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How to Transfer WhatsApp Chats Between Android Phones Without Google Drive

11 min read Step‑by‑step guide to move WhatsApp messages from one Android phone to another using a local backup, USB, ADB or microSD – no Google Drive needed. September 28, 2026 13:30

Moving to a new Android phone usually means reinstalling apps and signing in again. WhatsApp, however, stores its chat history in a private folder that is not automatically synced unless you use Google Drive. If you prefer a fully offline migration—or your Google account is unavailable—this tutorial shows you how to copy the chat backup manually and restore it on the new device.

Before you start

What you need:

A working Android phone with the WhatsApp chats you want to keep (the source phone).
The new Android phone where you will restore the chats (the target phone).
A USB‑A to USB‑C cable, a computer with ADB installed, or a microSD card if both phones support it.
At least 500 MB of free storage on the target phone (WhatsApp backup files are typically 50‑200 MB).
Both phones charged to >50 % to avoid interruptions.

Safety tip: The process overwrites any existing WhatsApp backup on the target phone. If you already have chats on the new device that you want to keep, back them up first (Settings → Chats → Chat backup).

Step 1 – Ensure WhatsApp is up to date on both phones

Open the Play Store on each device, search for WhatsApp Messenger, and tap Update if an update is available. Matching versions reduce the chance of a restore failure.

Step 2 – Create a local backup on the source phone

Open WhatsApp.
Tap the three‑dot menu → Settings → Chats → Chat backup.
Turn Google Drive backup off (select Never).
Tap Back Up. WhatsApp will create a file named msgstore.db.crypt12 (or .crypt14 on newer versions) in the folder /WhatsApp/Databases/ on internal storage.
Wait until the progress bar disappears. A toast will confirm “Backup completed”.

Why this matters: The local backup is the only file the restore process looks for. Skipping the manual backup means there is nothing to copy.

Step 3 – Locate the backup file on the source phone

Using a file manager (Google Files, Solid Explorer, etc.) navigate to Internal storage/WhatsApp/Databases/. You should see the most recent file, e.g., msgstore.db.crypt12. If you see multiple files with dates, keep the one with the latest timestamp.

Android 11+ note: Scoped storage may hide the WhatsApp folder from some file managers. Choose a manager that requests “All files access” (often shown as “Manage all files” in Settings → Apps → [Manager] → Permissions).

Step 4 – Transfer the backup file to the target phone

You have three reliable ways. Choose the one that fits your setup.

Option A – USB cable & direct copy

Connect the source phone to a computer via USB.
On the phone, select File Transfer mode.
Open the phone’s storage on the computer and copy msgstore.db.crypt12 (or .crypt14) to a temporary folder on the PC.
Disconnect the source phone and connect the target phone.
Again choose File Transfer, then copy the backup file into Internal storage/WhatsApp/Databases/ on the new device. Create the folder hierarchy if it does not exist.

Option B – ADB pull/push (no computer UI needed)

Install adb on your PC (part of Android Platform‑Tools).
Enable Developer options on both phones: Settings → About phone → tap Build number seven times.
In Developer options, turn on USB debugging.
Connect the source phone, open a terminal and run:
adb devices (ensure the device is listed).
Pull the backup:
adb pull /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/msgstore.db.crypt12 ./msgstore.db.crypt12
Disconnect the source phone, connect the target phone, then push the file:
adb push ./msgstore.db.crypt12 /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/
If the WhatsApp/Databases folder does not exist on the target, create it first:
adb shell mkdir -p /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases

Why ADB? It works even when the file manager cannot see the folder because it accesses the raw storage path.

Option C – MicroSD card (if both phones support it)

Insert a microSD card into the source phone.
Using a file manager, copy msgstore.db.crypt12 to the card (any folder, e.g., WhatsAppBackup/).
Safely eject the card, insert it into the target phone.
Use the file manager on the target phone to move the file from the card to Internal storage/WhatsApp/Databases/.

Tip: Some phones mount the SD card as /storage/XXXX-XXXX. Browse until you find the file.

Step 5 – Install WhatsApp on the target phone (do not open yet)

Download WhatsApp from the Play Store and install it. When the installation finishes, do not launch the app. Opening it before the backup is in place will cause WhatsApp to create a fresh empty backup, which can overwrite the file you just copied.

Step 6 – Verify the backup file location and permissions

Open a file manager on the target phone.
Navigate to Internal storage/WhatsApp/Databases/.
Ensure the file name matches exactly (e.g., msgstore.db.crypt12). Do not rename it.
Long‑press the file and check its size; it should be similar to the source backup.
If the file appears greyed out or inaccessible, go to Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Permissions and enable Storage (or “All files access” on Android 11+).

Step 7 – Restore the chats on the target phone

Now launch WhatsApp.
Enter the same phone number you used on the source phone. WhatsApp will verify via SMS or call.
After verification, WhatsApp will detect the local backup and display a prompt: “Restore chat history?”.
Tap Restore. The app will copy the data from msgstore.db.crypt12 into its internal database.
When the restore finishes, tap Next** and complete the initial setup.

What you should see: A progress bar titled “Restoring chat history” followed by the main chat list populated with your old conversations.

Step 8 – Confirm the migration succeeded

Scroll through a few recent chats and verify that messages, media thumbnails, and timestamps match what you remember from the old phone. Open a group chat that contained media to ensure images/videos load correctly. If everything looks right, you have completed the migration.

Troubleshooting

Backup file not detected

Make sure the file is named exactly msgstore.db.crypt12 (or .crypt14) and placed in /WhatsApp/Databases/ on internal storage, not on the SD card.
On Android 12+, the folder may be hidden from the Media Store. Use a file manager with “All files access” permission.
If you see multiple msgstore-YYYYMMDD files, rename the most recent one to msgstore.db.crypt12 before launching WhatsApp.

Restore fails with “Restore failed. Please try again later.”

Check that the backup file size is not zero bytes. A corrupted download will cause this error.
Ensure the target phone has enough free storage (at least 1 GB recommended).
Delete any existing msgstore.db.crypt12 on the target, re‑copy the file, and retry.
If you used ADB, verify the file permissions: run adb shell ls -l /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/. The file should be readable by the WhatsApp app (usually -rw-rw----).

Phone numbers don’t match

The backup is tied to the phone number used when the backup was created. If you are switching to a new number, first use WhatsApp’s built‑in “Change number” feature on the source phone, then create a fresh local backup before moving the file.

Alternative methods (use with caution)

Several third‑party apps claim to move WhatsApp chats without Google Drive (e.g., “WazzapMigrator”, “BackupTrans”). They usually require a PC and may ask for root access. While they can work, they introduce privacy risks because your chat database is exposed to another program. If you decide to use them, read user reviews, verify the developer’s reputation, and delete the backup file from the PC after the transfer.

Safety and privacy checklist

Never share the msgstore.db.crypt12 file with anyone; it contains all your messages in encrypted form.
After a successful restore, you can securely delete the temporary copy on your computer or SD card.
If you used ADB, disconnect the phone and disable USB debugging to reduce attack surface.
Consider enabling WhatsApp’s built‑in end‑to‑end encrypted backup to Google Drive for future migrations, but keep the local backup as a fallback.

By following the steps above, you can move your WhatsApp conversation history between Android devices without relying on cloud services, keeping your data offline and under your control.

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