Where to copy WhatsApp messages on Android Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to find a specific file or understand the structure of the messenger data storage. When you ask where exactly messages from WhatsApp to Android are copied, the user may be confused by changes in the security policy of the system. In modern versions of the Google Android operating system, especially since the eleventh version and later, the paths to files have undergone significant changes.

This is due to the introduction of a more rigorous file system access model known as Scoped Storage, which used to be open source, making it easy to find media files and databases. Now MIUI and HyperOS hide these directories deeper to protect personal information from malware. Understanding the new folder structure is critical for those who want to make a manual backup or transfer correspondence to a new phone.

In this detailed guide, we’ll break down the current paths to database files and media content, learn how to distinguish between local copies and cloud reserves, and understand how to work properly with your Xiaomi file system without the risk of losing important data.

Android File System Structure and Access Changes

To find the right files, you need to understand the logic of organizing space on your device. Android file system is built on a hierarchical principle, where each application has its own sandbox. For WhatsApp messenger, this means selecting a special section where it puts its data. On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell, access to these sections can be limited by default.

Before Android 10-11, the path was simple and easy for anyone to follow, but after Google's security policy update, all apps are required to store data in a special system folder, so that no application can just read someone else's data without the user's permission, and now you have to go a long way through system directories to get to messages.

⚠️ Note: When manually deleting or moving files from WhatsApp system folders, you may permanently lose access to your correspondence.Always back up before any manipulation of database files.

Importantly, the paths may vary slightly on different versions of Android. If you have an old phone that hasn't received updates, the structure may be classic. The new Redmi Note and Xiaomi 13/14 use a completely new storage standard. This requires careful searching through the file manager for the right directories.

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Use Xiaomi’s built-in Explorer app, as it has the necessary permissions to view system folders that can be hidden in third-party file managers.

Topical paths to database and media files

Now, to get to the point, where are the files physically located on your smartphone's drive, the main message store is a database with the extension.db or.db.crypt. These are the files that encrypt your text, and the way to get to them on modern devices is this:

Internal memory. → Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Databases

This is where the files with the names msgstore-2023-10-25.1.db.crypt14 lie. The number at the end of the name indicates the encryption version. If you try to find the WhatsApp folder at the root of the internal memory and you don't find it, don't panic. This is normal behavior on Android 11 and above. Everything has moved into the Android/media system directory.

And the media files, photos, videos and documents, also have folders inside the main directory of the app, and the path to them is usually this:

Internal Memory → Android → Media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Media

Inside the Media folder, you'll find subfolders with WhatsApp Images, WhatsApp Video, WhatsApp Documents, which is the standard framework for all current versions of the Xiaomi messenger, and knowing these paths is essential if you want to clear space on your phone by deleting old videos, or migrating media to your computer.

Differences in Pathways on Old and New Android Versions

Because the Xiaomi Redmi device fleet is so diverse, many users still use Android 9 or 10 models, and they are using the classic way that Google has abolished but still works on older systems, in which case the data folder is directly at the root of the internal drive.

The way to go for older versions is this: Internal Memory → WhatsApp → Databases. If you own a Redmi 9A, Redmi Note 8 or older model that didn't upgrade to Android 11+, chances are your data is right here, which makes it much easier to access files for manual copying.

However, even on new phones when reinstalling the system or in certain recovery scenarios, the folder structure may temporarily return to its old appearance, but after the first launch and update of the messenger, the system will forcibly move the data to the new directory. Android/media. This behavior is embedded in the algorithms of Scoped Storage.

Below is a table that will help you quickly navigate depending on the version of your operating system:

How to find hidden folders through Xiaomi Explorer

Xiaomi smartphones use its own file manager, which has its own features of displaying hidden system folders. By default, when you go to the Android directory, you may see a warning that access to these files is limited.

To open access, click on the "Allow" or "OK" button in the dialog box that appears, and then the contents of the folder will become visible. Then proceed sequentially along the path: media -> com.whatsapp. If the com.whatsapp folder does not appear, make sure that the Explorer settings include the display of hidden files.

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the folder is empty.This may mean that WhatsApp has not created local backups yet or you are looking in the wrong place. Make sure that local backup is enabled in the settings of the messenger itself. Without this msgstore.db.crypt file, there will not appear in the Databases folder.

For easy navigation, you can use the following checklist of actions:

Local backup vs. cloud backup

It's important to clearly distinguish between where your data is stored: on the phone itself or in the cloud. A local copy is a file that resides in your Redmi memory along the paths described above. A cloud copy is stored on Google Drive servers and is tied to your Gmail account. The two methods work independently of each other.

Local copying is done automatically, usually at 2 a.m. if the phone is on and connected to Wi-Fi (settings can vary). Databases stores history for the last 7 days. Files are named by date of creation. This is convenient because you can roll back to a specific date by simply renaming the desired file to msgstore.db.cryptXXX.

Cloud copying doesn't have a physical file in the file system that you can just copy, it's designed to restore correspondence when you switch to a new phone or when you reinstall the system completely, and you'll need the Internet and the same Google account to access cloud data.

⚠️ Attention: The format of encrypting local databases is constantly changing. crypt14 will not be opened with tools for crypt12. Do not attempt to manually decrypt the database without specialized software and keys.

If your goal is to save your correspondence forever, the best way to do this is to make periodic local copies by copying the Databases folder to your computer or to cloud storage (not Google Drive, but Yandex.Disk or Mi Cloud), and rely on Google Drive for quick recovery.

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Local copy allows you to restore correspondence without the Internet and binding to a Google account, but takes place in the memory of the phone.

Recovery of messages from local copy

The process of recovering correspondence from a local file on Xiaomi requires a precise sequence of actions. If you just move the file to a folder, WhatsApp may not see it. First, you need to completely remove the messenger application from your phone. Not just erase the shortcut, but delete it through the application settings.

Once deleted, re-install WhatsApp, but don't run it yet. Your job is to put the right backup file in the Databases folder in the right way. The file should be called strictly msgstore.db.cryptXX (where XX is your encryption version), without the date in the title. The recovery system is looking for the file with that name.

Run the installation. The first time you log in, the app will find a local backup and suggest you restore the data. Accept this sentence. If the offer doesn't appear, it means the file is in the wrong folder or has the wrong name. Check the path again: Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases.

It is a common mistake to try to restore a copy from a newer version of Android to an older version, or vice versa. There may also be problems if the version of the WhatsApp app itself is different when you restore it from the one that created the copy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)