When important WhatsApp messages disappear from the smartphone screen, it causes panic in any user, especially on Xiaomi Redmi devices, where MIUI has its own features of working with the file system. Often users find data loss at the moment when the cloud copy on Google Drive has not yet been updated or created.
Recovering data without a backup in the cloud is a daunting task, but often accomplished through local chat history mechanisms. WhatsApp by default creates hidden copies of the database on your Redmi internal drive every 24 hours. These hidden files become the key to saving information, even if you haven’t set up sync with the cloud.
In this guide, we will discuss in detail the technical ways to retrieve lost messages using the built-in capabilities of the MIUI shell and the Android file structure. You do not need complex paid programs or root rights if you act strictly according to the instructions and understand where the messenger stores its temporary data.
Principles of data storage WhatsApp on Android
Understanding the architecture of message storage is the first step to getting them back. Unlike iOS, where file system access is strictly limited, on Android (and specifically Xiaomi), apps store local copies of the database as files with the.db.crypt extension. These files are encrypted, but they are physically present in the device’s memory until they are overwritten with new data.
MIUI can aggressively manage memory by unloading background processes, but the process of creating a local backup usually takes place at night. If you delete a chat with a particular person this morning, then there is a high probability that yesterday's night copy still contains the full dialog data, the main thing is to prevent the file from being overwritten by a new, already empty version of the database.
⚠️ Warning: As soon as you find messages missing, immediately turn off the Internet on your smartphone. Any new incoming message or status update can trigger a synchronization mechanism that overwrites the local database file with the current (no longer remote chat) state.
The critical point is that local files are only stored for the last 7 days, which means that trying to recover a month-old correspondence without a cloud backup is technically impossible by standard methods.
Search for local copies through MIUI Explorer
The first and most reliable way is to manually search for backup files in the phone’s memory. On Xiaomi Redmi smartphones, the paths to these files may have changed with the update of Android versions from 10 to 11 and up, so it’s important to check both possible locations.
Open the standard File Manager app that is preinstalled on your Redmi. You will need to enable the display of hidden files, as the folders with the application data are often hidden from the user's eyes. To do this, go to the Explorer settings and activate the corresponding "Show Hidden Files" switch.
Now you need to consistently check the following paths in the device memory:
- 📂 Internal memory. → Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Databases
- 📂 Internal memory. → WhatsApp → Databases
- 📂 Internal memory. → MIUI → Android → data → com.whatsapp (rarely, but found on old firmware)
Inside the Databases folder, you'll see files with names like msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14 (the number at the end represents the encryption version). The date in the file name indicates the date the copy was created. Find the file with the date before the correspondence was deleted.
⚠️ Note: Do not rename or delete the file msgstore.db.cryptXX (without a date in the title) This is a file of the current, active database.
If you find the right file, you need to rename it by removing the date from the name so that WhatsApp recognizes it as the current base for recovery. For example, the file msgstore-2023-10-25.1.db.crypt14 should be renamed to msgstore.db.crypt14. The system will ask for confirmation of the file extension - agree.
Recovery procedure through reinstallation
Once you have renamed the local copy file, you need to get WhatsApp to count it when you start, and the cleanest way to do this is to completely reinstall the messenger, and this is guaranteed to reset the current base state and start the original setup wizard.
☑️ Preparations for recovery
Remove WhatsApp from your Xiaomi Redmi. Don't worry, your media files (photos, videos) will remain in the gallery folders unless you manually clean them. After deleting, download the latest version of the messenger from the official Google Play store or GetApps.
When you first start, type in the phone number you used before, and it's important that the number matches the entire country code, or the encryption keys won't fit, and the database won't open. SMS-code, the system will detect the local copy and prompt it to be restored.
Click Restore, which can take seconds to minutes depending on the volume of the correspondence history, and don't turn off the screen or switch to other applications to avoid interrupting the process of decrypting the database.
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The success of recovery depends on the matching of the phone number and the presence of an intact local copy file with the desired date.
Working with notifications and notification history
There is an alternative, crutchy, but sometimes workable method if database files are corrupted or overwritten, which allows you to restore the text of a message, but not the context of the dialogue. Xiaomi smartphones with the MIUI shell have a feature called "Notification History" that could save the text of the message that came.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification history. If this feature was enabled before deleting the correspondence, you can find the text of the messages from the desired contact there. This will not return the message to the chat, but will allow you to read the contents of the message.
For more advanced users who have pre-installed special utility to save notifications (like Notification History Log), the odds are higher, and these applications create a separate log file for each incoming push, but if these applications were not installed in advance, this method, alas, will not work.
Analysis of the Media folder and cache
Even if text is lost, media files (images, documents, voice messages) are often stored in the phone’s memory separately from the messaging database. On Xiaomi Redmi, the folder structure can be confusing, but it’s worth checking.
Use the file manager to search the way Internal memory → Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Media. This is where the subfolders of WhatsApp Images, WhatsApp Documents, WhatsApp Voice Notes. Sort files by date of change.
Often, the user deletes the chat, thinking that he deletes everything, but the files remain dead weight in memory. Once you find the right photo or document, you can open it and perhaps remember the essence of the correspondence from the context of the image or contact the interlocutor again.
Table: Decoding of database file names
To avoid getting confused in file names when working with the Databases folder, use the following table to identify the desired archive.
| File name | Description | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| msgstore.db.crypt14 | Current active database | Do not touch (or rename for reserve) |
| msgstore-2023-10-20.1.db.crypt14 | Archived copy of October 20 | Renamed msgstore.db.crypt14 |
| wa.db | Database of contacts and account settings | Don't change |
| chatstore.db | Temporary chat metadata file | Remove it when reinstalled |
Note the file extension (e.g. crypt14, crypt15) that should match the encryption version your version of WhatsApp uses. This usually happens automatically, but if you restore a very old file to a new version of the application, compatibility errors may occur.
Preventing Data Loss in the Future
To avoid having to perform complex manipulations of Xiaomi’s file system in the future, set up automatic backups. This will take a couple of minutes, but it will save your nerves.
Open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Chats → Chat Backup. Select the Daily frequency and make sure it ticks against Google Drive. Also turn on the Wi-Fi Backup option to avoid wasting mobile traffic.
You can also set up local copying on your computer. If you connect Redmi over USB, just copy the Databases folder to your hard drive once a week, and this will create a physically independent copy that you can't accidentally delete with the push of a button on your smartphone screen.