How to Restore Backup on Signal Desktop: A Complete Guide

Many users are curious whether it’s feasible to recover backup and import chat history on Signal Desktop. While this functionality is officially restricted to mobile devices, there is a workaround to bypass this restriction.

How Can I Restore My Signal Backup on a PC?

1. Prepare the Backup

1. Ensure you have the latest version of Signal Desktop installed.
2. Completely shut down Signal Desktop.
3. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
4. In the Processes tab, terminate all running Signal processes.
   

   

5. Hit Windows key + R , type in %appdata%
   

   

   , and press Enter .

6. Locate the Signal directory and copy all its contents to a secure location.
7. Uninstall Signal Desktop.

2. Move the Data

1. Reinstall Signal Desktop, making sure to use the same version as before.
2. Launch the application, but refrain from linking it to your mobile device.
3. Close the Signal application again, then access Task Manager to stop any running Signal processes.
4. Press Windows key + R, type %appdata%, and press Enter.
5. Find the Signal folder, and paste the backup files you saved earlier. Confirm to overwrite any existing files if prompted.
6. Now, you can open Signal.

Where Are Messages Stored in Signal Desktop?

Your messages can be found on your computer in this directory: C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Roaming\Signal

As outlined, it is indeed possible to restore a backup on Signal Desktop. However, it’s important to remember that this feature is not officially supported, which means it may not function reliably in the future.