WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the handy features it offers is the ability to archive chats you don’t need cluttering up your main chat screen. But what exactly happens when you hit that archive button?
Why would you want to archive a chat?
There are a few common reasons you may want to archive a WhatsApp chat:
- To clear up your main chat list if you have too many active chats.
- To hide a chat you don’t use very often but want to keep handy.
- To tidy up old group chats that are no longer active.
- To remove chats with people you no longer talk to regularly.
Archiving gives you a way to organize your chats without having to delete conversations entirely.
How does archiving work in WhatsApp?
Archiving a chat is straightforward:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to archive.
- Tap and hold the chat.
- Tap “Archive” in the pop-up menu.
On Android, you can also swipe left or right on a chat and tap the archive icon.
Once archived, the chat will disappear from your main Chats tab in WhatsApp and be moved to your Archived chats.
To view your archived messages, tap on the Archived chats tab at the top of your Chats screen.
What happens to archived chats?
Archiving a chat does not delete any of the messages – it simply removes the chat from your main view. All messages will remain in the archived chat, and you can still search them.
If someone sends a new message to an archived chat, it will automatically unarchive itself and move back to your Chats tab. This helps ensure you don’t miss important new messages.
Apart from being hidden, archived chats behave like normal chats:
- You can still open them and view all messages inside.
- New messages will still deliver.
- You can send and receive messages as normal.
- Read receipts and typing indicators still work.
The only difference is archived chats do not show up in your main chat list – you have to actively look in Archived chats to view them.
Does archiving a chat notify the other person?
No, archiving a chat is only visible to you. The other participants in the chat won’t know you’ve archived the conversation on your device.
Archiving is a local action that only affects your own app. It does not sync across devices or notify other people.
So you can archive old chats and groups without anyone knowing. This can be handy for tidying up your own chat lists without offending people by deleting conversations.
Can you archive chats on WhatsApp Web/Desktop?
Yes, you can archive chats on WhatsApp Web/Desktop in the same way:
- Right-click on a chat
- Select “Archive chat”
Archived web and desktop chats will also disappear from your main chat list and move to Archived chats.
Archiving is synced across devices, so chats archived on mobile also get archived on Web/Desktop and vice versa.
How do you unarchive a chat?
If you want to restore an archived chat back to your main view, simply:
- Go to Archived chats
- Open the chat you want to unarchive
- Tap “Unarchive”
On Android, you can swipe left or right on an archived chat and tap Unarchive.
The chat will disappear from Archived chats and reappear in your Chats tab again as normal.
Can you permanently delete archived chats?
Yes, archived chats can still be deleted like any normal chat:
- Go to Archived chats and open the chat.
- Tap and hold the chat.
- Choose “Delete” from the menu.
This will permanently delete the entire chat history and media from your device.
However, the deletion only affects your local device. Other participants may still have the chat archived on their devices.
What’s the difference between archiving and deleting chats?
| Archiving | Deleting |
|---|---|
| Hides chat from main view | Permanently erases chat |
| Keeps all message history | Erases entire message history |
| Can be unarchived later | Can’t be recovered |
| Doesn’t notify other users | Notifies other users |
So archiving is for temporarily organizing and hiding chats, while deleting erases chats permanently.
What happens when you delete a chat?
Deleting a chat:
- Erases the entire chat history and media from your device.
- Removes the chat from your Chats tab entirely.
- Sends a “[You deleted this chat]” notification to other participants.
- Means the chat cannot be recovered on your device.
However, the deletion only affects your local app:
- Other users may still have the full chat history if they haven’t deleted it.
- If someone else deletes the chat, it will delete the messages from your device too.
- Backups stored on Google Drive or iCloud will still retain deleted chats.
So deleting chats permanently erases them only from your own device and notifications others you’ve deleted it.
Can you recover a deleted WhatsApp chat?
Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to recover deleted WhatsApp chats from your device directly.
However, you may be able to restore deleted chats from a backup:
- iCloud backup – Restore from an iCloud backup on iPhone.
- Google Drive backup – Restore from a Google Drive backup on Android.
- Local backup – Restore from a manual offline backup.
Backups retain deleted chats for up to 30 days after deletion. So if you notice soon enough, you can recover deleted messages.
Some third-party apps also claim to help recover deleted WhatsApp data. However, this is not always reliable.
The only surefire way is to regularly back up your chats externally.
What happens if you delete a contact?
If you delete a contact from your phone’s address book:
- The chat history with that contact will remain in WhatsApp.
- You can still send new messages to the unsaved number.
- But the contact name will change to show the phone number.
Deleting the contact only removes their details from your phonebook. It does not affect existing WhatsApp chats or messages.
You can still view and search the chat history, as long as you don’t also delete the WhatsApp conversation.
Can you tell if someone has archived or deleted you?
There is no definitive way to know if someone has archived or deleted your chat, as this is not synced across devices.
However, there are some signs that may indicate they have archived or deleted you:
- They suddenly stop replying or responding to your messages.
- Your messages show a single tick and never get the second tick.
- Calls immediately go to voicemail or are not delivered.
- Read receipts no longer show for your messages.
- Typing indicators do not show when you know they are online.
While not guaranteed, if you notice some of these signs, the person may have archived or deleted you on their device.
But ultimately there is no way to know for sure from the other end. Archiving and deleting only affect the local app and do not sync across chat participants.
If someone archives or deletes you, can you still see their:
- Profile photo updates – Yes, you can still see their new profile photos.
- Status updates – Yes, you can view their status updates.
- Last seen/online – No, you won’t be able to see their last seen or online status.
So even if they’ve archived you, as long as you still have them added as a contact, you can see profile and status changes. But their online status will no longer update for you.
Should you archive or delete old chats and contacts?
There are good reasons to do occasional “spring cleaning” of your WhatsApp chats:
- Save space – Deleting old chats frees up storage space on your phone.
- Organize – Archiving old or inactive chats declutters your app.
- Privacy – Deleting contacts you no longer talk to increases privacy.
However, remember deleted chats can’t be recovered. So before purging:
- Back up valuable chats externally.
- Make sure you don’t need any old media files.
- Delete fully read or unimportant threads.
Periodic archiving and cleaning also improves WhatsApp performance and stability. But be selective about what you delete permanently.
Conclusion
Archiving WhatsApp chats is a handy way to organize your conversations and hide old or inactive threads from view. It doesn’t delete or notify anyone, just tidies up your own app.
Deleted chats are erased permanently from your device and notify your contacts. So archive first if you may need a chat later, and delete only once you’re sure.
Backing up your WhatsApp data externally gives you a safety net if you ever need to restore archived or deleted messages.
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp hosts a lot of valuable memories and information for many people worldwide. So consider carefully before deleting chats and contacts you may later wish you could look back on.