Blog
Field notes on
archiving chats.
Long-form pieces on the WhatsApp database format, evidence preservation, the trade-offs of cloud vs local archiving, and the specific reasons people end up needing a permanent archive instead of a backup.
- May 19, 2026·9 min readwhatsapp archive maccrypt15
Archive WhatsApp chats on Mac in 2026
WhatsApp's own export drops the metadata that makes a chat worth keeping years later. The path that survives a lost phone, a banned account, or a switched number is to decrypt the Crypt15 backup directly. The 2026 method.
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- May 22, 2026·7 min readwhatsapp android storagemsgstore.crypt15
Where Android WhatsApp stores backups
WhatsApp's backup path has moved a few times over the years. Where the Crypt15 file lives on every modern Android version, why Google Drive only ever holds one snapshot, and how to confirm you're looking at the right file.
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- May 21, 2026·5 min readwhatsapp 64-digit keye2ee backup
Find your 64-digit WhatsApp encryption key
WhatsApp shows you the 64-character end-to-end backup key once. Where to tap to see it again on Android, how to store it safely, and what happens if you've lost it.
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- May 20, 2026·6 min readcrypt12crypt14
Crypt12 vs Crypt14 vs Crypt15 explained
WhatsApp has shipped four backup formats over the last decade. Most modern phones produce Crypt15, but the older formats still turn up in old phones and rescued storage. What each one is and what's supported by what.
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- May 19, 2026·5 min readwhatsapp business archivetax records
WhatsApp Business as a business record
If your customer conversations live in WhatsApp Business, they're part of your business record. A simple archive cadence using Chat Hoarding, and what the .tarc format gives you that a screenshot doesn't.
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- May 18, 2026·7 min readmsgstore.dbwhatsapp database
What's inside msgstore.db
msgstore.db is the SQLite database WhatsApp Android keeps your chats in. The exported .txt file is what's left after WhatsApp strips out everything that wouldn't fit. A tour of the schema and the cost of working from the export.
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- May 18, 2026·6 min readcrypt15whatsapp encryption
Crypt15 explained
Crypt15 is the format every Android WhatsApp backup uses since 2021. AES-256-GCM, 32-byte root key, an HMAC-SHA256-based key derivation matching wa-crypt-tools, gzip-compressed SQLite. The precise pipeline, and why Chat Hoarding can decrypt locally without a server.
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