If you have ever wondered what is msgstore And what is it for? We'll answer these questions in detail. You may have come across this name before, either because you read something about it or saw it on your Android phone in the WhatsApp folder. In any case, we're going to tell you everything you need to know about this concept, its importance, how it affects your backups, and what you can (and can't) do with these files.
To begin with, it's important to be clear that Files in msgstore format are internal WhatsApp files.This is something some of you may already know. You may have encountered them at some point while using a file explorer or trying to free up space on your phone. Therefore, we're going to delve deeper so you understand exactly what they are, why they're created, how they relate to your backups, and when it's advisable to keep or delete them.
what is msgstore
The msgstore files are data files where WhatsApp chat transcripts are storedIn other words, they are the database where the application stores your text messages, voice notes, group information, and other metadata related to your conversations.
WhatsApp encrypts messages end-to-end, so no one who might gain access to those messages along the way can easily decrypt them. This protection also applies to local backups. msgstore files store chats, but not in plain text.but all content is encrypted using a specific algorithm and key.
The idea behind these files is that, even if someone accesses your device without permission or tries to copy the files from the WhatsApp folder, You will not be able to see the content of the messages directly with a simple text editor or a generic database reading app, because what you will see will be encrypted and unintelligible data.
The name msgstore is usually accompanied by the letters db (of data base), together with creation date from the file and the word crypt followed by two numbers. This is the typical format you'll find when browsing the WhatsApp Databases folder on your phone.
At the end of each filename appear two numbers, for example in msgstore.db.crypt14Those numbers represent the encryption method used by WhatsApp at that time. Over time, the application has changed and strengthened the encryption system, and those crypt suffixes indicate precisely which variant is being used.
Some common examples of msgstore filenames are:
- msgstore.db.cryptXX
- msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.cryptXX
- msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.2.db.cryptXX
- msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.db.cryptXX
where AAAA-MM-DD corresponds to the specific year, month, and day on which each local copy was created and XX It's the encrypted version.
What is msgstore for?
Inside the WhatsApp Databases folder, you'll find several files with very similar names. One of them, usually called [filename], stands out. msgstore.db.cryptXX (no date in the name). This file is the one that It stores all the chats you've had in the app up to that point.In other words, it's the most recent local backup and the one WhatsApp uses as the primary reference on your device.
The rest of the files (for example, msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14, msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.2.db.crypt14, etc.) are older backupsThe date included in the file name tells you when they were created. WhatsApp usually generates automatic local copies periodically and saves them with that name structure.
Over time, WhatsApp has created different versions of the encryption for these databases. These versions are reflected in the suffix:
- msgstore.db.crypt5
- msgstore.db.crypt7
- msgstore.db.crypt8
- msgstore.db.crypt12
- msgstore.db.crypt14
These are the most common types of encrypted files which we can find inside the WhatsApp Databases folder. If you open this folder with a file explorer, you'll usually find that all msgstore files use one of these suffixes (on newer devices, it's common to find crypt12 or crypt14).
Only if you have a very old phone with a very old version of WhatsApp might you see previous variations of the format or different suffixes. On the vast majority of current phones, you'll see copies with modern encryption, and therefore compatible with recent versions of the app.
Additionally, on some devices you can also find files with names like msgstore-incremental o msgstore-increment-1-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14These files are used for incremental backupsInstead of saving your entire history again, WhatsApp only saves the changes added since the last full backup, reducing the space used and speeding up the backup process.
In summary, msgstore files serve several key functions:
- Save your message history on the device.
- Allow restoring your chats If you uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on the same mobile phone.
- Serve as a base to generate the backup in the cloud (for example, in Google Drive), since before uploading it, the local copy is usually created or updated.
- Keep previous versions of your chats for a while, which in some cases can help you recover recently deleted conversations.
Where are msgstore files stored on Android?
To locate these files on a non-rooted Android phone, simply use a file explorer that allows you to view user folders. Generally speaking, the current path where the local WhatsApp databases are stored It is usually one of the following (it may vary slightly depending on the app and system version):
- Internal memory > WhatsApp > Databases
- Internal memory > Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Databases
In that folder you'll find the various msgstore.db.cryptXX files, with or without a date in the name. If you also use cloning applications, such as dual apps From the manufacturer's own app or WhatsApp Business, you might see similar paths within the folders of those cloned apps, for example:
- dualapps > WhatsApp Business > Databases
In all cases, the files with the name msgstore These are related to the WhatsApp message history of that specific profile or application.
How many years of chats can a msgstore archive store?
A common question is whether A single msgstore.db.cryptXX file can store years of messages or if it is necessary to keep many different files to maintain very old conversations.
In practice, a single msgstore file can store a very extensive history, including conversations spanning several years, provided that:
- You have kept the same WhatsApp account and the same phone number.
- You haven't manually deleted the chats from the app.
- WhatsApp may not have had to cut or regenerate your history due to space or optimization issues.
If you keep backups active and up-to-date, the main msgstore file (the most recent one) will usually contain All the information needed to restore the complete history that the application recognizes at that moment. Older files (with past dates) function as previous restore points, especially useful if you want to recover a previous state of your chats (for example, to try to recover recently deleted conversations).
Therefore, if your concern is having a backup of your chats from several years ago, it's not mandatory to keep each and every generated msgstore file. The important thing is Keep at least one recent and working copywhether local or in the cloud, and do not delete the main file if you think you might need it for restoration.
How to open msgstore files
One of the biggest questions many users have is how to open these types of files. As we've already mentioned, msgstore files are encryptedTherefore, it is not possible to open them with a plain text editor or any app and directly read the conversations.
To access the plaintext content of these files, a application that knows the exact encryption that uses WhatsApp and, above all, that is capable of using the device-specific encryption keyWhatsApp generates and stores a unique key on each phone, and uses it to protect these local backup files.
La key used to encrypt the local copy of the chats It is stored inside the device, in a protected path within the Android system. In classic versions of WhatsApp, this key is located in:
data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key
This location is within the root of the systemTherefore, normal applications cannot access it. It can only be read if the device is rooted or if tools designed for developers are used in a highly controlled environment.
Since the information is stored in a protected area of ​​the device, No third-party application can access that key without special permissionsThis means that if we want to manually decrypt msgstore files, we need the phone to be rooted or have equivalent access. Otherwise, any app that promises to read your msgstore files without having the internal key will not be able to do so.
This is important because It prevents other applications from freely using the encryption key. that protects your chats and those of millions of other users. If that key were freely accessible, simply installing a malicious application would allow anyone to read and decrypt all your conversations.
Decrypt WhatsApp chats
The process of decrypting these files This is only possible for rooted users on your Android phone and with some technical knowledge. If your device is not rooted, there is no practical and secure way to access the internal contents of msgstore beyond what the WhatsApp application itself offers.
If you have root access and your goal is access and open msgstore files Locally, you can use specialized tools. One of the best known is whatsappviewer, an open-source application available on GitHub that allows you to upload msgstore files, use the key saved on your device, and display conversations in a readable format. You can download it from its official repository: https://github.com/andreas-mausch/whatsapp-viewer/releases/tag/v1.15.
It is important to emphasize that there are no magic shortcutsAny website or app that promises to decrypt msgstore files without needing the device key or root access is a scam, or is trying to get you to upload sensitive files to an external server, which is very risky for your privacy.
At the time of writing this guide, WhatsApp Viewer and similar tools are usually compatible with files of the following type:
- msgstore.db.crypt5
- msgstore.db.crypt7
- msgstore.db.crypt8
- msgstore.db.crypt12
- msgstore.db.crypt14
Compatibility may expand over time if WhatsApp introduces new encryption schemes and the developer community updates these utilities.
Basic steps with WhatsApp Viewer (advanced users)
If you have already rooted your device and are aware of the associated security risks, the typical workflow for using WhatsApp Viewer would be as follows:
- Obtain the encryption key of the device, located in the protected path data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key.
- Copy the msgstore.db.cryptXX file (or the variant with the date you want to analyze) from the Databases folder to your computer.
- Open WhatsApp Viewer on the PC and use the option File > Decrypt.cryptXX, where XX corresponds to the encryption version of the file.
- Select the path to the msgstore file and the key exported from mobile.
- Wait a few seconds while the tool decrypts and loads the database.
- Browse the chat list to view conversations organized by phone number.
From within the application itself, you can usually export chats to other formats (for example, txt, html or json) to store them on your computer, analyze them or archive them.
In any case, this type of procedure is advanced and not recommended for most usersFurthermore, it involves handling highly sensitive private information, so extreme caution must be taken and decrypted files should never be shared with third parties.
Export chats from WhatsApp without using msgstore
The previous method, based on decrypting msgstore files, is complex and reserved for very advanced users with rooted devices. For most, the safest and simplest option is to use the official functions of the application itself.
WhatsApp has long included the function of export chatsThis feature allows you to save a specific conversation to a text file (usually in .txt format), with or without attached media files. This way, you can archive important conversations, save them to the cloud, print them, or send them by email without having to directly access the msgstore files.
If you want to use the chat export function on Android, the steps are:
- Opens WhatsApp on your Android phone.
- Click on the three points located in the upper right corner and enter Settings.
- Within Settings, select the option Cat.
- On the next screen, tap on chat history and later Export chat.
- Choose chat you want to export (individual or group) and decide whether or not you want to include multimedia files.
- Select where you want to save the file (on your device, in a notes app, upload it to the cloud, send it by email, etc.).
You can Repeat the process with as many chats as you wantIt's a very practical way to have a readable backup of your most important conversations, without relying exclusively on msgstore's internal copies.
Can msgstore files be deleted?
Another very common question is whether it's a good idea Delete msgstore files to free up spaceespecially when we see that some weigh hundreds of megabytes or even more than a gigabyte.
The first thing you should know is that Not all msgstore files are equally important:
- The file msgstore.db.cryptXX (no date) is usually the most recent local backup.
- Files with date in the name (msgstore-yyyy-mm-DD.1.db.crypt14, etc.) are previous copiesWhatsApp keeps this data for a while in case you need to restore a previous point.
- The files msgstore-incremental or similar are usually part of the incremental copies and can accompany the full copies.
If your phone is almost full and you need space to create a new local copy that will then be uploaded to Google Drive, you might consider delete some old copiesFor example, if you have several backups from past days or weeks that you no longer need because you are going to create a new, complete backup, deleting the oldest ones is usually relatively safe.
However, it is advisable to follow some basic recommendations:
- Before deleting anything, make sure you have a copy in the cloud updated (Google Drive on Android, for example).
- Avoid deleting the msgstore.db.cryptXX main if you are not sure that you will immediately create a new copy.
- If you have any doubts, at least keep the most recent copies (for example, the msgstore from the last few days) and removes only the oldest ones.
- Do not manually delete or modify files if you are in the middle of a process of restoration or backup.
In many cases, if your problem is only one of space, it may be enough to delete unnecessary photos and videos Delete the largest chats directly from WhatsApp (using the storage management within the app) before touching the msgstore files.
How does msgstore affect backups in Google Drive?
When you set up a backup to Google Drive from WhatsApp, the app first performs a local copy of your chats in the msgstore file corresponding. Once generated or updated, that database is compressed and uploaded to the cloud.
If your device's internal storage is almost full, WhatsApp may not be working. cannot generate the local copy necessary and you get an error indicating lack of space. In that context, check the sizes of msgstore files in the Databases folder It can help identify very large old copies that you could delete if you no longer need them.
For the backup process to work smoothly, it is recommended that:
- Make sure you have enough free space in internal memory before starting a cloud backup.
- Periodically review the data of WhatsApp storage to free up old media files you no longer want.
- Check that the Google Drive backup frequency It is tailored to your needs (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
If you need to delete very large local copies in order to create a new one, remember that You should only delete those you are completely sure about. unless needed for a specific restoration. Whenever possible, leave at least the most recent backup intact until you confirm that the new backup has been completed successfully.
Is it safe to upload msgstore files to external websites or services?
Because msgstore files contain your entire chat history (even if they are encrypted), uploading them to a third-party website or service is one of the most risky for your privacyEven if the file is protected, you have no control over how it will be stored, who will have access to it, or whether it could be used in the future to try to decrypt your conversations.
Therefore, it is advisable:
- Avoid uploading msgstore files to unknown pages that promise to recover deleted messages.
- Be wary of any service that asks for help. both the msgstore file and the key Of the device.
- Use only local tools on your computer, without sending information to external servers, and only if you really need to access that data.
- Remember that, for everyday use, Manual access is not required Regarding msgstore: WhatsApp itself automatically manages the restoration and backups.
Best practices for managing your msgstore backups and files
If you want to keep your chats safe and, at the same time, control the space occupied by local copies, it's advisable to follow some best practices:
- Activate cloud backup (Google Drive on Android) to have an external backup in case of loss of the mobile phone.
- Check the storage periodically From WhatsApp settings to delete photos, videos, and large documents you no longer need.
- Avoid manipulating or deleting the file. msgstore.db.cryptXX main unless you know exactly what you're doing.
- If you need to free up space, Start with the oldest msgstores with the date and for multimedia content, instead of indiscriminately deleting everything.
- When you change your phone, Use the official restoration wizard WhatsApp lets you move your chats without manually moving the files unless you're an advanced user.
Understanding what msgstore is and how it works allows you to make better decisions when backing up, restoring your chats, or freeing up space without compromising your conversations. With the right combination of local backups, cloud backups, and timely exports of important chats, you can keep your WhatsApp history well-protected and under control without resorting to complicated processes.