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Android On-device Backups

What Are On-device Backups?

On-device backups are encrypted backups stored directly on your Android device. They are used to save and restore your Signal message history without using Signal Secure Backups.

Key Points

  • Make sure Signal is up to date.
  • When you create an On-device backup, Signal generates a recovery key.
  • This recovery key is required to restore the backup.
  • You must manually create a backup or set an On-device backup schedule.
  • Backups include all messages and media available at the time of the backup.

Additional Information

  • You cannot restore without both the backup folder and the recovery key.
  • Disappearing messages with short timers (one day or less) are not included.

How to Create an On-device Backup on Android

  1. Open Signal and navigate to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > Backups.
  2. Tap On-device backups > Turn on backups. 
  3. Choose a folder for storing your backup and allow permissions for Signal if needed. 
  4. Tap View recovery key and carefully store it. Then tap Next. 
  5. Confirm the recovery key you just recorded and tap Next. 

Backup Folder Format

The new On-device backup format uses a folder structure instead of a single .backup file. Each backup folder is named in the following format:

signal-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS

How to Restore an On-device Backup on Android

  • Both Android On-device backups and Desktop On-device backups
  • Make sure you have enabled and created a Signal On-device backup on the Android or Desktop device that has your Signal message history.
  • Move the backup file onto the internal storage of the device you'd like to restore to.
  • Install Signal to enter the registration flow. This is where the restore option will be presented. 

  • On the "Restore or transfer account" screen, select From a local backup

  • Select your Signal backup folder. When restoring, select the entire folder—not individual files inside it.
  • Enter your recovery key.
  • Complete registration to restore your messages and media.

Additional Information

Where can I find the backup folder?

  • On your Android device where the backup was created and saved, you can find the folder containing the Signal backup file by navigating to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > Backups > On-device backups > Backup folder.
  • For older versions of Signal, the backup file signal-year-month-date-time.backup can be found at  /Internal Storage/Signal/Backups or /sdcard/Signal/Backups.
  • If you created a Signal Desktop backup, you can find your backup folder by going to Signal Desktop Settings > Backups > Desktop Backups (Manage) > Backup folder (Show in Finder). 

What if I forget my recovery key and need to restore messages on a new device?

  • You will be unable to restore a backup without the recovery key. Think of the recovery key as a key that can not be duplicated. When you create the backup, you create the recovery key and then it is used to lock the backup. There is only one copy of the key and it is not known to anyone but you. You can create a new backup to create a new recovery key. 

I am having issues with On-device Backups

  • Make sure your backup file is available on the Android device where you want to restore.
  • Some devices may need to power down and restart to see the backup folder.
  • Make sure the backup file is visible. As a reminder, backup folder names follow this format: signal-year-month-date-time.backup.
  • Enable all the permissions for Signal.
    • The media permission is required in order to locate the backup folder on your device storage.

What does the backup folder contain?

  • backup.db — Your encrypted message database
  • attachments/ — A folder containing your media files
  • manifest.json — Backup metadata and verification info

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