How to Recover Message History, Contacts and Viber Files on Android or Windows

The article presents methods for recovering chat history, messages, videos or photos sent with Viber on Windows or Android. Our article will be useful for Viber users, who ever needed to restore their message or chat history, videos or photos that were send via this messenger, or to restore their chat history after reinstallation of the operating system, or when they begin using this application from another computer. This article will be interesting for those who use Viber on Android and Windows, because we will describe both versions of the popular messenger.

How to Recover Message History, Contacts and Viber Files on Android or Windows

Creating and Restoring Backup Copies of Message History on Android

Viber is a messenger application just like WhatsApp, and they are rivals to some extent. Millions of users all over the world communicate with the help of this application, using their smartphones, tablet PCs, laptops or desktop PCs.

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How to Restore Chat History, Contacts and Files for Viber in Android or Windows 💬📁⚕️

How to Restore Chat History, Contacts and Files for Viber in Android or Windows 💬📁⚕️

Many chats have certain value for their users. That is why application developers provided the opportunity to create a backup copy of Viber chats. However, such backup copy has certain limitations: a chat backup copy can be created and read as text, but it cannot be restored in the application itself; copies of sent files (photos, videos etc) are not saved to such text files.

In order to save a copy of Viber chat:

  • Start the application and open Menu.

    Viber. Menu
  • Go to Settings / Calls and messages

    Viber. Settings
  • Choose Send email or Email message history (depending on the version of the application).

    Viber. Calls and messages


    Viber. Creating Backup File...


    Viber. Email message history

This way, Viber helps you to create a backup copy of messenger chats and send it to your email. Chats will be put into an archived .zip folder as .csv files with the names of contacts that you chatted to. Each of the files only includes text messages, and in place of sent or received files, there is a note saying, for example, «A photo image» instead of the actual picture.

However, these files with chat copies cannot be restored back to Viber.

Restoring or Transferring Viber Chats on Android

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How to Install Viber On a Computer Without Using a Smartphone 💬 💻 📵

How to Install Viber On a Computer Without Using a Smartphone 💬 💻 📵

As well as any other messenger, Viber keeps message history in a separate file. Having restored such file or created its backup copy, you can place it into the folder where the application itself saves it, and thus restore a user’s chat history..

The file containing Viber message history is kept in the following folder (if this is an Android device):

/data/data/com.viber.voip/databases/

and is named viber_messages

Viber. /data/data/com.viber.voip/databases/

Note. The folder containing Viber data is located in the internal system memory of your device. You can access it only when you have Root rights or use a kind of Root explorer software.

If it is necessary to restore your Viber chat history (for example, after reinstalling the application), go to the above said folder and replace the existing file viber_messages with its previously created backup copy, and then start Viber.

Restoring Message History on Another PC or After Reinstalling Windows

The PC version of Viber is not as popular as the one for smartphones, but still it has a number of advantages and a vast user audience. To start using Viber on a PC, you will need to have an active mobile account. A PC version won’t work without the mobile account.

So, is it possible to restore chat history in Viber for PC? Because, as we have already mentioned before, Viber message history cannot be restored in this application itself. You can only create a text copy of the chat or repace the file containing chat history.

All chat history (in Viber for PC version) is kept in the file viber.db in this folder on disk С:
C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Roaming\ViberPC\Phone Number

All chat history (in Viber for PC version) is kept in the file viber.db in this folder C:UsersUser NameAppDataRoamingViberPCPhone Number

To restore Viber chat history, you need to restore that file.

So if the operating system on your computer has been reinstalled, and you need to restore your Viber chat history, you should do the following:

  • Run Hetman Partition Recovery and scan disk C of your computer.

  • With the help of this program, find the file viber.db and recover it.

    Hetman Partition Recovery. Scan disk C of your computer.
  • Go to this folder on your computer
    C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Roaming\ViberPC\Phone Number

  • Replace the existing file viber.db with the recovered file that contains your chat history

  • Start Viber

If you need to transfer Viber history to another computer, just replace the file in the abovesaid application folder, with your phone number in another PC, with a recover chat history file viber.db.

Restoring Received and Sent Viber Files

As we know, one can use Viber not only for text messaging, but also to send files: images, sound files or video files. If the application runs on a smartphone, it saves all received or sent files to a memory card; if this is a PC-based version, files are saved to the hard disk.

In the smartphone memory card, such files are by default saved to the folder:
sdcard/viber/media/

Viber. sdcard/viber/media/

On a computer hard disk, such files are by default saved to the folder:
C:\Users\UserName\Documents\ViberDownloads

Received and Sent Viber Files C:UsersUserNameDocumentsViberDownloads

Here are the most frequent causes why files sent or received via Viber can be lost:

  • Viruses
  • Accidental deleting
  • Formatting a PC hard disk or a smartphone memory card
  • Restoring Viber standard settings or resetting the smartphone

In any of the cases above, the files received or sent via Viber can be restored with Hetman Partition Recovery. To do it, start the program and scan the media you need to restore Viber files from (a smartphone memory card or a computer hard disk).

The tool recovers data from any devices, regardless of the cause of data loss.
Hetman Partition Recovery. Find the files you need to restore, create a list for recovery and save it by clicking Recover

Find the files you need to restore, create a list for recovery and save it by clicking Recover.

Added in January 2019

Please note that the latest versions of Viber do not keep any data on the memory card of a smartphone or tablet PC.

That is why all files (images, videos, audio files, documents etc) sent or received with Viber are no longer saved to the memory of your device, but to the folder

/viber/media

Viber

If such files are deleted from the chat, they are still kept in that folder. You can just go to /viber/media, and open the folder corresponding to the type of the file you are looking for.

Viber
Vladimir Artiukh

Author: , Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: , Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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