How to change your WhatsApp number without losing your old chats and backup

If you are looking to change your WhatsApp number without losing your old chats and backup, WhatsApp has a new Change Number feature that allows you to change the number associated with your WhatsApp account.

WhatsApp is one app that we use almost every hour of the day and while it has become an essential part of our lives, we connect through WhatsApp in ways that not many have even thought of some year back. From sharing Statuses to chatting with friends, from being part of our organisations’ WhatsApp group to stay connected through a family group or sharing pictures, there is no denying the fact our WhatsApp account is nothing short of a prized possession in our lives.

However, there might be a time when you need to change your registered contact number and earlier it meant that you will end up losing all your WhatsApp chats and backups while also going through the process of letting every individual from a chat or a WhatsApp group know your new contact number.

But that is not the case now and if you are looking to change your WhatsApp number without losing your old chats and backup, WhatsApp has a new Change Number feature which allows users to change their phone number associated with their WhatsApp accounts before they verify their new number.

How to change your WhatsApp number without losing your old chats and backup

1. Open WhatsApp on your device and Go to the Menu option
2. Tap on Settings and then on the Account tab.
3. Select Change Number option and enter your old phone number in the top box.
4. Now, enter your new phone number for WhatsApp in the bottom box.
5. Tap ‘Done’ and you will be prompted to verify your new WhatsApp number.
6. Your chat history will now continue to be available on your device with the new WhatsApp number, however, you will need to continue using the same device.

“When you change your WhatsApp phone number, your contacts won't individually be informed of the change. Only participants that share group chats with you will see that you changed your number. For a seamless messaging experience, notify your contacts that your number will be changing before you begin this process,” says WhatsApp.