To pin a message in a WhatsApp chat, open that message's menu, choose Pin, pick 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, and confirm. It then sits as a banner at the top of the chat; WhatsApp says you can pin up to four messages per chat as of Nov 2026, and in groups admins decide whether members can pin too.
A pinned message is the thing in a chat everyone sees first: the booking link, the address, the rule you're tired of repeating. That makes it one of the more useful small features for anyone who talks to customers on WhatsApp, as long as you know its limits. Pins expire, there's a cap, and some people in a group won't see them at all.
Pinning a message, step by step
WhatsApp's Help article walks through the computer version. On a phone the taps differ slightly, so look for the Pin option in the message's menu; the choices that follow are the same.
- Hover over the message and click the menu arrow.
- Click Pin.
- Choose how long it should stay: 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.
- Click Pin again to confirm.
The message now shows as a banner across the top of the chat. Tap or click the banner and WhatsApp jumps you to the original message, so people can see it in context.
Unpinning, or letting a pin run out
You can unpin a message at any time:
- Hover over the pinned message and open its menu.
- Click Unpin.
If you don't unpin it, WhatsApp does it for you: the pin drops off automatically when the duration you chose ends. That's the part people miss. Pins aren't permanent. Even the longest option lasts 30 days, then the banner goes on its own and the message slips back into the scroll.
Which pin length to choose
| Pin option | How long it stays | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | One day | Today's change: a new opening time, a meeting link, a delivery slot |
| 7 days | One week | This week's event, deadline or launch |
| 30 days | 30 days, the longest option | Standing information: booking link, address, house rules for a group |
My rule of thumb: pick the shortest length that covers the job. A 30-day pin on something that went stale on day three just teaches people to ignore the banner. And if a pin needs to last longer than a month, set yourself a reminder to pin it again before day 30.
Up to four pins, newest on top
WhatsApp caps each chat at four pinned messages. If more than one is pinned, the banner shows how many there are and puts the most recent pin first. Tap the banner to move to the next one.
That ordering has a practical side effect. Pin a quick 24-hour reminder after your booking link and the reminder becomes the first thing people see; the booking link drops behind it until someone taps through. If one message matters more than the rest, pin it last so it sits on top.
Four is plenty for most business chats. If you're tempted to fill all four slots, that's usually a sign some of it needs a tidier home than the banner.
Pins in a group: who can, and who gets told
In a group chat two extra rules apply. First, group admins choose whether members can pin. In the computer version that setting sits here:
- Open the group chat and click the group name.
- Click Group permissions.
- Turn Edit group settings on or off.
Second, pinning in a group isn't quiet. WhatsApp shares a system message with everyone in the chat saying a message was pinned and who pinned it. So in a customer group, everyone sees your name next to the pin, and if members are allowed to pin, everyone sees theirs too.
For a customer or client group, I'd keep pinning for admins. Otherwise one keen member can push your opening hours behind their own message, and with a cap of four it doesn't take many pins to bury the one that matters. If you're still deciding whether a group is the right home for your customers at all, my comparison of WhatsApp Communities and groups helps with that first.
Who won't see a pinned message
This is the catch that causes most confusion. WhatsApp says someone can't see a pinned message if:
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- they joined the group after the pinned message was sent
- they lost or cleared their chat history
- they deleted the message before it was pinned
The first one matters for any growing group. Pin a welcome message today and the customers who join next month won't see it, because it was sent before they arrived. The workaround is simple: every so often, post the message again and pin the fresh copy, so newer members get it too.
The second catches people who switch phones or tidy their storage. If a regular says they can't see the pin everyone else is talking about, cleared history is the first thing I'd ask about.
Pinned message, pinned chat or starred message?
These three get mixed up all the time, so here's the short version:
- Pinning a message puts it as a banner at the top of one chat, for everyone in that chat, for up to 30 days.
- Pinning a chat is a different feature that moves a whole conversation up your chat list; how to pin a chat on WhatsApp covers it.
- Starring is a separate way of marking messages so you can find them again, explained in my guide to starring WhatsApp messages.
If everyone in the chat needs to see it, a pinned message is what you want.
Verdict
I'd pin one message per customer chat or group: the booking link, address or opening hours, set to 30 days with a reminder to pin it again before it runs out. I'd use 24-hour pins for same-day changes and keep group pinning to admins. Skip pinning chatty updates people will scroll past anyway, and skip filling all four slots, because the newest pin always pushes the important one back.
If you run a customer group on WhatsApp, deciding what gets pinned for everyone, and who's allowed to pin, is part of the communication workflow I help teams plan. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
How do I pin a message on WhatsApp?
Open the message menu, choose Pin, pick 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, then confirm with Pin. The message shows as a banner at the top of the chat.
How many messages can you pin in a WhatsApp chat?
WhatsApp says you can pin up to four messages per chat. The most recent pin shows first in the banner.
How long does a pinned message stay on WhatsApp?
For 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, whichever you choose. It unpins automatically when that time ends, or you can unpin it sooner.
Does WhatsApp tell the group who pinned a message?
Yes. WhatsApp shares a system message with everyone in the group saying a message was pinned and who pinned it.
Why can't someone see my pinned message?
WhatsApp says people can't see a pin if they joined the group after the message was sent, lost or cleared their chat history, or deleted the message before it was pinned.
