Recovering Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Xiaomi Redmi: All Ways to 2026

You're not alone: Statistically, one in five users of the messenger has lost correspondence at least once due to accidental clicking or resetting. Fortunately, Redmi (unlike the iPhone) has several ways to recover, from standard backups to little-known tricks with the MIUI file system.

In this article, we will look at all the current methods of 2026, including recovery through Google Drive, local backups, and manual extraction of data from system folders. We will focus on the nuances of working with Xiaomi Redmi (Series Note, K, POCO) — where to look for hidden files, how to circumvent the limitations of MIUI 14/15 and what to do if the backup is damaged. Let’s start with the simplest way and gradually move to advanced techniques.

1. Check automatic backups in Google Drive

The first and most reliable way is to recover your correspondence from cloud storage. WhatsApp automatically backs up Google Drive if you turn it on, and on Xiaomi Redmi, it can be disabled by default due to optimizing the MIUI battery.

To check for backup:

• 📱 Open WhatsApp and go to the ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 🔍 Look at the date of the last save. If it's newer than the date of the chat deletion, you're in luck!
• ☁️ Click Restore, follow the instructions (you will need to link the same Google account as when you created the backup).

⚠️ Note: If you have already reinstalled WhatsApp after deleting the chat, the cloud backup could have been overwritten with an empty copy.

2. Local backups: where to look on Xiaomi Redmi

Even if there is no cloud backup, WhatsApp saves local copies on the device’s internal memory. On Xiaomi Redmi, they are stored in a hidden folder:

/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/

The files are formatted msgstore.db.crypt14 (or crypt12/13 for older versions).

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Enable the display of hidden folders: in Mi File Manager, click ⋮ → Settings → Show hidden files.
3. Copy the latest file of msgstore.db.crypt14 to your computer (just in case).

For recovery:

• 🔄 Remove and reinstall WhatsApp.
• 📂 At the first start, the messenger will offer to restore data from the local backup.
• ⏳ If there are several files, select the most recent one (by date in the file name).

Make a copy of /WhatsApp/Databases on PC|

Make sure there is enough space on your phone (at least 1GB) |

Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp in MIUI| settings

Use the original cable USB PC-connect-->

⚠️ Note: If you’ve already logged in to WhatsApp after deleting the chat, the local backup may have been overwritten, in which case, try to find older versions of the files (they may be called “them”). msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14).

3. Recovery through MIUI Backup (Hidden Function)

Few people know, but Xiaomi Redmi has a built-in backup tool, MIUI Backup.It stores not only contacts, but also data from some apps, including WhatsApp (if the feature was activated in advance).

To check for backup:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. If there's a record that has a date before the chat was deleted, select it.
3. Click Restore and confirm the action (you will need to enter the password from Mi Account if it is tied).

🔹 Important nuance: MIUI Backup does not store the messages themselves, but only metadata (chat names, dates). To fully restore it, you will have to combine this method with a local WhatsApp backup.

4. Manual data extraction from the database (for advanced)

If standard methods don't work, you can try unpacking the message database manually.

• 💻 Computer with Python 3.8 installed+ and the pycryptodome library.
• 📁 File. msgstore.db.crypt14 (phone-copy).
• 🔑 Decryption key (can be obtained from your phone using WhatsApp) Key/DB Extractor).

Instructions:

1. Install WhatsApp Key/DB Extractor (available on GitHub).
2. Connect Redmi to your PC in debugging mode (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
3. Run the utility and get the key from the folder /data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key.
4. Use the decrypt14.py script (available in GitHub repositories) to decrypt the database:

python decrypt14.py msgstore.db.crypt14 <your key> msgstore.db

Once decrypted, you'll get an msgstore.db file that you can open with SQLite Browser or DB Browser for SQLite.

💡

If you don’t have ADB experience, try an alternative: install an Android emulator (like BlueStacks), copy the msgstore.db.crypt14 file to your PC, and use the WhatsApp Viewer app from Google Play. It will automatically decrypt the base if you have access to your WhatsApp account.

5. Restoration through root access (risky method)

If none of these things work, the last thing that we can do is get root permissions, which will allow us to get data directly from the system folders, but it will take away the warranty and can lead to unstable MIUI.

For Xiaomi Redmi, the method of unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk is suitable:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Mi Account binding and wait 7 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Sweep through Magisk to get root.
4. Use Root Explorer or Mixplorer to copy the /data/data/com.whatsapp folder to your PC.

⚠️ Note: New Redmi models (e.g. Note 12 Pro)+ or K60) Unlocking the bootloader can lead to blocking IMEI Widevine (Netflix will not work in the future) HD). Before the procedure, make a full backup through MIUI Backup!

6. Alternative methods: when nothing helps

If the correspondence was deleted long ago and there are no backups, non-standard solutions remain:

🔹 Tip: Before contacting paid services, check the reviews on the forums (4PDA, XDA-Developers: Many restorers simply use the same techniques as described above, but charge money for doing so.

💡

If correspondence is critical (e.g., evidence for a trial), contact the digital forensics lab immediately. Self-recovery efforts can permanently damage the data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about WhatsApp recovery on Xiaomi Redmi