What is Archive on WhatsApp?
The Archive feature on WhatsApp allows you to archive chat conversations that you don’t need cluttering up your main Chats screen. Archived chats will be moved out of your primary Chats list and into a separate Archived Chats section, keeping them neatly tucked away but still easily accessible if you need them again.
Archiving a chat thread prevents any new messages sent in that chat from showing up in your main Chats list. This can be useful for hiding conversations that you don’t need constant notifications from but that you also don’t want to delete entirely.
Reasons to Use Archive
Here are some common reasons you may want to archive WhatsApp chats:
- To reduce clutter in your main Chats list
- To mute notifications from group chats or contacts you don’t need to hear from constantly
- To hide conversations you don’t want others to see if they glance at your phone
- To clear old or inactive chats from your current Chats view
- To organize your conversations by topic, with personal chats archived separately from work chats, for example
Archiving lets you neatly tuck away chats you don’t need to see all the time, without having to delete the conversations entirely.
How to Archive Chats on iPhone
Archiving chats is easy to do on WhatsApp for iPhone. Here are the steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to your Chats tab.
- Swipe left on the chat you want to archive. This will reveal an Archive button.
- Tap Archive to move that chat into your Archived Chats.
You can archive single chats or multiple chats at once this way. The chat will now be removed from your main Chats screen and placed into your Archived Chats section.
How to View Archived Chats
To view your archived WhatsApp conversations on iPhone:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on the Chats tab if you aren’t already there.
- At the top of your Chats list, tap Archived.
- This will open your Archived Chats section where you can see all your archived threads.
From here you can tap any archived chat to open it or tap and hold to unarchive it, which will move it back to your main Chats screen.
Unarchiving Chats
If you want to unarchive a conversation and move it back to your main Chats tab, just:
- Go into your Archived Chats section.
- Tap and hold on the chat you want to unarchive.
- Select Unarchive from the menu that pops up.
The chat will now be removed from your Archived Chats and placed back into your Chats list so new messages appear in real time again.
Turning Off Auto-Archive
WhatsApp has an Auto-Archive feature that will automatically archive inactive chats after 6 months. If you don’t want chats to get archived without you doing it manually, you can turn this off:
- Go into WhatsApp Settings.
- Tap Chats.
- Toggle the Auto-Archive switch off.
With auto-archive disabled, your chats will not be archived after months of inactivity anymore.
Deleting Archived Chats
If you no longer need to keep an archived conversation, you can delete it entirely:
- Go into your Archived Chats.
- Swipe left on the chat you want to delete.
- Tap Delete to permanently remove the chat.
The chat will be erased from your Archived Chats and your phone’s storage. Note that other participants may still have the conversation on their devices.
Clearing All Archived Chats
If you want to wipe your Archived Chats section clean in one go, you can erase all archived threads at once:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Archived Chats.
- Tap Delete All to erase your entire archived chat history.
This will permanently clear out your Archived Chats section and delete all archived conversations. They will no longer appear in your Chats or Archived Chats.
Important Notes About Archived Chats
Here are some key points to remember about archived WhatsApp chats:
- Archived chats will not show new messages or notifications until unarchived.
- Calls will still come through from an archived chat.
- Archived chats still count towards your overall chat storage space.
- You can search for messages in archived chats using the Search tool.
- Archived chats are still encrypted.
- You can only access archived chats when you have an internet connection.
So archiving hides conversations from view but doesn’t delete, encrypt, or remove them from your phone storage. Keep this in mind when managing your archived threads.
Troubleshooting Archived Chats
Here are some solutions for common archived chat issues on WhatsApp for iPhone:
Can’t Find Archived Chats Section
Make sure WhatsApp is fully updated to the latest version. Older versions may not have the archive feature. Update WhatsApp in the App Store if needed.
Recently Archived Chats Appearing in Main Chat List
Try force quitting and restarting the WhatsApp app if chats you just archived are reappearing in your Chats tab. This should refresh the app.
Archived Chats Vanishing
Accidentally deleting archived chats is irreversible, but they may be recoverable from a recent iCloud or iTunes backup if you have WhatsApp backup enabled. Restore your device to the backup to retrieve missing archived chats.
Can’t Unarchive a Chat
If unarchiving isn’t working, the chat may be corrupted. Try deleting the chat entirely and asking the contact to start a new thread.
| Issue | Solution |
| Can’t find Archived Chats | Update to the latest WhatsApp version |
| Archived chats reappearing | Force quit and restart WhatsApp |
| Missing archived chats | Restore chat backup from iCloud |
| Can’t unarchive chat | Delete and recreate the chat thread |
Conclusion
The WhatsApp Archive feature for iPhone allows you to neatly tuck away chats you don’t need cluttering up your main interface. Swipe left and tap Archive to move conversations into the Archived Chats section where they will remain muted but accessible. Remember archived chats still count towards storage space and remain encrypted. Disable auto-archive if you don’t want chats archived after months of inactivity. Refer to solutions above if having any issues managing archived WhatsApp threads on your iPhone.