Moving to a New Number in WhatsApp Without Losing Your Chats

It's all done inside the app: Settings → Account → Change number. Enter the old and new numbers in international format, confirm the new one with the code from the SMS, and your conversations, groups and settings move across automatically.

The rule that trips most people into losing their account: do this before the old number stops working. As long as you're still logged in, the old SIM isn't required — but if the account has already dropped out, there's no standard way to bring the history with you.

What to prepare first

A working new number — it has to receive the verification code by SMS or call.
A chat backup. Settings → Chats → Chat backup. Five minutes of insurance in case something goes wrong.
Your two-step verification PIN, if it's enabled. Without it, confirmation can stall.
Both numbers in international format — country code included, no spaces and no local leading zero.

Step by step

On Android

Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings → Account → Change number.
Tap Next and enter the old number in the top field, the new one below.
Choose who to notify about the change (more on that below) and confirm.
Enter the code sent to the new number.

On iPhone

Open the Settings tab in the bottom bar.
Choose Account → Change number.
The rest is the same: two numbers, the notification choice, the confirmation code.

The whole thing takes a couple of minutes. Once it's done, the account belongs entirely to the new number and the old one is released.

Who to notify

WhatsApp offers three options:

All contacts — everyone in your phone book gets the notice.
Contacts you have chats with — the sensible default: it only reaches people you actually talk to.
Custom — you pick the recipients yourself.

The notice arrives as a system message in the chat. Note that even after it, your contacts have to update the number in their own address book manually — otherwise you'll show up as an unknown contact. Group members see the change automatically.

What moves and what doesn't

Travels with the account:

all conversations and media on the device;
group membership and admin rights;
profile photo, name and about text;
privacy settings and the blocked contacts list;
your WhatsApp Business profile, if you use one.

Stays behind with the old number:

the account on the previous number — it's deleted, and someone could eventually register a new profile on it;
old cloud backups — they're tied to the previous number and won't load on the new one;
linked devices — they sometimes have to be connected again.

If the old number is already gone

This splits into two situations.

You're still logged into the app. The good case: no SIM needed, the code goes to the new number, and the old one is simply typed into the field. Run the change as usual and don't log out before it finishes.

You've already logged out or reinstalled. Then there's no standard way to carry the history over: logging in needs a code that only reaches the lost SIM. All that's left is registering fresh on the new number, with an empty history. A local backup from the old phone won't restore either, because the backup is tied to the previous number.

Changing the number while moving to a new phone

Don't do both at once. The correct order:

Make a backup on the old phone.
Install WhatsApp on the new device and log in with the old number, restoring the backup.
Confirm the conversations are all there.
Only then change the number in settings.

Logging into the new phone with the new number straight away gives you an empty account — the history stays attached to the old pairing.

When the change is driven by work

A separate scenario: the move isn't personal but about separating private and business communication. Client conversations on a personal number eventually cause problems — calls outside working hours, mass blocks from recipients, the risk of account restrictions.

The practical answer is usually not to change the number but to split the traffic: the personal one stays as it is, and clients go to a WhatsApp Business profile on a separate number — a second SIM, an eSIM, or ready-made WhatsApp accounts when the profile is meant for one specific line of work. That way a number change stops being a forced measure, and your personal chats aren't exposed to business risk.

Common mistakes

Deleting the account instead of changing the number. Deletion wipes chats and groups permanently — the Change number feature exists precisely so you don't have to.
Changing after the old SIM is off and you've logged out. The most common way to lose an entire history.
A number without the country code. The verification code simply never arrives.
Expecting contacts to update themselves. The notice goes out, but only they can change the entry in their own phone book.
A forgotten two-step verification PIN. Without it, confirmation can turn into a multi-day wait.

If something goes wrong

No code arrives. Wait out the timer and request a call instead of an SMS. Check the number format and that the new SIM is active.
The app won't let you change the number. Update it — the option lives under Account, and older versions lay it out differently.
Chats disappeared after the change. Check whether the account came back as a new one; if so, the backup made beforehand is what saves you.
Too many attempts. Repeated code requests in a row trigger a temporary pause — you'll have to wait.

FAQ

Do my chats survive the number change?

Yes. All conversations, media and groups move to the new number along with the account.

Do I need the old SIM in the phone?

No, as long as you're still logged into the app. The code goes to the new number; the old one is entered manually.

What happens to the old account?

It ceases to exist: the profile on the previous number is deleted at the moment of the change.

Will I stay in my groups?

Yes, admin rights included. Members see a system message saying the number changed.

Can I switch to a number in another country?

Yes, there are no country restrictions — the new number just has to receive an SMS or call.

How often can I change numbers?

There's no technical cap on the count, but repeated verifications in a row can make WhatsApp pause code delivery for a while.

Is the process different in WhatsApp Business?

The steps are the same, but you have to run them inside the Business app — your catalog and company profile move with the number.

In short

Changing your WhatsApp number is a built-in feature under Account, and in the right order it costs you nothing: chats, groups and settings all transfer. Two conditions matter — do it while the account is still active, and make a backup before you start. And if the reason for changing is separating work from personal life, a second profile usually beats moving your only one.