It may happen that you have used Whatsapp to keep in touch with someone only for a short time and that even after months since the last message sent/received that conversation is still there, visible in the list of conversations.
For example, an open conversation with a couple of friends met at the beach last summer but with which we are no longer in touch after six months: why keep on keeping the conversation visible?
Know that you can hide/archive the chats that you do not want to have on the homepage, and now we’re going to explain how this is possible thanks to the function called ‘Archive’.
The Archive chat function in the Whatsapp app for all platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Nokia OS, Blackberry) allows you to hide the conversation from the Chat screen and to be able to come back later if needed.
For a better organization of conversations, Whatsapp allows you to archive both individual and group conversations.
If you want to restore a chat in the future, simply retrieve the previously archived conversation to make it visible again on the home screen.
Notes: if you store a chat but then you receive a message in it, this conversation will come back visible; in addition, the Archive Chat function does not delete the chat or back it up on the SD card.
HOW TO ARCHIVE / RECOVER A CHAT WHATSAPP ON ANDROID.
To archive, a chat in Whatsapp for Android enter the Chat screen, press and hold the chat you want to hide and, in the top bar, select the ‘Archive’ icon. Following these two steps, the chat is stored and will no longer appear in the Chat screen.
To retrieve a chat from the previously archived archive: go to the bottom of the Chat screen, then tap ‘Chat archived’ and keep the chat you want to retrieve: now in the top bar select the ‘Extract from archive’ icon.
Whatsapp allows you to hide all the conversations you have in the Home: to store all the chats, touch the Menu key from the Chat screen to access the Settings, then tap Chat> Chat History> Archive all chats.
HOW TO ARCHIVE / RECOVER A CHAT WHATSAPP ON iOS.
The File Chat feature in Whatsapp for iOS (Apple iPhone) is only available for devices with iOS 7 or later and does not delete the chat or back it up in iCloud.
To archive a chat in Whatsapp for iOS just enter the Chat screen, then swipe your finger over the chat you want to hide, from right to left, and select the ‘Archive’ icon.
It is possible to archive all the Chat simultaneously in Whatsapp for iOS by entering WhatsApp Settings, then Chat, and Archive all the chats.
To view the chats stored in Whatsapp for iOS on the Chat screen, scroll to the top of the chat list and then scroll down the list, then tap ‘Chat archived’.
Remembering that archived chats are extracted by themselves when they receive a new message, it is possible to manually extract a chat in Whatsapp for iOS through two methods.
With the first one, in Chat archived scroll your finger over the chat, from right to left, and then tap Extract from the archive.
Alternatively, on the Chat screen, tap the Search bar, then type the name of the chat or chat content you want to extract from the archive, swipe your finger over the chat to be extracted, right to left, and finally tap Extract from the archive.
HOW TO ARCHIVE / RECOVER A CHAT WHATSAPP ON WINDOWS PHONE.
To store a chat in Whatsapp for Windows Phone you need to enter the Chat screen within WhatsApp, then keep the chat you want to hide and select the ‘Archive’ icon from the menu.
By doing this, the chat is archived and will no longer appear in the chat screen.
To archive all conversations in Whatsapp for Windows Phone, tap More, then settings, then chat and calls, then go to Archive all and select ‘Yes’.
To retrieve a chat from the archive in Whatsapp for Windows Phone, tap ‘More’ and then ‘chat archived’ then press and hold the chat you want to recover and select ‘Restore’ from the menu.
Also in Whatsapp on Windows Phone if you receive a message in an archived chat, this will be visible again.
HOW TO ARCHIVE / RECOVER A CHAT WHATSAPP ON BLACKBERRY.
To store a chat in Whatsapp for Blackberry, on the Chat screen highlight the chat to hide, then press the ‘BB’ key and select Archive.
To extract a chat from the archive in Whatsapp for Blackberry, in the Chat screen write the name of the group or contact, highlight the chat to be extracted and press the ‘BB’ key and then select ‘Extract’ from the archive.
Also in Whatsapp on Blackberry, if you receive a message in an archived chat, this will be visible again.
HOW TO ARCHIVE / RECOVER A CHAT WHATSAPP ON NOKIA S60.
To store a chat in Whatsapp on Nokia S60 phones with the physical keyboard: in the Chat tab highlight the chat you want to hide, then select Options and then Archive.
To store a chat in Whatsapp on Nokia S60 phones with touch screen: on the Chat tab, long press on the chat you want to hide, then select in the Archive pop-up menu.
To extract a chat in Whatsapp in Nokia S60 phones with the physical keyboard: in the Chat screen, type the name of the group or contact, then highlight the chat you want to extract and select Options and then Extract from the archive.
To extract a chat in Whatsapp in Nokia S60 phones with touch screen: in the Chat screen, tap the search icon, then type the name of the contact group in the search bar, long press on the chat you want to extract and, in the pop-up menu, select Extract from the archive.