WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the handy features of WhatsApp is the ability to organize your chats into different folders or categories. This can help keep your chats organized and make it easier to find specific conversations when you need them.
What are WhatsApp chat folders?
WhatsApp chat folders allow you to categorize your different chats into separate folders. For example, you could have a “Friends” folder for chats with your friends, a “Family” folder for chats with your family members, a “Work” folder for work-related chats, and so on.
This is similar to how you can organize your emails into different folders or categories in an email app. The key difference is that on WhatsApp, you manually move chats into different folders rather than having them automatically sorted.
How to create chat folders on WhatsApp
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not currently have an official built-in feature to make custom chat folders. However, there are some workarounds and third-party apps that allow you to categorize your chats:
Use a third-party app
There are several apps available for Android and iOS devices that can help you organize your WhatsApp chats into folders. Some popular options include:
- WA Tweaker (Android)
- WAMR (Android)
- ChatFolders (iOS)
These apps work by accessing your WhatsApp database and allowing you to categorize chats into groups. The folder organization will only be visible within the third-party app – not directly in your WhatsApp app.
Use WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business, aimed at businesses, has a built-in feature to organize chats into folders like “Unread” and “Contacts.” You can download WhatsApp Business and use it to categorize your personal chats.
Create group chats
You can simulate folders by creating different WhatsApp Groups, naming them after your desired folders, and moving relevant chats into each Group. The caveat is that this will notify people when you move chats.
Use WhatsApp on multiple devices
If you link WhatsApp to multiple devices, you can sort your chats into folders on each separate device. For example, you may want to keep work chats on your computer and personal chats on your phone.
Pros of organizing WhatsApp chats into folders
Here are some benefits of using folders for your WhatsApp chats:
- Stay organized – Folders help you keep different types of chats separated so your inbox doesn’t get cluttered.
- Find chats faster – You can find work, family or friend chats quicker without having to scroll through everything.
- Prioritize chats – Important or unread chats can be moved to their own folders.
- Customize categories – You can make folders based on your needs, like projects, travel, or holidays.
- Cross-device access – Folders can be accessed across linked devices.
Cons of chat folders on WhatsApp
There are also some downsides to using folders in WhatsApp:
- No official support – Since folders aren’t natively integrated, they may not work reliably.
- Manual organization – You have to manually move every chat into a folder instead of auto-sorting.
- Notifications – You won’t get notified when receiving new messages in folders on third-party apps.
- Limited functionality – Things like mass selection and moving aren’t supported by folder apps.
- Privacy concerns – Third-party apps require access to your chats.
WhatsApp’s take on chat folders
According to WhatsApp, they intentionally avoid adding chat folders as an official feature. Here’s their stance:
“We know many users want this functionality from a folder or label system in WhatsApp. However, we think the best way to keep your messages organized and clutter free is to delete old chats and messages that you no longer need.”
Essentially, WhatsApp wants to keep their interface clean and simple. They prefer users actively prune their chats rather than become over-reliant on organizing chats.
Expert tips for organizing WhatsApp without folders
If you don’t want to use a third-party app, here are some expert tips for keeping your WhatsApp chats organized:
Use search
Make good use of WhatsApp’s built-in search function to quickly find chats instead of a folder structure. You can search based on contact names, keywords, dates, and more.
Pin important chats
Pin your most important or frequent chats to the top of your WhatsApp so you can get to them faster.
Mute groups
Use WhatsApp’s mute feature to hide busy groups and prioritize important conversations.
Delete old chats
Regularly go through old or unwanted chats and delete them to declutter your inbox.
Use color coding
On Android, you can change chat wallpaper colors to color-code different types of chats.
Use separate devices
Have work chats on your work phone and personal chats on your personal phone to keep them separate.
WhatsApp Business for organizing chats
As mentioned before, WhatsApp Business has folder features for categorizing chats. It offers the following folders:
- All chats
- Unread chats
- Contacts
- Groups
- Broadcast lists
While limited, this can help organize your most important chats if you don’t want to use third-party apps. WhatsApp Business also has labels that let you tag chats for easier searching.
Top WhatsApp folder & label apps
Here is a comparison table of some of the top apps for adding folders or labels to WhatsApp:
| App | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| WA Tweaker | Android | Create unlimited folders, add chats in bulk, pin favorites |
| WAMR | Android | Organize by folder or label, chat filters |
| ChatFolders | iOS | Password protection, Siri shortcuts, widget |
| Groups | iOS | Auto-sort chats, Apple Watch app |
The future of WhatsApp folders
While WhatsApp currently has no plans to add native chat folders, the demand for this feature remains high among users. There are even petitions with tens of thousands of signatures requesting WhatsApp to integrate folder support.
As WhatsApp adds more functionality and becomes available across more devices, there is a chance that chat folders could be added down the road. The WhatsApp team likely wants to refine the implementation to find a solution that’s clean and simple for their broad user base.
For now, third-party apps seem to provide the best WhatsApp folder functionality. Over time, hopefully official solutions will be made available.
Conclusion
WhatsApp currently lacks built-in support for creating chat folders. However, by using third-party apps, WhatsApp Business, or other workarounds, you can find ways to organize and categorize your chats. This can help you keep your inbox tidy and make conversations easier to find.
While not quite as seamless as natively integrated folders, the options available today provide helpful alternatives. As WhatsApp continues to grow, don’t be surprised if they eventually yield to user demand and provide official chat folder features down the road.