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How to label chats on WhatsApp Web without WhatsApp Business

Published · WA Folders 1.3.5

Short answer: a regular WhatsApp account has no labels. Labels are a WhatsApp Business app feature, and WhatsApp's Help Center now opens its labels page with "Labels are now lists". On a personal account the closest built-in tool is Lists, which WhatsApp documents for Android and iPhone but not for the web app. If you want tags you can put on chats and filter by on web.whatsapp.com, a Chrome extension such as WA Folders adds folder tabs above the chat list. I build WA Folders, so weigh that part with that in mind.

What WhatsApp Business labels are

In the WhatsApp Business app, a label is a coloured tag on a whole chat that you can filter by later. WhatsApp's How to use labels page allows up to 20 labels, and one chat can carry several ("labels will appear stacked"). For a Business account on WhatsApp Web, that page gives these steps: Tools > Lists > Add new list to create one, then the chat's menu (the down chevron) > Add to list to put it on a chat.

The same page starts with a note: "Labels are now lists. We're rolling out lists gradually and labels might not be available to you." So switching to the Business app for labels may get you lists instead of the labels older tutorials show.

What a regular account has: Lists

WhatsApp's About lists page calls Lists "customizable filters that can help you keep your chats organized". Every account starts with four: All, Unread, Favorites and Groups. You can add your own, such as Work or Family, and put chats in them.

WhatsApp Web is where this breaks down. How to use lists, opened with the Web tab selected, says "This feature isn't available on the web app, but it is available on these devices", and lists only Android and iOS. The phone steps are: on the Chats tab, swipe down to see your lists, tap + to make one, name it and add people or groups. To add a chat later, tap and hold it and choose Add to list.

Your WhatsApp Web may still show a filter row above the chats. Which filters appear there depends on your account, so look at your own before you decide. Lists are the better choice when:

  • you want the same grouping on your phone and your computer, or
  • a filter is all you need and you'd rather not install an extension that can read WhatsApp Web. That's a fair choice for any extension, ours included.

Tag chats on WhatsApp Web with WA Folders

WA Folders is a Chrome extension that runs only on web.whatsapp.com. A folder does what a label does: you put chats in it, then show only those chats.

Step 1: install and reload

Install WA Folders from the Chrome Web Store, then open or reload web.whatsapp.com. The reload matters, because the panel is added when the page loads. The panel sits beside your chats, not on top of the chat list.

Step 2: make your labels as folders

On a new install, the Get started card makes the first folder: type a name or tap Family, Work or Clients, then press Add. Later folders come from the New folder name box under the folder list. Click ✎ next to a folder to rename it or give it a colour or emoji, which covers what a label colour is for. The free plan holds 5 folders.

Step 3: tag a chat

Open the chat in WhatsApp as usual and press Add chat on the folder it belongs in. A chat can be in more than one folder, much like stacked labels on a Business account. The button then says Remove, which takes the chat out again.

Step 4: filter by folder

Your folders show as tabs above WhatsApp's chat list. Click one to see only its chats, and click All to get the full list back. Each tab carries unread, reply and question markers, so you can see which folder needs you before you open it.

Optional: file chats automatically

In Settings, under Auto-file rules, a rule can file chats into a folder by "Chat name contains", "Chat name starts with", "Phone number starts with" (for example +44) or "Every group chat". The free plan has 1 rule. If you take a chat out of a folder by hand, the rule won't add it back.

What folders add that labels don't

  • A private note on each chat, saved only on your computer.
  • Search across chat names, your notes and the messages WA Folders has seen, with a filter by folder.
  • Export of the open chat to HTML, CSV, Markdown or JSON. Pro can export a whole folder in one file.
  • Follow-ups: who's waiting on your reply, who asked you a question, who went quiet, and "Remind me if they don't reply in 1 day", which clears itself when they answer.

Labels, Lists and folders side by side

Business labelsWhatsApp ListsWA Folders
AccountWhatsApp Business appAny WhatsApp accountAny WhatsApp account
On WhatsApp WebYes, under Tools > ListsHelp Center: "isn't available on the web app"Yes, in desktop Chrome only
On your phoneYesYesNo
How manyUp to 20Not stated in the Help Center5 free; no limit with Pro
CostFree appFreeFree plan; Pro $4.99 once

Your chats stay on your computer

WA Folders keeps folders, notes and its search index in Chrome's local storage on your computer. There is no WA Folders account, no WA Folders server and no analytics. It never presses Send, has no bulk sending, and doesn't use the WhatsApp Business API. Filing a chat doesn't change anything inside WhatsApp, and WA Folders doesn't read or change your Lists, so you can use both. Folders don't appear on your phone; Pro sync copies your folder setup to your other Chrome browsers.

What it costs

The free plan has no time limit: 5 folders, 5 search results, 3 exports a day, 5 voice-note transcriptions and 20 translations a day, and 2 reminders at a time. Pro is a one-time $4.99 payment with no subscription, and removes those limits. There is no free trial of Pro.

WA Folders is an independent extension and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.

Sources

Where to go next

Label your WhatsApp Web chats

Free in the Chrome Web Store, with no time limit. Pro is $4.99 once if you want everything unlocked.

Add to Chrome, free