How to Search Messages on WhatsApp

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Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: February 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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• iPhone
|
• Android
|
• Video

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To search messages on WhatsApp on an iPhone, go to Chats → swipe down on your screen → tap “Search” → type in your search term → select a conversation from the results.

Quick Steps

1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the Chats button.
2. On Android, click on the magnifying glass icon.
3. Type in the Search bar and press Enter on your phone keyboard to search.
4. Scroll through the returned chats that match your search term.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

iPhone

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1. 
   1
   Tap the WhatsApp app on your Home screen.
2. 
   2
   Tap Chats.
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3. 
   3
   Swipe down. This will reveal the Search bar.
4. 
   4
   Tap the Search bar.
5. 
   5
   Type a search term. You can search for messages that were sent or contacts that you've chatted with. WhatsApp will search all of your conversations to find matches.
6. 
   6
   Tap a conversation from the search results. This will open the conversation and highlight your search term in it.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Android

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1. 
   1
   Tap the WhatsApp app. You can find this in your list of apps.
2. 
   2
   Tap the Chats tab.
3. 
   3
   Tap the magnifying glass button. This can be found at the top of the screen.
4. 
   4
   Type your search term. You can search for content inside of conversations, as well as contacts that you have chatted with.
5. 
   5
   Tap the search result you want to open. All of the results that match your query will be displayed. Tap one to open it with your search term highlighted.
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