How to Mute a WhatsApp Chat (Phone and Computer)

There's always one group chat that lights up your phone at midnight. A neighbourhood group, an old school chat, a client channel where six people reply to each other all day. You don't want to leave, and you don't want to be rude, but you do want some peace. Muting is the answer, and it takes about ten seconds.

Here are the steps from WhatsApp's help pages for Android, iPhone and the computer, how long a mute can last, what the other people can and can't see, and how muting differs from the other quiet-down tools in the app.

Muting a one-to-one WhatsApp chat on Android

1. Open the chat with the person.
2. Tap their name at the top.
3. Tap Notifications, then turn on Mute.
4. Choose how long to mute it for, then tap OK.

Muting a WhatsApp group chat on Android

Groups give you one extra choice, because messages and calls are separate.

1. Open the group and tap its name.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Turn on Mute under Messages, Calls, or both.
4. Pick a length of time and tap OK.

That split is useful. You might want to silence the chatter but still hear it ring if someone calls the group.

Muting a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

For a single person: open the chat, tap their name, tap Notifications, then tap Mute notification and choose a length of time.

For a group: open the group, tap its name, tap Notifications, and then tap Mute notifications under Messages or Calls. Again, you pick the length of time. On both phones, menus vary by app version, so the key route is chat name first, then Notifications.

Muting a WhatsApp chat on a computer

On WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, open the chat, click the name of the person or group, turn on Mute notifications, choose a length of time, and click Mute. WhatsApp's help pages add one handy detail: if you mute a group chat on your phone, it's also muted on WhatsApp Web and Desktop. Other notification settings are separate between the devices.

How long a WhatsApp mute lasts

Choice	What it means
8 hours	Quiet for a working day or a night's sleep, then notifications return
1 week	Good for a busy stretch, a holiday or a noisy event group
Always	Stays muted until you turn it back on yourself

Those three are the options WhatsApp's help pages list. I'd use 8 hours for work chats that get lively on a Friday, and Always for groups I want to read at my own pace.

What a muted WhatsApp chat still does

Muting quietens your phone, but the chat carries on. WhatsApp says you'll still receive the messages. Your device just won't vibrate or make a sound to alert you. A few more points from its help pages:

• The other people aren't told that you've muted the chat.
• If you've turned on read receipts, contacts still get them when you read what they sent. Muting doesn't hide that you've been reading.
• You still see the unread message count next to the chat, so the number keeps climbing until you open it.
• On iPhone, WhatsApp says you'll still be notified if someone mentions you, in the case of muted lists.

If you'd also like to stop the blue ticks, that's a different setting, and I explain it in my guide to turning off read receipts on WhatsApp.

Unmuting a WhatsApp chat

On Android, go back into the chat's Notifications screen and turn Mute off. On iPhone, tap Muted on the chat and then tap Unmute. On a computer, open the muted chat, turn off Muted and click Unmute. The chat then notifies you as normal again.

Muting a whole WhatsApp list at once

If you've organised your chats into lists, such as clients, family or suppliers, WhatsApp lets you mute a list in one go. On Android, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Lists, tap the list and turn on Mute. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Lists, pick the list and tap Mute. You can choose 8 hours, 1 week or Always. WhatsApp's help pages add that contacts won't see that you muted the chats.

Muting a list is a smart move for business owners. Silence the personal and social lists during working hours, and keep customers loud.

Muting a WhatsApp chat versus other ways to quieten it

People often reach for the wrong tool, so here's how they differ.

• Mute stops the sound and vibration. The chat stays in your list with its unread count.
• Hiding a chat removes it from the main list. My guide to hiding a WhatsApp chat covers that.
• Blocking stops contact altogether. If someone is bothering you and not just chatty, blocking someone on WhatsApp is the stronger step, and you can report them to WhatsApp as well.
• Leaving a group ends your membership. Mute keeps you in without the noise.

If your muted WhatsApp chat still makes a noise

• Check you muted the right chat, and that the mute hasn't run out. An 8 hour mute ends, and the chat then notifies you again.
• Look at group Calls as well as Messages, because they're separate switches on Android and iPhone.
• Remember that you'll still get alerts for a mention on a muted list on iPhone.
• Check your phone's own notification settings for WhatsApp, because the phone may add sounds of its own.
• Update WhatsApp, since older versions can word the options differently.

Nothing here changes who can see you or what the group sees. It's purely about what your own phone does, which is why I think of muting as the polite way to stay in a conversation without being run by it.

This guide is part of my WhatsApp Help: 43 Guides to Transfers, Backups, Business and Privacy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I mute a WhatsApp chat?

Open the chat, tap the name at the top, tap Notifications and turn on Mute (on iPhone, tap Mute notification). Choose 8 hours, 1 week or Always.

Will people know I muted their WhatsApp chat?

No. WhatsApp's help pages say contacts aren't notified that you've muted the chat.

Do I still get messages in a muted WhatsApp chat?

Yes. WhatsApp says you'll still receive messages, but your device won't vibrate or make a noise. The unread count stays visible.

Does muting stop read receipts?

No. If read receipts are on, contacts still receive them when you read what they sent. That's a separate privacy setting.

Does muting on my phone also mute WhatsApp Web?

For group chats, yes. WhatsApp says muting a group on your phone also mutes it on WhatsApp Web and Desktop.

How do I unmute a WhatsApp chat?

On Android, turn Mute off under the chat's Notifications. On iPhone, tap Muted and then Unmute. On a computer, turn off Muted and click Unmute.