CRYPT File Documentation

Summary

A WhatsApp Messenger Encrypted Message Database Backup file (msgstore.db.cryptNN) is an AES-encrypted copy of your WhatsApp chat database. It is locked with a key tied to your phone and account, so there is no viewer for it and its MIME type is the generic application/octet-stream. The supported way to use a .crypt file is to reinstall WhatsApp on a phone with the same number and let it restore automatically. Decrypting one to a readable database needs the matching key file, and for crypt15 backups your 64-digit key or password.

Technical details

FeatureValue
Full nameWhatsApp Encrypted Message Database Backup
File extension.crypt, .crypt12, .crypt14, .crypt15
Typical filenamemsgstore.db.crypt14
MIME typeapplication/octet-stream
Format typeAES-encrypted SQLite message database backup
CategoryEncoded / encrypted
DeveloperWhatsApp Inc. (Meta)
Introduced2012 (original .crypt); crypt5–crypt15 since
EncryptionAES-256-GCM (crypt12 and later)
IV size16 bytes, stored in the header
Key size256-bit (32-byte) AES key, stored separately from the file
HeaderSmall unencrypted protobuf block (crypt12/14/15) with cipher and key metadata
Magic numberNone — encrypted payload looks random; identify by extension and filename
Decrypted payloadA plain SQLite msgstore.db (messages, chats, timestamps)
Key location (≤crypt14)/data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key (needs root)
Key (crypt15 E2E)Your password or 64-digit key; never sent to WhatsApp’s servers
Open standardNo — proprietary, undocumented
Supported useRestore via WhatsApp on the same phone number
Related extensions.db, .crypt7, .crypt8, .crypt12, .crypt14, .crypt15
Structure at a glance

A .crypt file has no constant magic bytes, because the bulk of it is AES-256-GCM ciphertext that looks like random data. In crypt12, crypt14 and crypt15 the file opens with a small unencrypted header — a protobuf structure carrying the cipher version, a key identifier and the 16-byte initialisation vector (IV) — followed by the encrypted msgstore.db payload and a GCM authentication tag. The 256-bit AES key is not stored in the file: for crypt14 it lives in a separate 158-byte key file in protected app storage, and for crypt15 it is derived from your 64-digit key or backup password. Identify these files by the msgstore.db.cryptNN filename, not by a signature.

What is a CRYPT file?

A .crypt file is an encrypted backup of your WhatsApp chat database. WhatsApp keeps your message history on the phone in an ordinary SQLite database called msgstore.db, and periodically writes an encrypted copy of it with a .crypt extension — on Android these sit in the WhatsApp/Databases folder, with a copy in Google Drive. The numbered suffix names the encryption scheme that produced it: the format has moved through crypt5, crypt7, crypt8, crypt12, crypt14 and the current crypt15, each tightening the cipher. A file named msgstore.db.crypt14 is a crypt14 backup of your messages.

The single most important fact is that a .crypt file is not meant to be opened directly. There is no viewer, and the payload is encrypted with a key that is deliberately not stored beside it. For almost everyone, the correct way to use a .crypt backup is to reinstall WhatsApp on a phone with the same number and let the app restore it. Everything below explains why, and what the honest options are if you want the raw data out.

AES-256-GCM: what the encryption actually is

From crypt12 onward, WhatsApp encrypts the database with AES-256-GCM: the Advanced Encryption Standard with a 256-bit key, in Galois/Counter Mode. GCM is an authenticated cipher, meaning it produces both ciphertext and an authentication tag; if a single byte of the backup is altered, decryption fails the tag check rather than returning garbage. This is why a .crypt file has no usable magic number and looks like random bytes in a hex editor: encrypted output is statistically indistinguishable from noise, by design.

The file is not pure ciphertext, though. crypt12, crypt14 and crypt15 begin with a small unencrypted protobuf header that carries the metadata a decryptor needs before it can start: the cipher version, a key identifier and the 16-byte initialisation vector (IV) that seeds GCM for this particular backup. After that header comes the AES-GCM-encrypted msgstore.db and the trailing authentication tag. Decrypt successfully and you get back a plain SQLite database with the familiar tables of messages, chats, contacts and timestamps.

[ protobuf header ]   cipher version, key id, 16-byte IV   (NOT encrypted)
[ AES-256-GCM data ]  the msgstore.db SQLite database        (encrypted)
[ GCM auth tag ]      integrity check over the ciphertext

The key: the whole point, and why it is separate

The 256-bit AES key is what actually protects your chats, and it is stored apart from the backup on purpose. For classic backups up to crypt14, the key lives in WhatsApp’s protected app storage at /data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key, a 158-byte file that normal apps cannot read; getting it off the device typically requires root access. The backup and its key are two halves of a lock, kept in different places so that possessing one .crypt file is not enough to read anyone’s messages.

Since 2021, WhatsApp offers end-to-end encrypted backups, which produce crypt15. Here the key never reaches WhatsApp’s servers or Google Drive/iCloud at all. Restoring requires something only you hold: either a backup password or a 64-digit encryption key that WhatsApp shows you once, when you turn the feature on. On the device this key is wrapped in an encrypted_backup.key file. The security model is deliberate and strong: if you lose both the password and the 64-digit key, not even WhatsApp can recover a crypt15 backup.

The supported path: restore on the same phone number

In normal use you never touch the .crypt file yourself. WhatsApp manages it end to end. When you reinstall the app and verify the same phone number, WhatsApp locates the most recent local or cloud backup and offers to restore it, decrypting it with the on-device key (or prompting for your crypt15 password or 64-digit key). The phone number is the anchor of the whole system: a backup made on one number cannot be restored onto a different number, which is a frequent source of frustration when people change numbers and expect their history to follow.

Decrypting outside WhatsApp: only with the matching key

People go looking at .crypt files when they switch phones, lose a chat, or want history off a dead device, and they search for “crypt to txt” or “crypt14 viewer”. The honest answer: decryption outside WhatsApp is possible only when you already have the matching key. Open-source forensic tools such as wa-crypt-tools can turn a msgstore.db.crypt14 or .crypt15 into a plain SQLite msgstore.db — but only when you supply the key file (crypt14) or the encrypted_backup.key / 64-digit key (crypt15). Once decrypted, a tool like whatsapp-chat-exporter can render the tables to readable TXT or HTML. Without the key, this is not a matter of finding the right software: AES-256-GCM with an unknown 256-bit key is cryptographically out of reach, and no online converter can change that. For a plain-text copy of a single conversation, the far simpler route is WhatsApp’s own Export chat feature, which produces a .txt without ever touching the .crypt.

Security and privacy considerations

The encrypted file is safe to store and move, but the subject carries real risks worth stating plainly.

Privacy of the decrypted data. A decrypted backup exposes your entire message history in a readable SQLite database. If you ever decrypt one, guard both the resulting msgstore.db and the key with the same care as the chats themselves.

Scam “decryptor” sites. Almost every website or paid app promising to “read your WhatsApp crypt” by upload is fake or a data-harvester. They cannot bypass AES-256-GCM without your key, so an upload either does nothing or simply hands your backup to a stranger. Treat any “crypt to txt” upload tool as hostile.

Your crypt15 credentials. Never share your 64-digit key or backup password. Anyone who has them, plus your backup file, can read all of your chats. That is the entire security of the end-to-end backup.

Rooting. Extracting the crypt14 key requires root access, which itself weakens the phone’s security model and can void warranties. For the overwhelming majority of people, WhatsApp’s own restore on the same number is the safe and correct path.

Frequently asked questions

How do I restore a WhatsApp .crypt backup?

Do not open the file. Reinstall WhatsApp on a phone using the same phone number, and tap Restore when prompted. WhatsApp finds the local (WhatsApp/Databases) or Google Drive / iCloud backup and restores your chats automatically.

Can I open a .crypt file to read my chats directly?

Not without the key. The backup is AES-256-GCM encrypted, so you need the key file from the phone (usually via root) and, for crypt15, your password or 64-digit key. With the key, tools such as wa-crypt-tools decrypt it to a SQLite database; without it, the chats cannot be read.

What do crypt12, crypt14 and crypt15 mean?

They are successive versions of WhatsApp’s backup encryption. crypt15 is used when you enable end-to-end encrypted backups and adds a password or 64-digit key. The matching WhatsApp version restores each; you do not convert between them.

Are online “crypt to txt” or “crypt decryptor” tools real?

Almost never. Decryption is impossible without the matching key, so sites offering to read your .crypt by upload are scams or data-harvesters. To get text, use WhatsApp’s built-in Export chat instead.

I lost my phone — can I still recover chats from the .crypt?

Only if you also have the key (and, for crypt15, the password or 64-digit key). Honestly, without the key a backup from a lost phone usually cannot be decrypted. Your best chance is restoring from your Google Drive or iCloud backup on a new phone with the same number.

References