[TOOL] Whatsapp Xtract: Backup Messages Extractor / Database Analyzer / Chat-Backup

Have you ever wanted to
- have a useful backup of your whatsapp chats?
- be able to read your whatsapp chats again using a backup file?
- delete the grown-too-big message history of whatsapp without losing the possibility to read the old conversations?
- read older messages without the need of endlessly pressing the annoying "load older messages" button?
- be able to search old messages?
- ...?

Here is a little Tool to display whatsapp chats on your computer, using the database files from your android installation of whatsapp.

It's called WhatsApp Xtract and was created by Fabio Sangiacomo and me.

Preview of the result:


So here is WhatsApp Xtract v2.3
Released on April 25th, 2018

Tested with Whatsapp (Android) 2.18.46
Tested with Whatsapp (iPhone) 2.5.1

CHANGELOG:

v2.3 (updated by ztedd - Apr 25, 2018)
- fixed image preview to work with new Whatsapp database format
- some minor fixes

v2.2 (updated by ztedd - Nov 17, 2012)
- now supports new emoji smileys
- (Android Version) hotfix for TypeError in b64encode
- (Android Version) decoded file won't be deleted even if it can't be opened

v2.1 (updated by Fabio Sangiacomo and ztedd - May 7th, 2012)
- improved install pyCrypto.bat
- added easy drag and drop possibility with whatsapp_xtract_drag'n'drop_database(s)_here.bat
- (Android Version) added support to fix corrupted android whatsapp database (needs sqlite3, for windows sqlite3.exe is contained in the archive)
- (Android Version) removed wrong extraction of owner in android version
- (Iphone Version) information from Z_METADATA table will be printed to shell
- (Iphone Version) fixed bug in support of older Iphone whatsapp databases

V2.0 (updated by Fabio Sangiacomo and ztedd - Apr 28, 2012)
- supports WhatsApp DBs coming from both Android and iPhone platforms
- (Android Version) wa.db is optional
- (Android Version) now also crypted msgstore.db.crypt from the SD card can be imported
- chat list is sorted by the last sent message
- fixed some bugs (e.g. that the script didn't work with python 3)


------------------------
Wish list:
Feel free to take the code and improve it. So maybe we could include some code from this different version which is able to export separate htmls for each chat:
https://github.com/BurakDev/hotoloti/issues/10

------------------------

How to use:
(instrucciones en español / deutsche Anleitung - old)

1. You need a copy of the whatsapp database and (if no root) get your key.
   
   a) if your Android phone is rooted:
   
   get these files:
   /data/data/com.whatsapp/databases/msgstore.db and wa.db
   (for this you need root access. detailed instructions in the bottom of this file.
   The advantage of having wa.db is that the corresponding contact names of phone numbers will be displayed.)
   
   b) if you have a normal Android (not rooted):
   
   you need this to get the key:
   [Tool] WhatsApp Key/DB Extractor | CRYPT6-12 | NON-ROOT
   https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2770982
   
   then you need the .crypt12 database from /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/
   
   then you need a tool like Whatsapp Viewer to decrypt the database file:
   Whatsapp Viewer
   http://andreas-mausch.de/whatsapp-viewer/
   https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2719741
   
   The decrypted database can already be viewed in Whatsapp Viewer. If you want the output style from Whatsapp xtract then you can continue with the decrypted file.
   
   c) On IPhone, get this file (don't know if it still works in 2018):
   
   net.whatsapp.WhatsApp/Documents/ChatStorage.sqlite
   (You can use an Iphone Backup Tool to get the file, e.g. I-Twin or Iphone Backup Extractor. Make sure to create an unencrypted backup with Itunes, as these tools can't handle encrypted backups. Another possibility are forensic tools like UFED Physical Analyzer.)
   
   
2. Extract this archive (Whatsapp_Xtract....zip) to a certain folder on your computer, e.g. C:\WhatsApp.
   
   
3. Copy the database(s) to e.g. C:\WhatsApp (on Android, you simply copy the whole folder WhatsApp on SD card to your computer e.g. to C:\WhatsApp and then copy the database file from C:\WhatsApp\Databases to C:\WhatsApp)
   
   
4. You need Python
   
   https://www.python.org/downloads/
   
   It's available for Windows, Linux and Mac. However in my HowTo, I focus on Windows.
   
   
5. Now run whatsapp_xtract_android.bat or whatsapp_xtract_iphone.bat
   
   OR simply drag and drop the database file(s) to whatsapp_xtract_drag'n'drop_database(s)_here.bat
   
   OR whatsapp_xtract_console.bat and then manually specify the input file with one of these commands:
   
   COMMAND LINE OPTIONS:
   
   

   For Android DB:
   python whatsapp_xtract.py msgstore.db -w wa.db
   OR (if wa.db is unavailable)
   python whatsapp_xtract.py msgstore.db
   
   For iPhone DB: (-w option is ignored)
   python whatsapp_xtract.py ChatStorage.sqlite

   Click to expand...

   Click to collapse

   
   Once finished, your browser will open and show the chats.
   The resulting file size of the .html file will be slightly bigger than the size of the original .db.crypt12 database.

Attachment:

Whatsapp Xtract 2.3 2018-04-25 (~ 1,8 MB)
contains:
!README.txt
bplist.py
convert_smileys_python_2.py
SetEnv.exe
sqlite3.exe
whatsapp_xtract.py
whatsapp_xtract_android.bat
whatsapp_xtract_iphone.bat
whatsapp_xtract_console.bat
whatsapp_xtract_drag'n'drop_database(s)_here.bat
folder: data
samples of needed input files and Media folder


also available here:

https://www.xup.in/dl,18324514/Whatsapp_Xtract_2.3_2018-04-25.zip/

IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK:

1. First check if you already have the newest download (check full name of the .zip file: is it the same as in mentioned in this thread?). Maybe your error already has been fixed.
2. Read the post Some additional information and read the last pages of this thread to see if your problem is already being discussed.
Use the Search inside this thread function!
3. If not or if it doesn't help, post your error with a detailed description (and error message) in the thread.

Merge multiple sqlite database files

Marvi70 said:

Do you know if it's possible to merge the db-files into one with all messages?
e.g. I have 7 backup files, i deleted some messages every day, and now I want to have an overview of all messages over these last 7 days.
I saw that every message have an ID defined as primary key in the DB-file.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Merging of multiple whatsapp databases is still on the feature request list.

But you can use this tool to merge two sqlite databases and afterwards convert the merged database with Whatsapp Xtract:
SQLite Compare
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/220018/SQLite-Compare-Utility

HOW TO MERGE SQLITE DATABASE FILES WITH SQLite Compare:

• 1. Open the old database file in SQLite Database Browser ( http://sqlitebrowser.sourceforge.net/ ). Open the table messages in Browse Data. Press the Button " > " as often as necessary to get to the last page. Scroll down to the last message. Now write down the number (_id) of that last message, e.g. 65422
  
• 2. Now open the new database file in SQLite Database Browser. Open the table messages in Browse Data. Click on the first entry (which has most fields with value "-1"). Click on Delete Record. Have a look at the now first entry and write down the number (_id) of that first message, e.g. 12
  Now Click on Execute SQL and execute the following SQL statement:
  UPDATE messages set _id = (65422 + 1 + _id - 12)
  (replace 65422 by your last message _id in the old database and 12 by your first message _id in the new database)
  
• 3. Now all messages in the new database have the correct _id's.
  Click on Save. Close all windows of SQLite Database Browser.
  
• 4. Download & Install SQLite Compare ( http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/220018/SQLite-Compare-Utility ). Open SQLite Compare.
• 5. File - Compare
  For example:
  Left file: msgstore-2012-06-01.1.plain.db
  Right file: msgstore-2012-06-07.1.plain.db
  (Make sure to have a backup of both files!)
  x Compare schema and data
  x Compare BLOB fields
  OK
  
• 6. Double Click on table "messages" in the result window OR left click on table "messages" and hit button "Edit selected difference..."
  
• 7. A new window opens, "Table messages"
  Click on blue button "R" (it's located after "Refresh Comparison", "L" and before "≠", "=")
  
• 8. Now on the right side all messages are shown that aren't included in the left file.
  Now you can select multiple messages (first left click on the first message to select, then scroll down to the last message to select and press SHIFT + left click on the last message to select).
  I noticed that you can't handle too many messages at once as it produces an error. Just try. I succeeded with about 1000-1500 messages.
  
  Now click on the button with the arrow from right to left: ←
  
  Now the selected messages are copied from the right database to the left database.
  
• 9. Repeat the steps in (8.) until all the messages are copied from the right file to the left file.
  
• 10. Maybe you also need to to this for the table chat_list if there are some new chat contacts in the newer backup file.
  
• 11. Now the left file (e.g. msgstore-2012-06-01.1.plain.db) contains all the messages from the prior file msgstore-2012-06-01.1.plain.db and the newer file msgstore-2012-06-07.1.plain.db. (No saving necessary as the tool automatically applies the changes to the file after pressing the ← button).
  
• 12. Now you have 3 options how to go on:
  
  a) Do you want to merge another database file, appending it to the merged file? Then repeat the steps with an even newer database file on the right, e.g. msgstore-2012-06-12.1.plain.db, if you have multiple database files to merge.
  
  b) Do you want to import the merged database file to Whatsapp? Then rename the merged database file (the left one) to "msgstore.db", copy it to the sdcard to location /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/msgstore.db and make sure that it's the only file in that folder. Now install Whatsapp and confirm when asked to import the Backup during installation.
  
  c) Or do you want to convert the merged database file to browser-friendly html using Whatsapp Xtract? Then give the left file msgstore-2012-06-01.1.plain.db to Whatsapp Xtract, e.g. using drag and drop onto the whatsapp_xtract_drag'n'drop_database(s)_here.bat.

Changelog, Recent Bugfixes, Feature Requests

CHANGELOG:

v2.3 (updated by ztedd - Apr 25, 2018)
- fixed image preview to work with new Whatsapp database format
- updated Readme, refering to Whatsapp Viewer (which is able to decrypt the .crypt12 files)
- some minor fixes

v2.2 (updated by ztedd - Nov 17, 2012)
- now supports new emoji smileys
- (Android Version) hotfix for TypeError in b64encode
- (Android Version) decoded file won't be deleted even if it can't be opened

v2.1-bugsfixed-4 (2012-05-16)
- fixed .bat files again to support script execution from each external directory
- fixed .bat files if error "python" not found occurs (if you get that error, run !install pyCrypto.bat first; rightclick on it and choose "run as administrator")
- updated compatibility for newer android whatsapp versions to show media files with thumbnails correctly

v2.1 (updated by Fabio Sangiacomo and ztedd - May 7th, 2012)
- improved install pyCrypto.bat
- added easy drag and drop possibility with whatsapp_xtract_drag'n'drop_database(s)_here.bat
- (Android Version) added support to fix corrupted android whatsapp database (needs sqlite3, for windows sqlite3.exe is contained in the archive)
- (Android Version) removed wrong extraction of owner in android version
- (Iphone Version) information from Z_METADATA table will be printed to shell
- (Iphone Version) fixed bug in support of older Iphone whatsapp databases

v2.0-bugsfixed-10
file: Whatsapp_Xtract_V2.0_2012-05-02-3.zip
- On errors, now the window will not close but show you an error message
- Now installation of PyCrypto is indeed optional. You only need it if you want to import a crypted db.
- added some advanced instructions in the Readme on how to use this script with the command line (also added a .bat that will open the command prompt and show the help message of the script)
- changed error management to let the script continue on errors like these:
* 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable in line 1028
* 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable in line 1126
The errors will be displayed in the message table and in the DOS Box, but the script will go on
- fixed syntax error in line 216
- fixed error that it tries to name output file "N/A" which is not possible because of the "/"
- fixed error of handling timestamps in Iphone database
- fixed " AttributeError: 'int' object has no attribute 'split' "
- changed parsing of sqlite databases, columns are now accessed by name and not by number (e.g., msgs["ZTEXT"] instead of msgs[10])
- included Iphone support for images, videos, vcard and (beta) gps. Fixed bug of opening a wrong output file in browser.
- changed install pyCrypto.bat

V2.0 (updated by Fabio Sangiacomo and ztedd - Apr 28, 2012)
- supports WhatsApp DBs coming from both Android and iPhone platforms
- (Android Version) wa.db is optional
- (Android Version) now also crypted msgstore.db.crypt from the SD card can be imported
- chat list is sorted by the last sent message
- fixed some bugs (e.g. that the script didn't work with python 3)

V1.3 (updated by ztedd - Apr 17, 2012)
- corrected linking of offline files (now linking according to media file size)

V1.2 (updated by ztedd - Apr 5, 2012)
- media files also linked to offline files
- corrected hyperlinks

V1.1 (updated by ztedd - Apr 5, 2012)
- changed database structure, Android only
- show contact names
- show smileys
- show images
- link / popup for images, video, audio, gps
- clickable links

V1.0 (created by Fabio Sangiacomo - Dec 10, 2011)
- first release, iPhone only:
it takes in input the file "ChatStorage.sqlite",
extracts chat sessions and the bare text
- sortable js allows table sorting to make chat sessions easily readable


FEATURE REQUESTS:

These features below are quite outdated. For example, conversion/migration from Iphone / Windows Phone to Android was made possible by paid apps (Wazzapmigrator / WinWazzapmigrator).

Anyway, if you want to contribute, please take my source file, put a repo on github and go on!

- Blackberry Support: Step 1 - How is it possible to get the unencrypted messagestore.db file from Blackberry Whatsapp? (valek07); Step 2 - get a sample db file (see how to create sample db) and include Blackberry support
- Nokia Support: Step 1 - How to get the database file from Nokia? (oscargpes) Step 2 - Get a sample db file (see how to create sample db) and include Nokia support
- Windows Phone Support (beastie_carrion): Step 1 - How to get the database file from Windows Phone? Step 2 - Get a sample db file (see how to create sample db) Step 3 - include Windows Phone support
- create an android app for this, ideally offering "export to googlemail" function as in SMS Backup + (nomad4ever)
/ conversion of whatsapp to sms xml (ofmb)
- conversion between Android and Iphone database:
-- Android -> Iphone: ark0n3 is working on a Java tool called WhatsAppMigrator, here you can download WhatsAppMigrator
-- Iphone -> Android: no solution yet
- merge multiple backup files (darKpoiSonend) (you can use the tool SQLite Compare as a workaround, see howto in this post by ztedd)
- extract deleted messages (sometimes deleted messages remain in the database file but can't be accessed with normal Sqlite commands anymore) (Rauken)
- include Iphone support for audio, gps, gps of a place (like a restaurant), group messages and change of group name -> we would need an Iphone sample database containing these message types!

Some Additional Information

General advice on how to backup Whatsapp

Some general advice on how to backup Whatsapp and get the database file:

Android:
- In Whatsapp go to settings - more - Backup Chats
- Copy the folder "Whatsapp" on the SD card to your backup location (e.g., PC)
- (ideally also) use the app Titanium Backup to backup the full whatsapp application together with its data, copy the backup from the folder "TitaniumBackup" on the SD card to your backup location (e.g., PC)
- Use this tool Whatsapp Backup Extractor (download in this thread) to show the chats in a friendly readable format. The necessary files "wa.db" and "msgstore.db" you will find inside the Titanium Backup archive "com.whatsapp-[Date]-[some digits].tar.gz", alternatively (without Titanium Backup) you can use the msgstore.db.crypt file from the folder Whatsapp/Databases on the SD card.

Iphone:
- use Itunes to create an unencrypted Backup
- use an Iphone Backup Tool to get the file net.whatsapp.WhatsApp/Documents/ChatStorage.sqlite, e.g. I-Twin or Iphone Backup Extractor. Make sure to create an unencrypted backup with Itunes, as these tools can't handle encrypted backups. Another possibility are forensic tools like UFED Physical Analyzer.)

Blackberry:
- sync your blackberry with desktop manager and then copy the messagestore.db file from SD
- however, it seems that this file is encrypted? Currently we don't know how to get the unencrypted messagestore.db file
- Blackberry not supported yet!

Nokia:
- not known yet
- Nokia not supported yet!

CHECK IF DATABASE FILE CAN BE OPENED / EDIT CHAT MESSAGES INSIDE DATABASE

You may want to open the decrypted whatsapp database (ChatStorage.sqlite, msgstore.db or msgstore.plain.db) without this tool, e.g. if something goes wrong to check if it can be opened at all or to edit chat messages.
For this use SQLite Database Browser ( http://sqlitebrowser.sourceforge.net/ ).
However it is much more confusing and the messages are ordered by date, not by conversations. Also you won't see the smileys and media files...

IF DATABASE CAN'T BE OPENED: REPAIR DATABASE

Update: This function is now included in Whatsap Xtract 2.1.
If you get an error like this: Error: file is encrypted or is not a database and you tried to open the unencrypted database with SQLite Database Browser but it can't be opened with it, then try the following:
Open the database with Editor, can you see it starts with "SQLite format 3"? Then you may try to repair the database.
Thanks to hape70 for the instructions on how to repair (I translated it from German to English):

- download sqlite3.exe from http://www.sqlite.org/download.html
- start whatsapp_xtract_console.bat and then type:
- echo .dump | sqlite3.exe msgstore.db > Temp.sql
- echo .quit | sqlite3.exe -init Temp.sql msgstore_new.db
- python whatsapp_xtract.py msgstore_new.db
(make sure to replace the underlined msgstore.db with the name of the database that is unencrypted but can't be opened, sometimes it will be msgstore.plain.db)

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

MEDIA FILES

If you want to watch the videos, audios and images, you can click on the thumbnails and media links. Popups should open displaying the media.
However, online media files are available only for the last ~ 3 weeks.
But you still can open the offline media files, they are linked as well.
For this it is necessary to at first copy the folder "Media" from /sdcard/Whatsapp (Android) or net.whatsapp.WhatsApp (Iphone) to the certain folder of your computer where this tool is installed. Then run the script. Now the media files should be correctly linked.

HOW TO MERGE MULTIPLE DATABASE FILES WITH SQLite Compare

Merging of multiple backup files is still on the feature request list, but you can use the tool SQLite Compare as a workaround, see howto in this post by ztedd.

Pimped.UK said:

I'd like to me able to import a backup into my current conversations in whatsapp or merge one or more db.crypt files together so that I can import them all into whatsapp.

I had a lot of conversations in my backup, but instead of importing them, my whatsapp received 613 new messages so I don't have any of my old conversations. I can import them, but then I lose my current conversations and vice versa.

I'm willing to play around with code if it helps. My speciality is SQL, ASP, Java (not as good at it anymore, but can pick it up fairly quickly)

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

You can try the following:

1. Create a new backup (menu Button - Settings - Chat Settings - Backup Chat history)
2. Force-Close Whatsapp so that it won't receive any new messages.
3. now you should have two .db.crypt files, the older one with all your backupped chats and the newer one with ~ 613+ messages. Use Whatsapp Xtract to convert the .db.crypt files to .htm and unencrypted .db files
4. Now use the tool SQLite Compare (see howto) to merge the two .db files into one
5. Now copy the merged .db file as "msgstore.db" into the folder /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases and make sure that there isn't any other file there (copy the other files in another folder)
6. uninstall whatsapp, install whatsapp and choose yes when asked to import the backup

If you want to include the merging function into the code of Whatsapp Xtract, you should have a look at the SQLite commands of Python. It's quite similar to SQL. Until someone has done this, you can use the mentioned tool SQLite Compare, though it's a bit difficult to use.