder and all of its contents. Hopefully with that stuff there you can just start WhatsApp then tell it to restore from the backup (or if you are really lucky and the databases are already in situ it might just load the messages).
 
You can back up locally without backing up to Google drive just by turning off the option to back up to Google drive (change the frequency from "Daily" to "Never") and then tell it to do a backup. They actually take a daily local chat backup no matter how frequently you back up to Drive, but it's safer to explicitly take one.

I'd try copying the data to the new phone before installing WhatsApp, but after installing should be fine (though my instinct is to do it before activating). I know this is possible because my brother did it a few years back, but I don't know about guides (most web resources just tell you to use Drive, but that might just be because the instructions for doing that can be written in 1 line). The thing is to make sure you can find the folders with the media and the backups in them and copy the whole lot to the right place. On older phones/versions these used to be in internal storage/WhatsApp, but on my current phone they are in internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp (which has 3 folders, Backups, Databases and Media). I'd copy the entire com.whatsapp folder and all of its contents. Hopefully with that stuff there you can just start WhatsApp then tell it to restore from the backup (or if you are really lucky and the databases are already in situ it might just load the messages).

I have a new phone and [Internal storage>Android>media] is empty and I did not install Whatsapp yet, do you mean you manually create this new folder [com.whatsapp] at this location [internal storage/Android/media], so you can copy the old whatsapp folder to paste into this location [internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/] ?
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Why this video
at 11:57min and 15:24min says if the new phone did not install whatsapp yet, I should put my old phone [WhatsApp] folder into new phone [Internal storage] folder then install whatsapp in new phone?

He says if installed WhatsApp first in new phone then move the old phone Whatsapp folder to the new phone [Internal storage>Android>media>com.whatsapp]
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Info: New phone is Android 11 and I read android 11 whatsapp location is internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp , source: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsapp/comments/mxzbbl/is_it_just_me_or_whatsapp_has_changed_its_folder/
 
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You can back up locally without backing up to Google drive just by turning off the option to back up to Google drive (change the frequency from "Daily" to "Never") and then tell it to do a backup. They actually take a daily local chat backup no matter how frequently you back up to Drive, but it's safer to explicitly take one.

I'd try copying the data to the new phone before installing WhatsApp, but after installing should be fine (though my instinct is to do it before activating). I know this is possible because my brother did it a few years back, but I don't know about guides (most web resources just tell you to use Drive, but that might just be because the instructions for doing that can be written in 1 line). The thing is to make sure you can find the folders with the media and the backups in them and copy the whole lot to the right place. On older phones/versions these used to be in internal storage/WhatsApp, but on my current phone they are in internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp (which has 3 folders, Backups, Databases and Media). I'd copy the entire com.whatsapp folder and all of its contents. Hopefully with that stuff there you can just start WhatsApp then tell it to restore from the backup (or if you are really lucky and the databases are already in situ it might just load the messages).
Hi Hardon, kindly answer my above question. I am waiting for your answer before I proceed as I am afraid to mess up the files. Thanks a lot.
 
2 more questions,

Q1. If I have have a Whatsapp folder that was copied and save to my PC on 31 Jan 2018 and if I copy and paste this Whatsapp folder to the new phone, does it mean the new phone will load the the whatsapp messages before 31 Jan 2018 (newest message will stop at 31 Jan 2018)

Q2. What if I only copy and paste the Whatsapp/Databases folder without copy and paste any other Whatsapp files? Will I see old messages text history without photos and videos?

Thanks
 
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