How to Lock and Hide WhatsApp Chats

Privacy is becoming more important than ever. Whether you share your phone with family, a partner, or friends, you may want to keep some WhatsApp chats completely private.
The good news? WhatsApp now gives you powerful built‑in tools to lock, hide, and password‑protect your most sensitive chats. No third‑party apps needed.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• How to lock individual WhatsApp chats
• How to hide chats inside the Secret Chat Folder
• How to use passwords, fingerprints, and Face ID
• How to hide message previews
• Optional advanced privacy settings (disappearing messages, view-once media)

Let’s get started.

1. Use Chat Lock (Fingerprint, Face ID, or Passcode)

WhatsApp introduced Chat Lock, allowing you to lock individual conversations inside a secure folder.

How to Lock a Chat:

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Long‑press on the chat you want to lock
3. Tap Lock Chat
4. Choose the protection method:
   • Fingerprint
   • Face ID
   • Phone Passcode
5. The chat will automatically move to the Locked Chats folder

Where to find Locked Chats:

• Go to the main chat screen
• Swipe down
• Enter your fingerprint or passcode
• Your hidden chats will appear only after verification

Tip: Locked chats are not visible in your chat list, and message previews are hidden.

2. Hide Chats Using the Secret Locked Chats Folder

WhatsApp hides all locked chats under a separate hidden folder called:

Locked Chats
Secret Chats (depending on region)

How to Show/Hide the Folder

• To reveal: Swipe down on the Chats screen → Authenticate
• To hide: Simply exit WhatsApp → Folder disappears automatically

No one can see or access this folder without your biometric/secret code.

3. Use a Private Password (Different From Phone Passcode)

WhatsApp now allows you to use a unique secret password only for locked chats.

This keeps your private chats safe even if someone knows your phone passcode.

How to Set a Secret Password:

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Go to Settings → Privacy → Locked Chats
3. Tap Create Secret Password
4. Choose something only you know (not your phone pin)

You’ll use this password to reveal hidden chats.

4. Turn Off Message Previews on the Lock Screen

Even with chat lock, notifications can still expose messages unless you disable previews.

On Android:

Settings → Notifications → Lock Screen → Hide Sensitive Notifications

On iPhone:

Settings → Notifications → WhatsApp → Show Previews → Never or When Unlocked

This prevents messages from showing when someone picks up your phone.

5. Use Disappearing Messages for Extra Privacy

If you want messages to delete automatically:

How to Enable Disappearing Messages:

1. Open the chat

2. Tap the contact or group name

3. Select Disappearing Messages

4. Choose 24 Hours, 7 Days, or 90 Days

Great for sensitive chats that shouldn’t stay on your phone.

6. Send Media as “View Once”

Photos or videos that vanish after opening.

To Send View-Once Media:

1. Open the chat

2. Select a photo/video

3. Tap the (1) icon

4. Send

Once viewed, it disappears forever.

7. Archive Chats for Soft‑Hiding (Less Secure)

This method is not fully private, but good if you just want to reduce visibility.

How:

1. Long‑press a chat

2. Tap Archive

The chat moves into the Archive folder.

However, archived chats reappear if you receive a new message, so this is not recommended for high privacy.

Final Tips for Maximum WhatsApp Privacy

• Lock all sensitive chats
• Set a unique password
• Hide message previews
• Use disappearing messages for secret conversations
• Use view‑once for private photos or videos
• Keep your phone locked with biometrics always

With these settings, your private WhatsApp conversations remain invisible to anyone using your phone — even if they know your number or passcode.