Mute or block your ex on WhatsApp: what they’ll see

WhatsApp is where most breakups keep going, one message at a time. Here’s how to quiet it down, and what each option gives away. The steps come from WhatsApp’s own help pages, checked on 25 September 2026. If a button has moved, the linked page has the current steps.

Which one to pick

• Archive to get the chat off your main list, so it isn’t the first thing you see.
• Mute to stop the buzz when they message.
• Hide their status so their updates stop appearing, and hide yours from them.
• Block if you want calls and messages to stop.

Archive the chat

In Chats, swipe left on the chat and tap Archive (on Android, press and hold it and tap the archive icon).

It stays archived when a new message arrives, and you won’t get notifications for it unless you’re mentioned or replied to. That’s controlled by Settings, then Chats, then Keep chats archived.¹

Mute the chat

1. Open the chat.
2. Tap their name.
3. Tap Notifications, then Mute notification, and choose 8 hours, 1 week or Always.

They aren’t told. But if you have read receipts on, they still get them when you read their messages.²

Hide their status, and yours

To hide their status updates: tap Updates, press and hold their status, and tap Hide. They move to Hidden updates. This doesn’t hide your status from them, and they can still send you a status in a chat with a mention.³

To hide your status from them: tap Updates, tap the More button, then Status Privacy, choose My contacts except… and select them. A status you’ve already posted stays visible to them until it expires.⁴

Block them

1. Open the chat and tap their name.
2. Tap Block [their name].
3. Tap Block to confirm.

They can’t call or message you, and they stop seeing your last seen, online status, status updates and profile photo changes.⁵ WhatsApp doesn’t tell anyone they’ve been blocked, but they may notice signs, such as their messages only ever getting one gray check.⁶

Worth knowing:

• Groups you share aren’t affected. You’ll still see each other’s messages there.
• Your old chat stays in your list. Archive or delete it if seeing it pulls you back.
• If you unblock them later, you won’t get what they sent while they were blocked.

If you still want to write to them

Write it somewhere it can’t be sent first: write it, then burn it. There’s more in what to do when you want to text your ex.

Sources

1. WhatsApp Help Center: How to archive or unarchive a chat or group. ↩

2. WhatsApp Help Center: How to mute or unmute individual or group chat notifications. ↩

3. WhatsApp Help Center: How to hide and unhide statuses. ↩

4. WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage status privacy. ↩

5. WhatsApp Help Center: How to block and report someone. ↩

6. WhatsApp Help Center: Being blocked by someone. ↩