For Beginners | Backup WhatsApp from iPhone to PC in 4 Ways

How do I transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Windows?

WhatsApp is a popular tool for everyday communication — sending messages, making calls, and sharing photos or videos. However, your iPhone data is always at risk from iOS updates, accidental deletion, or system crashes, which could lead to important WhatsApp data loss.

That’s why it’s necessary to backup WhatsApp from iPhone to your Windows PC. Doing so not only protects your chats and media but also lets you transfer WhatsApp data to a new iPhone when needed.

Below, we’ve compared four working methods to help you safely save your WhatsApp content locally on your computer.

Method	Function	Effectiveness
🛠️ FoneTool	Use the professional iPhone backup tool to backup WhatsApp easily. More details...	High
🖥️ iTunes	Backup App data including WhatsApp to computer. More details...	Medium
📧 Email	Send WhatsApp media files to your PC as attachments. More details...	Low
☁️ iCloud	Backup WhatsApp data to cloud drive and save to PC. More details...	Medium

Way 1. Backup iPhone WhatsApp to PC with FoneTool [Easy]

Using a dedicated iOS backup tool like FoneTool is the safest and easiest method. It lets you selectively back up WhatsApp chats, photos, videos, and attachments directly to your PC — without overwriting or losing data.

Steps to Backup WhatsApp with FoneTool:

Step 1. Launch FoneTool → Select WhatsApp Manager → Tap Backup WhatsApp → Click Get Started.

Step 2. Enable backup encryption (optional) and choose a backup location → Tap Start Backup.

   

★Tip:

   

You can also set the backup path to a NAS drive for extra security and accessibility.

Step 3. Once completed, select View to check the backup or go to My Backups to restore or manage it later.

Way 2. Backup WhatsApp from iPhone to Windows with iTunes

iTunes can back up your entire iPhone including WhatsApp data, but it doesn’t support WhatsApp - only backup. This method is helpful if you want a full device backup and have enough PC storage.

Step 1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes on Windows PC.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone via USB and open iTunes → Click the iPhone icon in the top-left.

Step 3. Click Summary → Back Up Now to backup WhatsApp on iTunes.

 🔍 After backing up, go to iTunes → Preferences → Devices to verify the backup file.

Way 3. Backup WhatsApp chats from iPhone to PC via Email

If you only need to save specific chat threads, the Email method works. It lets you export a conversation with or without media, and send it to your own email address for downloading on a PC.

Step 1. Open WhatsApp → Go to the chat you want to backup → Tap the contact’s name → Choose Export Chat.

Step 2. Select Attach Media or Without Media.

Step 3. Choose Mail → Type in your email address → Click Send to export your WhatsApp chats.

Step 4. Open your email client on PC to access the exported file.

Way 4. Backup iPhone WhatsApp files to PC with iCloud

With this method, you back up WhatsApp to iCloud first, then log into iCloud.com from your PC to download the backup. Note that iCloud offers only 5GB of free storage — extra space requires a subscription.

Step 1. On iPhone, go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Turn on iCloud Drive and WhatsApp.

Step 2.Open WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Chat Backup.

Step 3. Tap Back Up Now for a one-time backup, or set Auto Backup (Daily/Weekly/Monthly).

Step 4. Go to iCloud.com on your PC, sign in, locate your WhatsApp files, and download them.

   

★Tip:

Do you find it troublesome to always log in to the site to access and use iCloud backup data? FoneTool can help you manage and sync iCloud photos, contacts, and other data in one place. 

Conclusion

That’s all for the 4 ways to backup WhatsApp from iPhone to PC. You can make use of the data backup tool or email to save WhatsApp backup on your computer. If you don’t mind, you can utilize all iPhone files to PC using iTunes.

Of course, we recommend you to use the simple and professional FoneTool, which not only helps you backup and transfer WhatsApp, but can also transfer more types of data from iPhone to PC and vice versa. If you have any other queries, please feel free to contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)