Extract WhatsApp messages from Windows Phone info

Export WhatsApp messages from Windows Phone

Since your Windows Phone device runs Windows Phone 10 and it made at least once a WhatsApp backup, you’re good to go. You will have to extract the decrypted WhatsApp messages database and the media files transferred so you import them on your WhatsApp from your Android phone.

Unlock your Windows Phone (NOT FOR x50 series(950,650,550), HP Elite, Alcatel Idol)

The decrypted messages database and the media files from WhatsApp are not stored locally in plain sight. Even the backup from OneDrive is encrypted and cannot be used because without the encryption key, it cannot be decrypted.

In order to get the decrypted data, you’ll need to enable Developer mode on your Windows Phone.

Go to Settings on your Windows Phone. You can either go Update & security > For developers, or simply search For developers in the settings search.

Open it and select Developer mode like in the above picture.

You can also enable the option with USB device discovery.

Keep in mind that after this entire UNLOCK procedure, your Windows Phone will not be immediately recognized by your Windows PC.

So don’t panic if your Windows Phone is not seen as a device in a minute or so.


Interop Tools

After that, you’ll need to download this app, called Interop Tools L.

Download from the link above directly on your Windows Phone, or transfer the downloaded archive to your Windows Phone.

Extract the archive on your Windows Phone with 8zip or any archive app. Go the extracted location path with File Explorer.

When you’ll open the extracted archive, you will see 2 files and a directory called Dependencies.

Tap and install the files in the following order:

  1. InteropTools_x86_x64_arm_LegacyRelease.cer
  2. All the files from Dependencies/ARM folder
  3. InteropTools_2.0.95.0_x86_x64_arm_LegacyRelease.appxbundle

After that, reboot your Windows Phone and open Interop Tools app.

Select This device as the provider when you’re opening the app. Expand the menu and select Interop Unlock. In that screen you need to:

  1. Enable Restore NDTKSvc (1) option and reboot your Windows Phone
  2. Enter again in Interop Tools as described above and enable Full System Access (2) For newest models, New Capability Engine Unlock must be enabled too (2.1).

After you’ve enabled those options in the order mentioned above, restart again your Windows Phone. See screenshots below.

The Interop Tools process is explained on xda-developers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/windows-10-mobile/interop-tools-appx-windows-10-mobile-t3373675

Extract WhatsApp messages and media files

After a tedious work to unlock your Windows Phone, finally there is access to the WhatsApp messages and media files. Connect your Windows Phone to your Windows PC and don’t panic if it isn’t recognized immediately; worst case scenario, give it a few minutes and it will appear as a device on your PC.

WhatsApp messages database

There are 2 possible paths in which the decrypted WhatsApp messages lay:

  • Phone\Data\USERS\DefApps\APPDATA\LOCAL\Packages\5319275A.WhatsApp_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState
  • Phone\Data\USERS\DefApps.Windows Phone\APPDATA\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsApp_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState

Open your Windows Phone device with Windows Explorer. Copy the first one and paste it on your Windows Explorer path; if it isn’t valid, copy the second one and paste it. Inside of the opened directory, you should see a file called messages.db. That is the messaging database from WhatsApp. Copy it into your PC.

WhatsApp media files

If you've ever shared media files such as images, videos, audios, they were stored in your Windows Phone. If you never did send or receive any media files or you’re not interested about your media files, skip this step.

On Windows Phone, unfortunately the media files transferred via WhatsApp are spread in multiple locations. They are the following:

  • Phone\Pictures\WhatsApp
  • Phone\Users\DefApps\AppData\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsApp_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState\shared\transfers
  • Phone\Data\USERS\DefApps\APPDATA\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsApp_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState\Shared\Transfers
  • Phone\Data\Users\Public\Pictures\WhatsApp

If you've sent via WhatsApp photos made by you, they are linked to Camera directory, where all of your photos are stored.

  • Phone\Data\Users\Public\Pictures\Camera Roll

Probably that directory is huge and you may want to consider if you’re gonna copy all of it for some photos shared by you via WhatsApp. Take into account that every media content you've got from those directories must be transferred into your Android Phone.

Create on your PC a directory called Media. Please put all the media files/directories found in that Media directory.

Open again Windows Explorer, copy each location and paste it and copy everything you get from that path in the Media directory which you created. In this way you will collect all of your media files.

Note

It is mandatory to have all the media files in a directory called Media.

Extract from Lumia x50 devices

Only text messages can be retrieved from these devices, which are unsupported by Interop Tools.

Media files from Lumia x50 devices

In order to transfer media files with WP Internals, you would need to give all rights to each file individually, beside their parent directory. That’s overkill and I came up with a better solution:

I’ve updated my app to import media files from OneDrive backup. Open OneDrive with your Microsoft account, and follow the path: Files > Apps > WhatsApp > (your phonenumber) > media.

Transfer the media directory from OneDrive, into a directory created by you which you will name Media.

Take in consideration that media backup from OneDrive may not contain all the media files which we’re used in WhatsApp, but only a part of them at a certain point in time

Requirements:

  1. Functional Windows Phone(even x50 series) which:
  2. a) has a working USB port
  3. b) runs Windows Phone 10
  4. c) has\had WhatsApp installed
  5. d) has a WhatsApp local backup made from some date when it worked
  6. e) have a decent battery (won’t drain all battery in like 1 hour)
  7. Functional PC (not Mac) which:
  8. a) runs Windows 7/8/8.1/10
  9. b) has a working USB port

Install WP Internals latest version on your PC from: https://www.wpinternals.net/index.php/downloads

WP Internals Note

Make sure you have your Windows Phone’s battery fully charged before you start using WP Internals!

Disable Device encryption from your Lumia phone if you have it enabled before you use WP Internals! You can check that on your Windows Phone by going to Settings > Update & security > Device encryption.

While your Windows Phone is connected to your PC and WP Internals its doing its job:

  • don’t unplug your Windows Phone
  • don’t restart it if WP Internals doesn’t say to do it so

If WP Internals said that the bootloader unlock wasn’t successful, you click on restore, let it restore and then try again to unlock the bootloader.

I am not responsible of the WP Internals outcome. To some users, their Windows Phone couldn’t be unlocked, or worse, got stuck in Flash mode.

Follow the video tutorial below in order to retrieve messages.db with WP Internals:

Note

I’ve tested successfully the steps from the video above on both Lumia 950 and Lumia 930.

Disclaimer

Import That App messages from Windows Phone application is NOT an official WhatsApp application; It is NOT associated, affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed by WhatsApp Inc or any other third party.

Import That App messages from Windows Phone application is NOT an official Microsoft application; It is NOT associated, affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed by Microsoft Corporation.

WhatsApp is a registered trademark of WhatsApp Inc.

Android is a trademark of Google LLC.

Windows Phone is a trademark and brand of Microsoft Corporation.