Where are files saved that are downloaded from WhatsApp web
If you use WhatsApp on your PC, then sometimes you might have wondered where it stores the images and files sent and received between you and your contacts.
I personally prefer to use WhatsApp on my laptop as my typing is really fast and I enjoy typing on my keyboard. Technically, there are two ways by which you can use WhatsApp on desktop without using any Android emulators.
The first way is via WhatsApp web and the second way is by using WhatsApp Desktop app. We will see where the media and files are stored by each of these methods. However, in both of the cases WhatsApp stores temporary and media files on your PC.
Before moving ahead, I would like to share one of my favorite WhatsApp trick with you in which I use Google Asssistant to send voice and text messages to my friends.
Let’s now move ahead and see where it stores media files and documents:
Images and Files stored by WhatsApp Desktop App:
When you are using WhatsApp via its official desktop app, then you can find the cached files and logs at this directory: “C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\Packages\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalCache\Roaming”
If you can’t find the WhatsApp folder, then search for it in your PC. Most probably, you will find similar results as shown in the screenshot.
This is the main reason that you are able to view images, profile pictures, etc. in WhatsApp desktop app even if your phone isn’t connected to the internet.
Taking a closer look at the files, I noticed it stores databases, file systems, logs, and other important files but couldn’t find any dedicated directory for images and files as it is found in smartphones (WhatsApp Images). This is because WhatsApp images and files are downloaded where you want to store them. Where are files saved that are downloaded from WhatsApp web
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 Enter Button.
You will see a Windows File Explorer with all the temporary files including the WhatsApp Crashes folder.
Images and Files stored in WhatsApp Web:
If you are using Chrome, then by default, the downloaded images and files are stored in the Downloads folder of your Windows PC. For other browsers, you can find the downloaded media and documents in the default download folder/directory.
You can also choose to save the WhatsApp images and files anywhere in your PC by changing the default download directory of your browser.
For how much time WhatsApp stores your media files:
WhatsApp keeps it for 90 days and after which it deletes it. After hearing this, you might be wondering what about your privacy? Well, that is respected by the messenger as the media files are kept in an encrypted format and no one including WhatsApp can see your media files.
Final Thoughts:
Hope this article would have helped you to understand where does WhatsApp images and files are stored in PC. In case, you have any doubts please feel free to post in the comments section and I will try my best to solve your doubts. Stay tuned for more WhatsApp articles :)