WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with over 2 billion users. With so many people using WhatsApp, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to get notifications from multiple chats and groups throughout the day.
Luckily, WhatsApp provides users with several options to control notifications and mute chats so you’re not constantly interrupted by message alerts. Here’s what you need to know about muting on WhatsApp.
What is muting on WhatsApp?
Muting a chat or group on WhatsApp allows you to stop receiving notifications from that conversation temporarily. When you mute a chat, you won’t get any sound or vibration alerts when new messages come in. The notifications will still show up silently in your notifications bar, but muting prevents them from actively interrupting you.
Muting can be useful in several situations, like when you’re busy at work, sleeping, driving, or just need a break from a particularly active chat. It’s a way to stay in the loop on conversations without all the distraction.
How to mute chats and groups
Muting a chat or group on WhatsApp is easy and can be done right from the app. Here are the steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat or group you want to mute.
- Tap the name or profile picture at the top of the screen to open contact info.
- Scroll down and tap “Mute notifications.”
- Select a length of time to mute the chat for: 8 hours, 1 week, or Always.
And that’s it! The chat will now be muted for your chosen duration. You can always unmute at any time by going back into the chat settings.
Muting notifications vs. archiving chats
It’s important to understand the difference between muting and archiving a chat on WhatsApp:
- Muting – Stops notifications but keeps the chat in your main chats list.
- Archiving – Removes the chat from your main list but still shows notifications.
So muting is primarily focused on managing notifications, while archiving is for organizing your chats. You can use both features together if you want to remove a chat from view AND stop getting notified.
Can you mute all chats at once?
Unfortunately, there is no built-in “mute all” option on WhatsApp to mute every single chat you have at the same time. You have to mute chats one-by-one manually.
However, there are a few workarounds and tricks you can use to mute multiple chats more quickly:
- Mute your most active chats first – This cuts down on the majority of notifications.
- Mute entire unread chats – Tap and hold on an unread chat, select all unread, and mute.
- Use Do Not Disturb mode – Silences all notifications during set times or events.
- Install a third party app – Some apps offer a “mute all” function for WhatsApp.
While not as seamless as a true universal mute feature, using a combination of these strategies can help you minimize interruptions from WhatsApp notifications.
How long can you mute on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp provides three predefined duration options when muting a chat:
- 8 hours
- 1 week
- Always (until you manually unmute)
The 8 hours and 1 week options are great for temporary muting when you just need a short break from notifications. The “Always” indefinite mute is best for chats you almost never need alerts from.
Unfortunately there is no way to set a custom mute duration, like muting for just 2 or 3 days. You have to choose from one of those three presets.
Can you mute individual contacts?
WhatsApp doesn’t have an option to universally mute notifications from a specific contact. You have to mute each individual chat thread you have with that person.
However, you can make muting a contact easier by:
- Muting their current chat threads first.
- Archiving old chats to clean up your chats list.
- Naming new group chats something easily identifiable.
This makes it simpler to see all your current chat threads with that contact and mute them as needed whenever they pop up.
Can you mute WhatsApp groups?
Yes, you can mute any WhatsApp group chat just like regular chats. The steps are the same:
- Open the group chat.
- Tap the group name at the top.
- Scroll down and select “Mute notifications.”
- Choose a duration to mute for.
Muting groups is great when you still want to stay part of the group but need a break from constant notifications. You can always unmute the group any time.
Can you mute WhatsApp stories?
At this time, there is no way to mute stories from a specific contact or mute all WhatsApp stories globally. The only option is to mute notifications from the main WhatsApp chat with that person.
However, there are a few workarounds:
- Quickly tap through stories to mark them “seen.”
- Enable Airplane Mode when you don’t want to view stories.
- Avoid opening the stories tab entirely.
Hopefully WhatsApp will add story muting options in the future to provide more control over story interruptions.
Can you mute WhatsApp calls?
There is no direct way to mute WhatsApp calls and stop call notifications from a specific contact or group. However, you have a couple options to manage call notifications:
- Mute the main WhatsApp chat – This will mute calls along with messages.
- Block the contact – Blocked contacts can’t call you on WhatsApp.
You can also silence calls using your device’s Do Not Disturb settings by allowing calls only from favorites or no one at all during certain times.
Can you mute WhatsApp forever?
Yes, you can permanently mute a WhatsApp chat forever by selecting the “Always” mute option. This will mute notifications from that chat indefinitely until you manually unmute.
However, keep in mind that any new messages will still show up unmuted until you mute again. So if someone texts you in a previously muted chat thread a year later, you’ll get notified.
To keep a chat permanently muted, you would have to select “Always” each time a new message comes through. But this lets you effectively mute a chat forever as long as you keep renewing the mute regularly.
Mute WhatsApp tips & best practices
Here are some tips for using WhatsApp mute function effectively:
- Mute chats when you need to focus or avoid distractions.
- Remember to unmute chats when appropriate.
- Name groups descriptively to identify muting needs.
- Archive muted chats to clean up your inbox.
- Use longer mute durations for lower priority chats.
- Set up Do Not Disturb schedules for complete silence.
- Mute spam callers and report them if needed.
- Avoid “always” mute unless a chat is very low priority.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp doesn’t have a true “mute all chats” option, you can effectively minimize distractions by muting active chats, contacts, and groups for appropriate durations. Take advantage of archiving, Do Not Disturb modes, and third party apps to make muting faster and easier.
With strategic use of muting, you can stay on top of your most important WhatsApp conversations while avoiding notification overload from less pressing chats. Just be sure to unmute relevant chats so you don’t miss timely messages.
| Muting Option | How To Do It | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mute a chat | Open chat, tap contact name, select “Mute notifications” | 3 duration options – 8 hours, 1 week, always |
| Mute a group | Open group, tap name, select “Mute notifications” | Same 3 muting durations |
| Mute a contact | Manually mute every open chat with contact | No universal “mute contact” option |
| Mute stories | Not possible directly, mute main chat instead | No way to mute individual stories |
| Mute calls | Mute main chat or block contact completely | Can’t mute calls only |