What is a CRYPT14 file?
A CRYPT14 file is a type of file used by the messaging app WhatsApp to store encrypted message data on an Android device. When you use WhatsApp to send and receive messages, the app encrypts those messages so that they can’t be read by anyone who intercepts them. WhatsApp stores those encrypted messages in a database file on your Android device. The database file has a .crypt14 file extension, which indicates that it is encrypted using a specific encryption algorithm.
The encryption used by WhatsApp to protect the data in the crypt14 file is end-to-end encryption, which means that only the sender and receiver of a message can read its contents. WhatsApp uses the Signal Protocol for end-to-end encryption, which is considered to be very secure.
You cannot open or read a crypt14 file directly, as the data is encrypted and can only be accessed by WhatsApp using the appropriate encryption keys. To restore your WhatsApp chat history from a backup file, you need to follow the steps provided by WhatsApp to restore the data within the app.
CRYPT14 File Format – More Information
When you back up your WhatsApp messages on an Android device, the app creates a backup file that contains your chat history, media files, and other data. This backup file has a .crypt14 file extension if it was created using WhatsApp version 2.12.556 or later.
To restore your WhatsApp messages from a .crypt14 backup file, you can follow these steps:
- Transfer the backup file to your new Android device or to the same device after a factory reset.
- Install WhatsApp on the device and verify your phone number.
- When prompted, choose to restore your chat history from the backup file.
- Wait for the restore process to complete. This may take some time if you have a large amount of data in your backup file.
- Once the restore is complete, you should be able to access all of your backed-up WhatsApp messages and media files on your Android device.
It is worth noting that if you have a backup file from an older version of WhatsApp (prior to version 2.12.556), the file may have a different file extension and may not be compatible with newer versions of the app. In that case, you may need to first update your WhatsApp app to the latest version and then create a new backup file.