How to Read Encrypted WhatsApp Messages

You can read this article to learn the best possible ways to read encrypted WhatsApp messages on iPhone/PC/Android.

WhatsApp uses asymmetric encryption to protect your chats from prying eyes. It locks your messages using a public key before they are sent. Only the message recipient with their private key can decrypt and read the message. No third party, including Meta (the owner of WhatsApp), can access your messages. However, if you are searching for how to read encrypted WhatsApp messages for legitimate purposes (for example, to use the message as court evidence), you are reading the right article.

You can read the encrypted messages even without access to keys. This article guides you through how to do this in the easiest ways possible. Let us save priceless time and get started with these methods right away.

Methods to Read Encrypted WhatsApp Messages

Reading encrypted messages on WhatsApp is simple. Below are the methods to do it on PC, iPhone, and Android.

Method 1: Use WhatsApp web

Are you searching for how to read encrypted WhatsApp messages on a PC? Well, you can do so through WhatsApp web. However, this method is helpful when you have the login credentials and the target account’s phone.

However, keeping the phone online is not necessary. It helps when you have not used the phone for 14 days, resulting in the linked devices getting logged out. If this sounds good, you can follow these steps to read messages this way.

• First, navigate to https://web.whatsapp.com/ in the browser on your computer.
• Next, launch the WhatsApp application on the phone.
• After opening the WhatsApp app on your phone, choose three dots from the upper right corner.
• You can now go to Linked Devices and choose the option to Link a Device.

• In this step, scan the QR code on the WhatsApp Web using the WhatsApp application on your phone. You can now read all the messages.

Also know: WhatsApp Camera Not Working on Android, iPhone, and PC: FIXED

Method 2: Restore encrypted WhatsApp backups

You can restore WhatsApp backups on the same phone where they were created or another device where you can verify the same phone number to read encrypted messages. Here are the step-by-step directions to perform this action.

Note: This method works only when you have a rooted Android device or a jailbroken iPhone.

• The first step is to navigate to the internal memory of your phone.
• Next, find and tap on the WhatsApp folder.
• In this step, tap Database and locate the WhatsApp messages backup file. This file looks like msgstore.db.crypt14 or something similar.

• Next, locate the key file you can use for message decryption. This file can be located through the path data > data >com.whatsapp> files > key.

• This step requires you to connect your phone to your PC and copy msgstore.db.crypt14 with the key file.
• Next, you can install WhatsApp Viewer on the PC, navigate to the File menu, and choose Decrypt.crypt14 from the available options.

• You can now choose the database file and the key file and click Decrypt to proceed further.
• Next, you can save the decrypted file as msgstore.decrypted.db.

• Lastly, open the WhatsApp Viewer, choose the file, and click on OK to read your WhatsApp messages.

Also know: How to Fix Whatsapp Web Is Not Opening

Method 3: Use a third-party tool

There are several third-party tools, for example, Dr.Fone to decrypt and read WhatsApp messages. These applications can extract encrypted messages from backups or decrypt them directly from your phone.

All you have to do is follow the directions to begin decrypting the messages. These instructions often need your phone, the code for the user’s WhatsApp verification, and backup files. However, you must ensure the legality of these tools before

using them to keep ethical and legal issues at bay.

Method 4: Decrypt cloud backups

If you are looking for how to read encrypted WhatsApp messages on Android without a key, you can try doing so via cloud backups. Here is how to perform this action on Google Drive.

• First, get the AppTrans application downloaded and installed on your device.
• Next, choose App Restore and then navigate to WhatsApp Backup.
• You can now log into the target’s Google account and choose the WhatsApp file you wish to decrypt.
• Next, tap Messages to decrypt WhatsApp messages.
• Lastly, click Decrypt Now to view the target’s WhatsApp messages.

Also know: How To Fix Whatsapp Message Not Delivered

Summing Up

This article discussed how to read encrypted WhatsApp messages on iPhone/PC/Android without a key. You can follow the above methods to perform this action. However, if you have any doubts or questions about this article, please contact us using the comments section below.