How to Access WhatsApp Chat History of Any Number: 3 Methods [2025]

To access the WhatsApp chat history of any number, you need a phone to check the linked device. You can also try to restore a WhatsApp backup.

Parents will get the best results from a phone monitoring app to access the WhatsApp chat history of their children.

Still, the necessity to check the WhatsApp chat history of any number can be various:

• to recover own lost information;
• to find the evidence of a WhatsApp scam or harassment;
• for business and employee monitoring;
• for parental control, as 30% of students in the study reported they were victimized in the classroom WhatsApp groups.

WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption gives a sense of security and secrecy but also makes monitoring hard. Still, there are some methods.

We’ve tried various techniques for accessing WhatsApp chat history of any number and can now show you what works. Let’s start by comparing them in the table below.

Read further for detailed instructions.

Reality of Accessing WhatsApp Chat History

WhatsApp stores messages on your device and not its servers. You can always go back to a chat if you have not deleted it or uninstalled the app without backing up your data. If a message is undelivered, it stays on WhatsApp servers for 30 days, and then it is deleted.

If you have enabled backup, WhatsApp will store your messages on Google Drive for Android and iCloud for iPhones. You can restore the most recent backup to access your WhatsApp chat history.

If you have linked WhatsApp to the web or another device, you will have access to the chat history on the connected device.

Can You Really Access Someone Else’s WhatsApp Chat History?

“Seeing WhatsApp chat history depends on your access to the device where the chat is stored. You can’t access someone else’s chats from your phone number because you can’t link two phone numbers to the same WhatsApp.”

Besides, WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, making intercepting messages impossible. Encryption ensures that only the people in the chat can see the messages; WhatsApp cannot even read what’s in the message.

The only way to see another phone number’s chats is by using a tracking tool. This method is legal for parents only. Unauthorized access to another person’s WhatsApp may have legal implications.

Method 1: WhatsApp Backup and Restore

Effectiveness: Depends on your last WhatsApp backup.

Limitations: You won’t know which chats are available until you install the backup.

WhatsApp backup is a feature that saves your chat history, including messages and media, to the cloud. Android users’ chat backup is on Google Drive, while iPhone chat backup is on iCloud.

If your cloud backup is enabled, you can recover the chat history for the time set for backup: for the last day, week, or month. If you haven’t enabled Google backup, WhatsApp still keeps local backup for the past 7 days (not available on iOS).

To Restore Chat History on Android:

1. Uninstall WhatsApp by going to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Uninstall.
   
2. Do not check the option to keep the available WhatsApp data.
   
3. Install WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
   
4. Enter the WhatsApp number of the chat history you want to restore.
5. Agree to WhatsApp terms of service and give it permission to access your contacts and media on your phone.
   
6. WhatsApp will look for a backup, and when it finds it, you’ll be prompted to restore it.
7. Wait for the backup to be restored. Once complete, you will see your chat history on WhatsApp.
   

To Restore WhatsApp Chat History on iPhone:

Before you can uninstall WhatsApp, ensure a backup is available. To do this, go to WhatsApp > tab Settings > Chats > Chat backup. Check to see the date of the last backup. Don’t choose “Backup Now” to prevent overwriting data.

Now you are ready to see WhatsApp chat history from backup:

1. Uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it from the App Store.
   
2. Verify your phone number and Apple ID.
3. Tap Restore Backup when prompted.
4. Wait for the backup to complete to see your chat history on WhatsApp.
   

Set Up WhatsApp Backup for Further Needs

If you haven’t enabled Google/iCloud backup for WhatsApp, you’ll be able to retrieve only 7 last days (again, only for iOS). Thus, better to manage settings.

To back up chats on Android, you need a Google account on your phone and enough space to create the backup. For iPhone users, you require a phone and iCloud storage. WhatsApp recommends having storage that is 2.05 times bigger than your backup.

To create a backup on Android:

1. Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup and tap Google account.
   
2. Select your Google account and tap frequency. You will see options to backup Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Only when I tap “Back up”, and Disabled.
   
3. Choose daily so that you can have a recent backup when you need to restore WhatsApp conversations.

To back up WhatsApp Chats On iPhone:

1. Tap WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
   
2. Tap Auto-backup and then choose a frequency to schedule the backup.
   

Restore Chat History on iPhone from Ex-iTunes

Previously, iOS users could restore backups from iTunes. However, Apple discontinued iTunes on Mac computers after the release of macOS Catalina (version 10.5) in October 2019, and on Windows in February 2024.

Now there is the Finder app on macOS and Apple Devices on Windows to handle backups and restores.

Note: To access WhatsApp chat history from a Windows or Mac backup, you will overwrite the current data on the iPhone. Still, such a backup is ideal for seeing WhatsApp chat history for a lost phone.

To access WhatsApp chats via PC:

1. Connect the phone to a computer or laptop.
2. Click Finder on Mac or your device’s name through Apple Devices on Windows.
3. Click General > Backups and choose Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
4. Click Manage Backup. You will see all the available copies. If you see the backup you want, go back to the previous window and click Restore Backup.
5. Your phone will restart. Open WhatsApp to see the restored chat history.

Can You Transfer WhatsApp Chat History?

You can transfer WhatsApp chat history, which is not similar to restoring chat history. You don’t need to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to transfer a chat history. The process allows you to move chats from one device to the other. However, you won’t recover any lost or deleted chats.

To transfer WhatsApp chats:

1. Go to the old phone WhatsApp settings > Chats > Transfer chats.
   
2. On the new phone, download WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
3. Tap Start on the Transfer Chat history window on the old phone.
4. Accept the requested permissions, and then scan a QR code shown on the new phone.
   
5. Accept the invitation to link the new phone to the old phone to start the chat transfer.
6. The chat history will transfer from the old phone to the new one. Tap Done when complete.

Method 2: Linked Devices & WhatsApp Web

Effectiveness: Depends on sync performance on the linked device.

Limitations: May fail to sync the entire chat history.

You can link your WhatsApp to WhatsApp web, desktop, or up to four devices. When you link WhatsApp, your primary device sends a copy of the conversations to the connected devices.

These messages are stored locally on the linked device. Thus, you can use such a device to see the WhatsApp chat history of any number online for free.

Note that more messages sync on the desktop than on the WhatsApp web, so you may not have the same number of chats on the web as on the desktop.

To link WhatsApp to another device:

1. Download WhatsApp or open WhatsApp web. Then, open the app on the device you want to link.
   
2. Open WhatsApp on your phone and click Settings or the three dots in the top-right corner.
3. Click Linked Devices and tap on Link a Device. A window will open allowing you to scan a QR code from the other device.
   
4. Scan the QR code to link the two devices. WhatsApp will sync the chats automatically.

To see WhatsApp chat history on a linked device:

Open WhatsApp on the linked device. You will see a list of the chats from the primary device. Depending on the number of chats available and your internet connection, it may take a few minutes for all the chats to sync onto the device.

The primary phone and the linked device don’t need to be close. You can open WhatsApp on the secondary device without an internet connection to see messages that have been deleted from the primary phone.

Disabling internet connectivity will prevent WhatsApp from syncing data onto the other device. Thus, you can check out the previous messages. However, you can’t restore chats from a linked device to the primary phone.

Method 3: Parental Control Apps for Minors

Effectiveness: 100% effective at seeing WhatsApp chat history.

Limitations: Sync frequency can be limited on iOS.

Parental control apps are the most reliable option for viewing WhatsApp chat history on a child’s device. It can give you insight into a child’s conversations to stay ahead of inappropriate chats.

Not to mention being able to talk to your child when you suspect they are going through something that originated from their WhatsApp chats.

With a parental control tool, you don’t need to worry about chats being deleted. You will always have a copy of WhatsApp chats whenever you want to examine your child’s interactions.

After researching the best WhatsApp trackers, I concluded that mSpy is the best for comprehensive monitoring. This tracking tool is compatible with Android and iOS.

To use mSpy to see WhatsApp chat history:

1. Go to mspy.com to download mSpy on a child’s Android device. You will get a QR code with the download link.
2. To install mSpy on an iPhone, you will require your child’s iCloud credentials.
   
3. When you configure the app, mSpy will give you a code to access WhatsApp from an online dashboard.
4. Open the online control panel and scroll features on the left panel. Click WhatsApp under Social Networks. You will see screenshots of WhatsApp messages showing chats from the target device.

Try mSpy

mSpy syncs data from an Android every 15 minutes, which is better than waiting for backups. It also uploads data from an iPhone every 24 hours. Since it does not overwrite data, you will always have access to WhatsApp chat history.

mSpy monitors WhatsApp alongside other social media apps. It can also track calls, text messages, and internet browsing history. Lastly, mSpy shows your child’s live location, so you will always know where your child goes and what they do on their phone.

Conclusion

Obviously, there’s no effective method to see someone’s chats. Even for employees, you can only do it if you have one business WhatsApp account and linked devices. Using the linked device method is fast and does not require uninstalling WhatsApp.

If you have lost own WhatsApp chats, using a backup can help you recover important conversations.

Meanwhile, mSpy is the best tool for viewing WhatsApp chat history on a child’s device. It’s reliable and effective because you will always have access to the chats, even if your child deletes some of them.