How To Leave A WhatsApp Group Chat

WhatsApp group chats are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, especially if you all live in different time zones or countries. Sadly, much like with in-person friend groups, chat rooms aren't always sustainable. Maybe you started seeing your family in person more frequently, perhaps you and your friends grew apart, or maybe that one guy in the chat absolutely refuses to stop posting spicy takes. Whatever the reason, the time may come when you'll need to make an exit from your WhatsApp group chat.

Thankfully, leaving a WhatsApp group chat is not only a very simple process, but it's also one you can do completely silently. Unless one of the users in the chat is watching the online user list like a hawk, nobody will notice you left unless you deliberately announce it yourself. All you need to do is navigate a couple of menus, and you can make a stealthy exit.

If you want to bail on a WhatsApp group chat, you can do so at any time through the chat's settings. When you depart from the chat, the only members of it that will be notified will be the chat's designated admin users- everyone else won't know you left unless they deliberately check the online user list.

1. On the main WhatsApp screen, open the chat you want to leave.

2. On an iPhone, tap the name of the group at the top of the screen to open its menu.

3. On an Android, tap the three dots to open the menu drop-down, then tap More.

4. On desktop, click the downward arrow.

5. Scroll down to the bottom of the chat menu and tap Exit Group.

6. Confirm your exit by tapping the Exit button.

After you leave a group, you'll be removed from the active users list. However, your profile name, phone number, and depending on the chat's settings, profile picture will still be visible in the Past Participants list located in the chat's Group Info menu. This information will remain for 60 days, after which it will be erased automatically.

If you leave a WhatsApp group chat, there isn't a quick undo button you can press to immediately rejoin it if you change your mind. They did confirm if you really wanted to leave, after all, so that was your chance to back out. However, you can still rejoin the group chat at any time by finding the group in the WhatsApp app. If it's an open group, you can just join the group on your own the same way you originally did. If it's a private group, you can request a fresh invite from the group's admin. In either case, though, you will need a link to the group first.

1. Find the group you want to join on the WhatsApp app.

2. If the group is open, tap the Join group button to immediately join it.

3. If the group is private, tap Request to join.

4. Select which group admin you want to send a request to, then tap the confirm button.

5. If the admin approves your request, you'll automatically be added to the group.

Depending on how you originally joined, you may be able to request the link from another user through a different means of communication, or you could find it on a website.