Fixed! WhatsApp Images Not Showing in Gallery

The images you download from WhatsApp should be also available in your phone’s Gallery app. Most devices have a designated WhatsApp folder within the Gallery where the images are downloaded and organized chronologically, starting from the earliest date.

However, for some unexpected reasons, you might not be able to see the pictures you’ve received or downloaded from WhatsApp. So, in this article, we’re going to show you how to fix Whatsapp images not showing in Gallery on your Android or iPhone devices. By the end of the post, we will also introduce another way to locate and see WhatsApp images. Hopefully, you can get back those important and precious images.

Why WhatsApp Images Are Not Showing in Gallery?

If you can’t see the WhatsApp images in the Gallery, you’re not the only one, as this issue is quite common on Android and iOS devices. If you have used WhatsApp for a period of time, A broad range of factors may lead to WhatsApp media not showing in Gallery.

• A temporary crash on WhatsApp
• Hide WhatsApp photos from Gallery
• Wrong format for WhatsApp images
• WhatsApp is filled up with cache data
• An improper adjustment on WhatsApp settings
• An overdue or inadequate update on WhatsApp

Fixing WhatsApp photos not showing in Gallery is easy regardless of what caused it. You may need to try several different solutions, but you can fix the issue and show WhatsApp images in Gallery by yourself. After each attempt, you are suggested to head back to Gallery and check if the WhatsApp images and videos have become visible once

Further Reading: How to Recover Deleted Photos from WhatsApp >

How to Fix WhatsApp Images Are Not Showing in Gallery

Before you try the following methods, you should restart your phone and check if the problem was in fact a temporary glitch. Also, reinstalling WhatsApp and checking for pending updates of the app might be useful since using an outdated version of WhatsApp could be the reason why you can’t see WhatsApp images in the phone’s allery.

Besides some easy attempts, there are other proven fixes for WhatsApp photos not showing gallery.

Fix 1. Enable the Media Visibility Feature

Normally, when you download WhatsApp pictures, they should be stored in the Gallery app. However, if you are an Android user, you are enabled to set to hide those media files via the Media Visibility feature. Since you may have unexpectedly enabled a setting that rendered the pictures invisible, you should check the Media Visibility setting first and unhide the invisible images you want to see.

1. Launch WhatsApp and tap on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner of the app’s main window.

2. Choose the Settings option and then tap on the Chats submenu.

3. Once the Chats window opens, you’ll be able to see the Chat Settings in the middle section of the screen.

4. Toggle the Media Visibility feature on, and go back to the phone’s Gallery and check if the issue is resolved.

Fix 2. Transfer WhatsApp Photos to a New Folder

Your device may fail to scan the contents of the default folder in which WhatsApp pictures are stored, so moving the photos to a new folder is another way to solve the problem.

1. Launch the File Manager app on your Smartphone, find the WhatsApp folder within the Internal Storage menu, and tap on it to open it.

2. You will see different folders within the WhatsApp folder, so you have to browse through the list until you find that is labeled Media. The WhatsApp Images Folder is located inside the Media folder and you just have to open it to view the pictures you took or received through this app.

3. Select all pictures located in the WhatsApp Images folder, tap on the Move button and choose a new destination where these pictures are going to be stored.

When done, head over to the phone’s gallery to check if the WhatsApp images are visible.

Fix 3. Erase the ‘.NoMedia’ File

Your phone might think that the folder where the WhatsApp pictures are stored doesn’t contain multimedia. As the result, the apps capable of displaying images that are installed on the device don’t scan the contents of that folder.

Such a folder usually contains the ‘.NoMedia’ file that tricks the device into thinking that a particular folder doesn’t contain photos or videos. Deleting this file will resolve the problem.

Step 1. Launch the File Manager app, open the Settings menu and make sure that the ‘Show Hidden Media Files’ option is enabled.

Step 2. Afterward, you should locate the WhatsApp folder in the device’s internal storage and then open the Media folder.

Step 3. Proceed to open the WhatsApp images folder and delete the ‘.NoMedia’ file from both Private and Sent folders.

Fix 4. Clear the WhatsApp’s Cache

The cache data help WhatsApp run faster, but the over-accumulation of such data can slow down the device and cause glitches. That’s why you need to clear the WhatsApp cache occasionally in order to ensure all apps are running smoothly. Here’s how to clear the WhatsApp’s cache:

Step 1. Go to the phone’s Settings, and open the Apps and Notifications menu. Scroll down through the App Info list until you reach WhatsApp and then tap on this app.

Step 2. Tap on the Clear Data and Clear Cache buttons to complete the process.

Step 3. However, you should bear in mind that tapping on the Clear Data button will remove your login data, so you’ll have to sign in to WhatsApp before you can continue using it.

Fix 5. Make Sure the Images Are Not Hidden

WhatsApp lets you hide all multimedia content you receive from one contact without affecting the media visibility of other contacts. This feature is enabled by default which is the reason why you can see the images sent by a particular contact in the phone’s gallery.

As soon as this option is disabled, you’ll no longer be able to see the images they’ve sent you. In order to activate this feature again, you have to follow these steps.

1. Open WhatsApp and then expand the chat with a particular contact.
2. Tap on the contact’s name that is located at the top of the screen and choose the Media Visibility option from the new window.
3. Make sure that either Default (Yes) or Yes option is selected.
4. Go to the phone Gallery to check if the images you received from this contact are visible.

Fix 6. Adjust the iPhone’s Privacy Settings

If you’re using WhatsApp on any version of the iPhone, you should check if the Photos app has permission to access WhatsApp pictures. In most cases, this permission is issued automatically, but some users disable this option by accident.  Here’s how to give the Photos app permission to display images from WhatsApp.

Step 1. Go to the Settings app, expand the Privacy section and choose the Photos from the list.

You will be able to see the list of apps that requested access to the Photos app, and you should select WhatsApp from that list.

Step 2. After the WhatsApp window opens, you’ll be able to see Allow Photos Access section that contains Selected Photos, All Photos, and None options. Make sure that the All Photos option is selected and check if you can see WhatsApp on photos on the device’s camera roll.

An Alternative to View WhatsApp Images on Your Phone

If you fail to open WhatsApp images in Gallery after trying the mentioned methods, you might delete them someday. In this case, you can use another alternative way to recover and view the WhatsApp images. For Android users,  DroidKit – Android Data Recovery can help you recover WhatsApp photos, videos, messages, and other attachments in a few simple steps. No WhatsApp backup or root are required in advance and DroidKit supports all Android brands and Android versions. All you need to do is to free install the latest version of DroidKit. connect your Android phone to the computer and take the following steps to see WhatsApp images on your phone.

Step 1. Install DroidKit on your computer > Launch the program > Choose WhatsApp Recovery under the Recover Lost Data mode as below.

Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your Android phone to the computer and click on the Next button to initiate the process.

Step 3. Install WhatsApp Custom version and back up WhatsApp data from your phone using 4 steps that are shown on the interface.

Step 4. Completing step 4, you should click on the Next button to proceed to see WhatsApp images and other attachments.

Step 5. Tap on the WhatsApp option on the left panel and view WhatsApp images not showing in Gallery.

Bonus Tip. How to Avoid WhatsApp Images Not Showing in Gallery?

To avoid WhatsApp media not showing in gallery, you are highly suggested to frequently back up WhatsApp images or photos from your mobile device. Among the most popular application backup tools in 2021, AppTrans offers an easy way to either move all your WhatsApp data from one Smartphone to another or to create backups on a computer for multimedia files you send and receive through WhatsApp.

Get the latest version of AppTrans and open it on your computer. Refer to the following detailed guide on how you can back up WhatsApp images with AppTrans.

Step 1. Connect your device to a computer and then open the AppTrans. Select the App Backup option in the software’s welcome window and then click on the Back Up Now button.

Step 2. You will be asked to confirm the source device you’d like to back up, so simply click on the Back Up Now button if the source and target devices are properly connected.

Step 3. The software will generate the list of all apps you have on your phone, and you should scroll down the list until you spot WhatsApp.

Step 4. Click on the Back Up Now button and wait for the software to complete the backup of WhatsApp. Afterward, you can go to the destination folder in which the backup is located to view the WhatsApp photos on your computer.

The Bottom Line

It shouldn’t be difficult to find a solution if you’re having difficulties viewing the WhatsApp images in your phone’s Gallery.

In most cases, updating the app or restarting the device will resolve the issue, but if it doesn’t you should go through the phone’s and WhatsApp’s settings and check if the issue is hidden there. If none of the solutions work, you are suggested to try DroidKit to locate and view WhatsApp on your phone. To avoid WhatsApp not showing in Gallery next time, you can use AppTrans to create a frequent backup of WhatsApp’s data on your computer, and then use that backup to transfer the photos to your phone’s gallery. Did you find this article useful? Lets us know in the comments.