# Backup number of messages **URL:** \ **Category:** Mutual Help\ **Created:** [May 29, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104 "2022-05-29T16:59:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/1 "2022-05-29T16:59:20Z")
Hello, when creating a backup, is there a limit on the number of messages per contact and group? On my mobile (iOS 15.5) with DC version 1.30.1 all the messages are there, but on the desktop (macOS 12.4) a group is missing the oldest ones. Tried it with both version 1.28.2 and 1.29.1. The backup is of course up to date. If it’s not normal, maybe it’s because I temporarily added a non-DC contact as a test? Only the history after the contact was removed is displayed on the desktop. ---
**Author:** ![link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/link2xt/32/1971_2.png) [@link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/u/link2xt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/2 "2022-05-29T23:24:14Z")
There is no limit on the number of messages in the backup. Backup is simply a copy of the database as used by the client, so if message is displayed in the client, it also goes into the backup. ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 10:51am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/3 "2022-05-30T10:51:14Z")
OK, that’s weird. 🤔 I just created a new backup on my cell phone and then imported it into the desktop version. Some of the mails simply weren’t transmitted. ---
**Author:** ![kkimber](https://forum.delta.chat/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/8baadc/32.png) [@kkimber](https://forum.delta.chat/u/kkimber)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/4 "2022-05-30T11:10:33Z")
maybe… > [@Delta Chat was deleting non-DC messages](https://support.delta.chat/t/delta-chat-was-deleting-non-dc-messages/2103/6): > > that’s helpful - if we trust that filter worked (and I don’t have any reason to doubt it) then only messages from 2022-03-08 to present might have been subject to silent and arbitrary deletion. I have a full mailbox backup from 2020-05 and from 2021-08, the former from before installing delta chat at all, the latter from before 1.27.0. If I find any evidence of older mail being deleted, I’ll report it as it might help others who also suffered mail destruction. ---
**Author:** ![link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/link2xt/32/1971_2.png) [@link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/u/link2xt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 11:34am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/5 "2022-05-30T11:34:20Z")
This is unrelated, that bug is about deleting messages on IMAP server, not in the Delta Chat database. ---
**Author:** ![link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/link2xt/32/1971_2.png) [@link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/u/link2xt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 11:36am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/6 "2022-05-30T11:36:00Z")
What happens if you backup from desktop again and restore on the phone? Maybe the problem is that Desktop does not display some messages that are in the database? ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/7 "2022-05-30T15:30:01Z")
The problem is solved! DC really does transfer the whole chat-history to the desktop. I can access the old messages using the search function. Because I temporarily added a non-DC contact as a test, DC no longer fully recognizes the history from the backup, but only the new or the old part. When I jump to the old one using a search, I can only scroll down to the point at which the contact was added. After a restart, only the new one is displayed again. So the part after removing the contact. I deleted the non-DC contact’s messages on the phone and made a new backup. Now DC desktop recognizes all chat history again. 🥳 ---
**Author:** ![link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/link2xt/32/1971_2.png) [@link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/u/link2xt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/8 "2022-05-30T20:12:23Z")
This sounds like a bug, but I don’t understand the steps needed to reproduce this. You already had a chat with some contact, then copied a backup, then you added a contact (again? how?) and all new messages after that went into a new chat, unrelated to the previous one? And previous chat disappeared and can only be found in the search? Does this bug sound like something related? > > > i have one recent one-to-one chat that cannot be found by the global search; the… chat is there and even recently used, but typing in its name, it is not displayed in the search result. > > i assume, that \`chat.name\` is somehow not set accordingly, i'll investigate a bit and try to create a failing test. > > maybe related to https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-ios/issues/1505 (that was closed that time as reproducing fails) ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/9 "2022-05-30T22:43:40Z")
I added an email address to an already existing group. Just to see what happens if you add someone who doesn’t use DC to a DC-group. It worked quite well. The encryption was of course lifted. Then I removed the address and the group continued as normal. When scrolling through the chat history in the desktop app, I noticed that the oldest messages in the group were missing. But they were present on the mobile phone. I made a new backup and imported it into the desktop app. However, the oldest messages were still missing. So I suspected that maybe only a limited number of messages are backed up. I think that used to be the case with WhatsApp. Then I searched for one of the missing posts in the desktop app by simply typing in an old one. The search was successful. All the messages were probably there, but the old ones weren’t displayed. I used the search function to jump to the appropriate place in the history. Then I scrolled through the group chat. But now the more recent posts were gone. After restarting the app, only the newer messages were displayed again. So you could only see either the messages before the address was added or after it was removed. I deleted the messages that were written in between on the phone and created a new backup. After the import, the entire history of the group was visible again, except for the deleted messages, of course. ---
**Author:** ![link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/link2xt/32/1971_2.png) [@link2xt](https://forum.delta.chat/u/link2xt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/10 "2022-05-30T22:49:34Z")
When you added a non-DC address to the group, Delta Chat was already installed on both mobile and desktop? Seems desktop decided it was a new group and started adding all the following messages there. Old messages probably remained in the old chat that went down in your chatlist, but was not gone. ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/11 "2022-05-31T12:24:43Z")
> [@link2xt](#): > > When you added a non-DC address to the group, Delta Chat was already installed on both mobile and desktop? Yes. > [@link2xt](#): > > Seems desktop decided it was a new group and started adding all the following messages there. Old messages probably remained in the old chat that went down in your chatlist, but was not gone. I assume so too. ---
**Author:** ![r10s](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/r10s/32/1513_2.png) [@r10s](https://forum.delta.chat/u/r10s)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/backup-number-of-messages/2104/12 "2026-10-06T15:04:18Z")