One of WhatsApp’s most useful features is the archiving of both individual and group chats: moving them to an archive will hide them in the app without being deleted
WhatsApp is one of the most used and appreciated messaging apps and offers numerous functions to its users. Among them is the ability to archive chats, both individual and group, by moving them from the main list on the app’s opening screen to a hidden section called Archive.
The feature is very useful for putting aside the conversation you don’t intend to continue, because the chats won’t be deleted but can be retrieved later, to reread the messages or to reactivate it. Besides, when you archive a chat it will automatically return to the main list if you receive new messages from the contact. The ways to archive WhatsApp chats, whether they are individual or group chats, are different depending on the device used whether it is Android, iOS or the desktop version of WhatsApp Web. Here’s how to archive a chat.
WhatsApp Android, how to archive a chatÂ
To archive a WhatsApp chat on an Android device you will have to hold down the conversation you want to hide and a menu will appear at the top of the screen on the right with four buttons. Click on the folder with the downward arrow to transfer the chat to the Archive section.
If you want to archive all chats, go to the main screen of the app, select the three dots in the upper right corner and then follow the path Chats > Chat History > Archive all chats.
To access the Archive, simply scroll through the entire chat list until you get to “Archived chats” and tap. To restore a chat, simply open it and send a message to the contact, or hold the chat and when the top menu opens, tap on the folder with the arrow pointing towards to extract it from the archive.
WhatsApp iOS, how to archive a chat
If you are using an iOS device, the procedure of archiving WhatsApp chats with iPhone will be different than with an Android smartphone. From the Chat screen, you have to slide the single chat or group you want to archive to the left and then tap Archive.
To archive all the chats in one go, you will have to follow the path WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Archive all chats.
As for Android, receiving a message from that contact or on the group will restore the chat to the main list automatically. Otherwise, to extract it from the archive, you’ll have to scroll down the list until you reach Archived Chats, locate the conversation, slide it to the left, and then tap Extract from archive.
WhatsApp Web, how to archive a chat
The desktop version of WhatsApp Web offers the possibility to archive chats and organize them better in the app as well. To archive a chat you have to bring the mouse cursor to the conversation you want to archive, scroll to the end of the pane and open the menu, then click on Archive chat.
To extract the conversation from the archive just type the name of the contact or group in the search bar, or click on the Menu of the three vertical dots at the top of the list of chats, select Archive, open the menu on the right in the contact pane and select Extract chat from archive.