Where Are WeChat Chat Files Stored?
WeChat's chat file folders on Windows and macOS, the xwechat_files rename in version 4, and where received images and documents land.
Last updated
The desktop versions of WeChat keep a full local copy of what you receive: documents, images, videos, and the chat database itself. None of it lives on your phone. Everything sits in one folder per account, named after your WeChat ID.
That folder moved in version 4.0, released in 2025. WeChat 3.x used a folder called WeChat Files, while 4.x renamed it to xwechat_files and rearranged what is inside. Old attachments are kept as hard links instead of being copied, which is why both folders can exist side by side after an upgrade.
The easiest way to reach the live one is inside the app: open Settings and find the file management entry, which shows the path and opens it for you. The defaults below are what you get if you have never changed that setting.
Where WeChat stores this, by platform
C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\xwechat_files\[WeChat-ID]\msg\file\
This is the WeChat 4.x data folder. Received documents sit in msg\file, sorted into month folders like 2026-09; images are in msg\attach as encrypted .dat files; videos are in msg\video. The account folder is named after your WeChat ID, often starting with wxid_, and you can move the whole tree from Settings > File Management. Some installs place xwechat_files directly under C:\Users\[Username] instead of Documents. WeChat 3.x used Documents\WeChat Files\[WeChat-ID]\FileStorage\File instead, with Image and Video as sibling folders (versions 3.7.0.26 to 3.9 parked images under FileStorage\MsgAttach).
~/Library/Containers/com.tencent.xinWeChat/Data/Documents/xwechat_files/[account]/msg/
WeChat 4.x on macOS keeps the same msg structure as Windows: file, attach and video subfolders under the account directory. Reach it with Finder > Go > Go to Folder, since your Library folder is hidden by default. Before 4.0, everything lived under ~/Library/Containers/com.tencent.xinWeChat/Data/Library/Application Support/com.tencent.xinWeChat/[version]/[account]/, with chat attachments in Message\MessageTemp.
Frequently asked questions
Where does WeChat save received files on PC?
On WeChat 4.x: Documents\xwechat_files\[your WeChat ID]\msg\file, in month folders such as 2026-09, usually under the original filename. On the older 3.x versions the same files are in Documents\WeChat Files\[your WeChat ID]\FileStorage\File, also grouped by month.
Why is there no WeChat Files folder on my PC?
Version 4.0 renamed the data folder to xwechat_files. Both folders can sit side by side for a while after an upgrade, because 4.x hard-links the old attachments instead of copying them. Trust whatever path Settings > File Management shows as current.
Where are WeChat images stored on Mac?
In the container at ~/Library/Containers/com.tencent.xinWeChat/Data/Documents/xwechat_files/[account]/msg/attach. Images are saved as encrypted .dat files, so they only display inside WeChat or after you convert them with a decoder tool.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.