By Anna Sherry

Updated on 2025-06-09

100 % Helpful

WhatsApp Recovery

How to Restore Old WhatsApp Chat that I Have Skipped to Restore [iPhone & Android]

By Anna Sherry

2025-06-09 / WhatsApp Tips

Just switched to a new phone and accidentally hit “Skip Restore” on WhatsApp? You’re not alone.

This simple mistake can lead to panic when all your old chats seem gone. But don’t worry — in most cases, your data isn't lost forever. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to recover skipped WhatsApp backups step by step — whether you're on iPhone or Android, with or without uninstalling WhatsApp.

Part 1: What Happens When You Skip Restore on WhatsApp?

Part 2: Can I Restore Old WhatsApp Chat that I Have Skipped to Restore?

Part 3: How to Restore WhatsApp Chat after Skip [iPhone]

Way 1: Restore WhatsApp Backup without Uninstalling WATop
Way 2: Restore Skipped WhatsApp Backup with iCloud Backup

Part 4: How to Restore WhatsApp Chats after Skip [Android]

Way 1: Recover Old WhatsApp Chat without Uninstalling WA
Way 2: Restore WhatsApp Backup from Google Drive after Skipping
Way 3: Restore Old WhatsApp Chat from Local Backup after Skipping

Part 5: WhatsApp Restore Comparison Table

Part 1: What Happens When You Skip Restore on WhatsApp?

When you skip restore on WhatsApp during setup, the app won’t retrieve any previous chat history or media from your iCloud or Google Drive backup. Instead, it starts fresh with an empty chat list.

Important:

Although your old backup may still exist temporarily, WhatsApp might automatically create a new (empty) backup that overwrites it—especially on Android. This means your previous messages could be lost unless you act quickly.

Part 2: Can I Restore Old WhatsApp Chat that I Have Skipped to Restore?

Yes, you can. Although you will not be able to access your previously backed up messages within the WhatsApp application after you skip the restore process, there are some WhatsApp data recovery tools and tricks you can rely on to restore the old WhatsApp Chat that you have skipped to restore.

Below, we have mentioned all the possible ways that you can try to get back old WhatsApp chats in details, regardless of the device on which you're using WhatsApp.

Part 3: How to Restore WhatsApp Chat after Skip [iPhone]

How to restore Whatsapp backup if skipped? If you have skipped the restore process on your iPhone, don't worry; here are two different ways that you can try.

Way 1: Restore WhatsApp Backup without Uninstalling WA

If you've accidentally skipped the WhatsApp restore step on your iPhone, don't worry—you don’t need to uninstall WhatsApp and risk losing new messages. With Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery, you can restore your WhatsApp messages without uninstalling the app.

Suppoort recover WhatsApp data without Backup or from iTunes backup.
You can selectively recover chats, photos, videos, or documents—no full restore required.
100% secure and beginner-friendly.

Download and launch UltData WhatsApp Recovery on your Mac or PC. Next, choose the "Device" option from the dashboard.
Now, you have to connect your iPhone to the PC. You can easily do it with the help of a USB cable. Once the iPhone is connected to the PC, click Start Scan to move to the next step.
Once the data scanning process is completed, you will see data on your main screen. Select the files that you want to recover and choose the "Recover" option.
Soon, the application will recover WhatsApp data for you. Once the process is finished, you will see the "Recover Successfully" prompt on the screen.

Way 2: Restore Skipped WhatsApp Backup with iCloud Backup

If you are wodering how to restore skipped WhatsApp backup without any third-party app's help, here is another method that you can try. However, for this method, you have to uninstall your WhatsApp application and restore data from iCloud backup.

Go to Settings > Chat > Chat backup to check your last backup.
Now uninstall your WhatsApp application and reinstall it again. You will be asked to verify your phone number and account details, so do it.
After that, hit the "Restore Chat History" option. That's it! Your data will be restored on your iPhone device.

Part 4: How to Restore WhatsApp Chats after Skip [Android]

If you are an Android user and don't know how to restore WhatsApp backup after skip, this section is for you. Here we have discussed 3 different ways to restore WhatsApp messages

Way 1: Recover Old WhatsApp Chat without Uninstalling WA

Skipped the WhatsApp backup during setup? Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery offers a powerful one-click solution to restore your lost or skipped WhatsApp messages without reinstalling WhatsApp or needing a Google account.

Download and launch the application and hit the "Device" option.
Connect your device to the PC and enable USB debugging on your Android device.
Click the "Start" option once your software has detected the application.
The application will scan your phone and look for backup files. Once the process is completed, it will show you things that you can recover. So, choose the data and click the "Recover" option.

You have finally restored your WhatsApp chat without uninstalling the application.

Way 2: Restore WhatsApp Backup from Google Drive after Skipping

For Android users, they can aslo utilize the WhatsApp Google Drive backup to restore old WhatsApp after skipping, assuming that they have enabled Back up to Google Drive beforehand. Here's how to restore WhatsApp backup from Google Drive after skipping,

First, uninstall your application and reinstall it again from the Google Play Store.
Once you reinstall the application, you will get the verification prompt, so type your phone number to complete the verification process.
Then, the application will ask you whether you want to restore your messages from Google Drive or not.
Next, click the Restore button, and all your data will be saved on your phone.
Once you have restored all the data, click on Next, and you are good to go.

Way 3: Restore Old WhatsApp Chat from Local Backup after Skipping

If you didn't create any WhatsApp backuo on Google Drive, don't worry. There is another option for, that is, to restore old WhatsApp chat from local backup after you have skipped to restore. The built-in WhatApp local backup feature allows WhatsApp to automatically back up your chats and save them as an encrypted file to your phone's internal storage. With this feature, you can restore your previous WhatsApp chats with ease. Without wasting any time, let's discuss these steps.

In the first step, identify the location of your WhatsApp local backup. To do that, open the File Manager application on your phone.
Now, go to Phone storage/Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Database, where you can see your WhatsApp data.
Open the Databases Folder and find the "msgstore.db.crypt12" folder and rename it to "msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt12".
Once done, open your WhatsApp messenger and delete the application.
Open the Play Store, install WhatsApp messenger and launch the application.
Complete the verification process by adding the phone details. Once you see the restore backup on your screen, click on the "Restore" option and wait for the WhatsApp application to restore your deleted messages.

Part 5: WhatsApp Restore Comparison Table

Please swipe to view

Method

UltData WhatsApp Recovery

iCloud / Google Drive Restore

Uninstall Required

Data Preview

Success Rate

98%

70%

Conclusion

Skipping WhatsApp restore doesn’t have to mean losing your chats forever. Whether you’re on iPhone or Android, there are still ways to get your conversations back. For the easiest and most complete solution, try Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery to recover your messages without overwriting existing data.

Downloads:

UltData WhatsApp Data Recovery for Android & iPhone

Rated on Trustpilot >

Selectively recover deleted WhatsApp messages, photos, videos, attachments, etc., on iPhone/Android without backup.
Preview WhatsApp data before recovery and export chats to PC as HTML files, ensuring 100% safe & 99% successful recovery.