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Where are starred messages on WhatsApp Web? How to star, find and unstar them

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WhatsApp calls starred messages a bookmark: you star a message so you can come back to it later. Most people star an address, a booking code or a price, then forget where the list lives. On WhatsApp Web it sits in a menu above the chat list, so it's easy to miss.

Find starred messages on WhatsApp Web

  1. Above your chat list, click the three-dot More options menu (on some layouts it's a down arrow).
  2. Click Starred messages.

The list holds the messages you starred across all your chats. You can unstar a message from here too (see below).

Star a message on WhatsApp Web

  1. Hover over the message.
  2. Click the down arrow that appears on it.
  3. Click Star.

Unstar one message, or all of them

To unstar one message, hover over it, click the down arrow and pick Unstar message. You can do this inside the chat or from the Starred messages list.

To clear the whole list on WhatsApp Web, open Starred messages, click the three-dot menu next to the Starred messages title, then Unstar all and Unstar to confirm.

On Android

  • See the list: tap the three dots above your chat list, then Starred.
  • Star: open the chat, tap and hold the message, then tap the star at the top.
  • Unstar: tap and hold the starred message, then tap the star with a slash through it. The Help Center notes that removing a star doesn't delete the message.
  • Unstar several: in Starred, tap and hold the messages, then tap the slashed star. Or tap the three dots, then Unstar all.

On iPhone

  • See the list: tap Settings (or your profile picture), then Starred.
  • Stars from one chat only: open the chat, tap its name at the top, then tap Starred.
  • Star or unstar: tap and hold the message, then tap Star or Unstar.
  • Unstar several: in Starred, tap Edit, tick the messages, tap the slashed star at the bottom and confirm.

Keep your stars when you clear chats

On Android, Settings > Chats > Chat history > Clear all chats has a Delete starred messages box. Leave it unchecked and your starred messages stay while everything else in the chats is cleared. The Help Center doesn't list that option for clearing a single chat, so check what the dialog shows before you tap Clear chat.

A cleared chat only comes back from a backup made before you cleared it, so if a starred message matters, copy it somewhere else too.

FAQ

Does starring a message notify the other person? WhatsApp's help page doesn't mention any notification. It describes stars as bookmarks for referring back to a message later.

Why is my Starred list empty on WhatsApp Web? Check that the message was starred at all. Open the chat, find the message and open its down-arrow menu: if it offers Star rather than Unstar message, it was never starred. Star it there and it will appear in the list.

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