If you use WhatsApp on your PC, you might sometimes wonder where it stores the images and files sent and received between you and your contacts.
I prefer to use WhatsApp on my laptop as my typing is speedy, and I enjoy typing on my keyboard. Technically, you can use WhatsApp on the desktop in two ways without using any Android emulators.
The first is via WhatsApp web, and the second is the WhatsApp Desktop app. We will see where each of these methods stores the media and files. However, in both cases, WhatsApp stores temporary and media files on your PC.
Before moving ahead, I would like to share one of my favorite WhatsApp tricks with you: I use Google Assistant to send voice and text messages to my friends. You can also make WhatsApp audio and video calls via Google Assistant and Siri.
Let’s now move ahead and see where it stores media files and documents:
Where does the WhatsApp Desktop App store images and Files
When you are using WhatsApp via its official desktop app, then you can find the cached files and logs in this directory: “C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalCache\Roaming”
If you can’t find the WhatsApp folder on your PC, search for it. You will most likely find similar results to those shown in the screenshot.
This is why you can view images, profile pictures, etc., in the WhatsApp desktop app even if your phone isn’t connected.
Taking a closer look at the files, I noticed it stores databases, file systems, logs, and other essential files.
Still, I couldn’t find a dedicated directory for images and files, as they are found in smartphones (WhatsApp Images).
This is because WhatsApp images and files are downloaded where you want to store them.
Interestingly, it also saves a crash log file in the Temp – WhatsApp Crashes folder. To find it, follow these steps:
- Press Windows + R.
- Type Temp and hit the Enter Button.
- You will see a Windows File Explorer with all the temporary files, including the WhatsApp Crashes folder.
Where does WhatsApp Web store images and Files on a PC
If you are using Chrome, then by default, the downloaded images and files are stored in the Downloads folder of your Windows PC.
The downloaded media and documents are found in other browsers’ default download folder/directory.
You can save WhatsApp images and files anywhere on your PC by changing your browser’s default download directory.
For how much time WhatsApp stores your media files:
WhatsApp keeps it for 90 days, after which it is deleted. After hearing this, you might be wondering what about your privacy.
Well, the messenger respects that, as the media files are encrypted, and no one, including WhatsApp, can see your files.
Where are WhatsApp Photos stored on iPhone & Android?
By default, when someone sends you an image or photo on WhatsApp, the app saves the photo in the WhatsApp folder on Android and iOS.
If you are like me and like to keep your photo gallery clean by turning off WhatsApp media’s auto-download, you must save all received photos manually.
If you have turned off the auto-download media setting in WhatsApp, you can only view the photos in the app. They won’t appear in your photos gallery, whether Android or iOS.
To save these photos in your gallery, tap on the image and choose the Save option from the three dots menu.
After that, you can view the saved photo in your photos gallery. Let’s now see where WhatsApp stores images on Android & iOS.
WhatsApp images location on Android
WhatsApp on Android stores all the data in the WhatsApp folder on the internal storage of your Android phone.
You can find WhatsApp images by navigating to the WhatsApp Images folder in your device’s File Explorer app.
Here’s the complete path: “Files” app > Device Storage > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Images.
However, folder paths may vary on some devices. If you cannot access WhatsApp images at the location shared above, try this method.
- Ensure that your file manager app lets you view hidden system files. If not, then enable it.
- After that, Navigate to the following path:
Internal storage > Android > Media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Images - The above folder contains all the downloaded images from WhatsApp. You can also view other WhatsApp media files, such as audio, video, profile pictures, documents, stickers, and audio and video notes.
WhatsApp images location on iOS
Finding the location of a WhatsApp image on iOS is pretty straightforward.
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Choose the Albums option at the bottom.
- There, you find the WhatsApp album. Open it, and you will find all your saved WhatsApp images on the device.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has helped you understand where WhatsApp images and files are stored on your PC.
If you have any doubts, please post them in the comments section, and I will try my best to solve them. Stay tuned for more WhatsApp articles 🙂
I found my Whatsapp Desktop App media files on my Windows 11 at:
C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState\shared\transfers\
Glad you found this article helpful!!