WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the handy features in WhatsApp is the ability to archive chats – this removes the chat from your main chat list, while still keeping the messages available in case you need to refer back to them.
However, sometimes chats get archived by accident, or you realize you need to access an older archived conversation. So a common question is – can I recover archived chats in WhatsApp if I need them again?
The short answer is yes, it is possible to restore your archived WhatsApp chats and access old conversations again. In this article, we’ll explain exactly how to recover and unarchive chats on both iPhone and Android devices.
Reasons You Might Want to Restore Archived Chats
There are a few main reasons why you may need to access your archived WhatsApp chats:
- You accidentally archived an important or recent chat, and want to easily find it again in your main chat list.
- You need to look back through an old conversation to find certain details, photos, documents etc that were shared.
- You archived a chat to clear space and minimize distractions, but now need to refer back to it again.
- You got a new phone and need to recover archived chats that didn’t transfer over.
Luckily it’s straightforward to retrieve your archived messages when needed.
How to Recover Archived Chats on iPhone
If you use WhatsApp on an iPhone, here are the steps to unarchive chats and find your old conversations again:
- Open the WhatsApp app and tap on the Chats tab at the bottom.
- At the top of your chat list, tap on ‘Archived’.
- This will open your Archived chats. Scroll to find the chat you want to unarchive.
- Tap and hold on the chat, then choose ‘Unarchive’ from the menu.
That chat will now be moved back into your main Chats list for easy access.
You can also choose to unarchive all chats at once from your Archived list by tapping the three dots icon in the top-right corner, and selecting ‘Unarchive All Chats’.
Searching Archived Chats on iPhone
If you have a lot of archived conversations, trying to scroll and find a specific chat can be difficult. Fortunately, WhatsApp has a search function that works within your archived messages as well.
To search your archived chats on an iPhone:
- Open your Archived list in WhatsApp.
- Tap the Search bar at the top and enter your search term – this could be a contact name, keyword, date etc.
- Chats containing the search term will appear. Tap the one you need to open it.
- Unarchive the chat when you’ve found it.
Using WhatsApp’s search tools makes finding a specific archived conversation much quicker.
How to Recover Archived Chats on Android
The process works very similarly on Android devices:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on ‘Chats’.
- Tap on the three dots menu icon at the top-right.
- Choose ‘Archived chats’ from the menu.
- Browse your archived chats, then long press the conversation you want to unarchive.
- Select ‘Unarchive chat’ to move it back to your Chats list.
As on iPhone, you can also unarchive all chats at once by tapping the menu button in your archived list and choosing ‘Unarchive all chats’.
Searching Archived Chats on Android
To search for a specific chat in your WhatsApp archived messages on Android:
- Open your Archived chats.
- Tap on the search icon at the top of the screen.
- Type in a search term like a name or date.
- Tap on the chat in the results to open it.
- Long press and choose ‘Unarchive chat’ once you’ve found it.
How Long Do Archived Chats Stay in WhatsApp?
Archived WhatsApp chats will remain in your archived list indefinitely, rather than being deleted. So even very old archived conversations will still be stored in your app, as long as you haven’t deleted WhatsApp.
The only case where your archived chats may be removed is if you switch devices or reinstall WhatsApp:
- When you get a new phone and restore a WhatsApp backup, archived chats over one year old won’t transfer.
- If you uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, archived chats may be lost.
Other than those scenarios, your archived messages are preserved in the app for as long as you need them. There is no limit on how long chats can be archived for.
Can You Recover Deleted WhatsApp Chats?
If a chat has been deleted completely from WhatsApp, your options for recovering it are limited. But it may be possible in some cases.
Here are a few ways you could potentially restore deleted WhatsApp messages:
- Restore from a recent WhatsApp backup – if the chat was deleted after the last backup, it will return.
- Use a third party data recovery app on your phone.
- If the messages were recently deleted, ask the sender to resend them.
However, there are no guarantees with retrieving deleted WhatsApp chats. Your best option is to regularly back up your WhatsApp data to avoid losing messages. Archived chats are much easier to recover.
What Happens When You Archive a Chat?
Archiving a chat in WhatsApp simply removes it from your main Chats list. The entire chat history remains saved and available in your Archived list.
Archiving does not:
- Delete any messages in the chat.
- Prevent new incoming messages from appearing.
- Stop notifications from the chat if you still have them enabled.
It also does not notify the other person that you have archived the chat. Archiving is only a tool to organize and declutter your own chat list.
Archiving vs. Muting Conversations
In addition to archiving chats, WhatsApp also gives you the option to mute conversations. This stops notifications from a chosen chat.
The differences between archiving and muting are:
| Archiving | Muting |
|---|---|
| Removes the chat from your Chat list. | Keeps the chat in your Chat list. |
| You can still open and view the chat in Archives. | You can still open and view the muted chat normally. |
| Does not affect notifications. | Stops all notifications from the chat. |
| Other person is unaware. | Other person is unaware. |
So in summary:
- Use archiving to organize your chat list by removing conversations.
- Use muting to keep chats in your list but silence notifications.
You can also archive and mute a chat at the same time if you wish.
Conclusion
Being able to archive and unarchive WhatsApp chats provides a great way to keep your messaging app decluttered while still having access to old conversations. If you accidentally archive a chat or need to refer back to a previous discussion, just head to your Archived messages and restore it.
Just remember archived chats are kept indefinitely, while deleted messages are much harder to recover. So avoid deleting conversations if you think you may need them again in the future. With WhatsApp’s archive feature, there’s no need to remove chats permanently.