Encrypted WhatsApp backup to OneDrive or an external drive

The idea: a file in a folder

Kaption Backups keeps one encrypted backup file of your WhatsApp chats. You pick the folder once. Kaption writes the file there and keeps it current.

That is all Kaption does with storage. It does not sign in to OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud, and it does not upload anything. If the folder is synced by a cloud app, that app syncs the encrypted file like any other file. Kaption's servers never receive the file or the password.

It works in WhatsApp Web with the Kaption extension for Chrome and Edge, and in the Kaption desktop app for Mac and Windows.

Which folder to choose

OneDrive

Install OneDrive on your computer as usual, and pick a folder inside it. Good for teams on Microsoft 365: the company's own sharing settings decide who can reach the folder.

Google Drive or iCloud Drive

Same idea with Google Drive for desktop or iCloud Drive. See how to back up WhatsApp chats to Google Drive or iCloud from your computer for that walkthrough.

An external drive

Pick a folder on a USB or external drive if you want a copy that is not in any cloud. Keep the drive connected while backups run. If it is unplugged, Kaption can't write to it until it is back.

A plain folder on your computer

This works too, but the copy then lives only on that computer. If the computer is lost, so is the file. A synced folder or a second drive is safer.

If you pick a new folder later, Kaption starts a new backup file there. The old file stays where it was and still opens.

Encrypted before it reaches the folder

The file is locked on your computer before it is saved. It uses a password you choose, at least 10 characters:

• Nobody, not even Kaption, can open the file without it.
• Whoever can reach the folder still sees only an encrypted file.
• There is no recovery. If you forget the password, the backup cannot be opened.

You can change the password later. Only the start of the file changes, and from then on only the new password opens it.

What goes into the file

• Every chat of the account: messages, contacts, groups and labels
• Voice-note transcripts
• Small profile pictures
• Messages deleted later, marked "Deleted in WhatsApp"
• On paid plans, photos, videos, voice notes and documents

Media makes the file bigger. If storage is tight, you can turn media off and keep text and transcripts.

How often it updates

• Export now writes a one-off file, on every plan.
• Continuous backups, on paid plans, add only what changed every hour. If nothing changed, nothing is written. Syncing apps then only have the new part to move.

After a browser restart, the extension may ask you to allow folder access again. Choose Allow access so backups keep running.

Opening the backup

Choose View backup, type the password, and the backup opens read-only in a new tab, laid out like WhatsApp, with search across every chat and transcript. You can also open the file from that folder on another computer with Kaption and the password.

FAQ

Can I back up WhatsApp to OneDrive?

Not with WhatsApp itself. With Kaption, pick a folder inside your OneDrive folder, and OneDrive syncs the encrypted backup file.

Can I back up WhatsApp to an external hard drive?

Yes. Pick a folder on the drive and keep it connected while backups run.

Does Kaption have access to my OneDrive?

No. Kaption only writes a file to a folder on your computer. It never signs in to OneDrive or any other cloud.

Can someone with access to the folder read my chats?

Not without the password. The file is encrypted.

Can I restore this backup into WhatsApp?

No. Kaption backups are view-only. Keep WhatsApp's own backup on if you want to restore chats onto a phone.