What is Archive in WhatsApp and What Happens When You Archive a Chat

Quick Tips

• When you archive a WhatsApp chat, it’s put on mute and it disappears from the main chat list.
• Archived chats are not deleted, they are just removed from the main WhatsApp screen and kept hidden in the Archived folder.
• You will receive messages even if the chat is archived. However, you can choose whether to receive notification from them or not.

What is Archive in WhatsApp

Archive is a chat organization and privacy feature that lets you hide WhatsApp chats from the main list (chats tab). It’s similar to the archive feature in popular apps like Instagram. You can use it to clean the chat list of your WhatsApp and only keep the chats where you regularly participate.

Similarly, you can use it to hide chats from others. It can also be your ignore list since you will not be notified about new messages from archived chats.

Tip: Learn why my WhatsApp messages disappeared.

What Happens When You Archive a Chat on WhatsApp

When you archive a WhatsApp chat, it’s put on mute and it disappears from the main chat list on WhatsApp where the conversations appear. The archived chats go into the archived folder from where you can unarchive them anytime.

It must be noted that archived chats are not deleted. They are just removed from the main WhatsApp screen and kept hidden in the Archived folder. In fact, if you search for the contact, the chat will appear in the search result with an Archived tag next to it.

Confused between mute and archive? Check out our in-depth analysis of WhatsApp mute vs. archive for clarity.

Can You Archive WhatsApp Groups or Individual Messages

You can archive both the individual chat and WhatsApp group chats. However, you need to archive the full chat threads. You cannot archive a single message or a media file in a chat.

Can You Receive Messages from Archived Chats

Yes. You will receive messages even if the chat is archived. You will not receive messages if you block someone. Archiving differs from blocking as it merely hides the chat from the main view and impacts nothing else. But whether you will be notified about them or not depends on your settings as explained in the next section.

Tip: How to stop receiving messages from someone without blocking them.

Do You Get Notifications for Archived Messages on WhatsApp

In 2021 when WhatsApp introduced the Keep Chat Archived setting, which is enabled by default now. So, you will not receive notifications for new messages in the archived chats and the chat won’t be unarchived automatically.

That is, archived chats are muted and will remain archived and hidden even if you receive new messages. However, you will be notified if someone mentions or quotes you in the archived chat.

To check or change the Keep Chats Archived setting on Android or iPhone, go to WhatsApp Settings followed by Chats and toggle on the Keep Chats Archived setting.

Does the Other Person Know if You Archive a Chat on WhatsApp

If you archive a chat, WhatsApp doesn’t notify the other person. Even if you delete a chat, the other person won’t know.

Can Archived Chats See WhatsApp Status

Yes, archived chats can see your WhatsApp status.

If You Archive Someone on WhatsApp Can You See Their Status

Yes, their status will show up on your Updates tab as per usual.

Can Archived Chats See Online Status and Last Seen

Archiving a chat doesn’t affect your online status. If you are online, you will be shown as online to the archived chats, unless you hide your online status from them specifically. Similarly, they can see your last seen as well.

Can Archived Chats Call on WhatsApp

Yes, archived chats can call you on WhatsApp and you will be notified about it.

How to Know If Someone Has Archived You on WhatsApp

Not possible, my dear friend. There is no way to know if someone has archived your chat.

Are Archived Chats Backed up

Archived chats are neither backed up on iCloud (iPhone) nor Google Drive (Android)

What Happens When You Unarchive a Chat

When you unarchive a WhatsApp chat, it’s unmuted and taken to the main chat list. You will receive notifications for new messages that arrive in the unarchived chat.

Difference Between Archive and Delete on WhatsApp

The archive feature is only used to hide messages from your main list. You can unarchive the chat and get it back. However, things aren’t the same with delete, which is a permanent step.

Once you delete a thread, there is no direct way to bring it back, but a few workarounds exist. So be careful and choose wisely.