WhatsApp Starred Messages: Can Others See Them?
You starred a message in a WhatsApp chat and now you're wondering whether the other person can tell, or see which of their messages you've saved. Can others see starred messages on WhatsApp? WhatsApp describes starring as a bookmark that helps you find a message later, and its help pages mention no notice and no star shown to the other person.
The help center doesn't answer the question in so many words, so this page sticks to what it does say: what a star is, where your list of starred messages lives on Android, iPhone and Web, what clearing chats does to it, and why a team can't share one.
What starring a message does
WhatsApp's help page defines it in one line: the starred messages feature allows you to bookmark specific messages so you can quickly refer back to them later. A star is a marker on a message you picked, and the list of everything you've starred is in your account.
Removing a star does not delete the message. WhatsApp states that plainly in the same article. You can star and unstar as often as you like without touching the chat itself.
Starring is for your own reference. It isn't a reaction, so it doesn't work like the emoji reactions that notify the sender of the message. If you want to see what a reaction tells the other side, read how to remove a reaction on WhatsApp.
Can the other person see your stars?
WhatsApp doesn't address it directly. Its help page calls starring a bookmark so you can refer back to a message, and it describes no notification, no label on the message and no way for anyone else to view your list.
The page also calls it the list of starred messages "in your account", which is how WhatsApp frames it throughout: something you keep, not something you send. What it never does is state outright that the other person can't see a star. If that matters for something sensitive, treat it as undocumented rather than guaranteed.
Where to find starred messages
Each app keeps the full list in a slightly different menu.
| Where | Path |
|---|---|
| Android | More options (three dots) above your chat list, then Starred |
| iPhone | Settings or your profile picture, then Starred |
| WhatsApp Web | More options or the Menu chevron above your chats list, then Starred messages |
On iPhone you can also see the stars from one chat only: open the chat, tap its name at the top, then tap Starred.
To star a message on Android or iPhone, open the chat, tap and hold the message, then tap the star (Android) or Star (iPhone). On Web, hover over the message, click the down chevron and choose Star.
To unstar one message, tap and hold it and choose the unstar option. To remove several on Android, open Starred, tap and hold the messages and tap the unstar icon, or use More options > Unstar all > Unstar all. On iPhone, open Starred, tap Edit, select the messages and tap the unstar icon.
What happens to starred messages when chats are cleared
On Android, clearing every chat at once gives you a choice about stars. In More options > Settings > Chats > Chat history > Clear all chats, there are two checkboxes: Also delete media received in chats from the device gallery and Delete starred messages. You can check or uncheck each one before you tap Clear chats.
That checkbox implies the list is part of what a full clear can remove. What the help center doesn't say is what happens to a star when only one chat is cleared, or when the sender deletes a message for everyone. The pages we read are silent on both, so we won't guess.
For the sender-side story, we have separate guides: how to see deleted WhatsApp messages and what "this message was deleted" means. If a starred message matters, copy what you need out before you clear a chat, because a restore from backup only brings back what the last backup held.
Starred messages not showing
WhatsApp's star article has no troubleshooting section, so there's no official list of causes. Two things it documents could explain a missing star:
- Someone unstarred the message. That removes it from the Starred list but leaves it in the chat.
- Stars were removed when you ran Clear all chats with Delete starred messages ticked (Android).
Beyond those two, we can't point to an official cause, so we won't invent one.
Star vs pin vs keep in chat vs message yourself
All four help you hold on to a message, and only some are visible to others.
- Star. A personal bookmark. No notice documented.
- Pin. Sits at the top of the chat as a banner for 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. WhatsApp's blog dated October 29, 2026 adds an option to pin forever. In a group chat, a system message tells everyone a message was pinned and who pinned it, so it's the opposite of private. See how pinning a message works.
- Keep in chat. For disappearing messages, and the sender is notified. See keep in chat.
- Message yourself. A chat with your own number for notes. See how to message yourself on WhatsApp.
Where Tenashi fits
On a phone, a star belongs to whoever tapped it. If the person who starred a quote or a delivery address is off sick, the rest of the team can't see it, and the list is only as good as that one person's habits.
Tenashi doesn't star messages on WhatsApp. What it adds is a shared place to find them. When your number is connected to Tenashi, your team can search messages in the shared inbox and put important details into an internal note on the contact, which the customer never sees. That covers chats on your own connected business number, from the day you connect it. More on running a team on one number in our guide to WhatsApp for business, and how search works in WhatsApp message search.
Plans start at $18/mo. Get started.
FAQ
Can the other person see that I starred their WhatsApp message?
WhatsApp's help center describes starring as a bookmark for you and mentions no notification to the other person. It doesn't state outright that they can't see it, so the most that can be said is that no notice is documented. The star and the Starred list are described as part of your own account.
Where are starred messages on WhatsApp?
On Android, tap More options above your chat list, then Starred. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Starred. On WhatsApp Web, click More options or the Menu chevron above your chats list, then Starred messages. The list covers every chat, not only the one you have open.
What does a star on a WhatsApp message mean?
It means you bookmarked that message so you can quickly refer back to it later. The star is something you add, and removing it doesn't delete the message. It isn't a reaction, and WhatsApp's page describes no notice to anyone else.
Do starred messages get deleted when I clear chats?
It can. On Android, Clear all chats offers a Delete starred messages checkbox that you can check or uncheck. WhatsApp's pages don't say what happens to a star when you clear a single chat, so copy anything important out first.
Does unstarring a message delete it?
No. WhatsApp states that removing the star won't delete the message. The message stays in the chat and only drops off your Starred list. To unstar several at once on Android, open Starred, tap and hold the messages, then tap the unstar icon.
A star is a private bookmark on one phone, which is the problem when a whole team works from one number. To give everyone the same searchable history, get started with Tenashi.