Although messaging apps like Telegram and Signal have become quite popular lately, WhatsApp remains the most widely-used messaging platform globally. The messaging app has released many new features to keep up with the competition, and despite privacy concerns by some users, its user base has continued to rise. If you're a long-time WhatsApp user, chances are you already use the web or desktop version of the app to stay in touch with friends or family on a PC or Mac. But did you know that you can level up your WhatsApp experience on these clients using some handy keyboard shortcuts?

The WhatsApp clients for web and desktop support a wide range of keyboard shortcuts that work on both Windows PCs and Apple Macs. The keyboard shortcuts allow you to archive, delete, pin, or mute chats, mark messages as unread, quickly look up chats, switch between conversations, and much more. Check out the tables below for a quick overview of all the useful shortcuts available.

WhatsApp keyboard shortcuts for Windows PCs

You can use the following WhatsApp keyboard shortcuts on either the web version or the desktop app on a Windows PC:

Action

WhatsApp for Web

Windows desktop client

Mark as read

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + U

Ctrl + Shift + U

Mute

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + M

Ctrl + Shift + M

Archive chat

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E

Ctrl + Shift + E

Delete chat

Ctrl + Alt + Backspace

Ctrl + Shift + D

Pin chat

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P

Ctrl + Shift + P

Search

Ctrl + Alt + /

Ctrl + F

Search chat

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F

Ctrl + Shift + F

New chat

Ctrl + Alt + N

Ctrl + N

Next chat

Ctrl + Alt + Tab

Ctrl + Tab

Previous chat

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Tab

Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Close chat

Escape (Esc)

Escape (Esc)

New group

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N

Ctrl + Shift + N

Profile and about

Ctrl + Alt + P

Ctrl + P

Settings

Ctrl + Alt

Ctrl + ,

Emoji panel

Ctrl + Alt + E

Ctrl + E

GIF panel

Ctrl + Alt + G

Ctrl + G

Sticker panel

Ctrl + Alt + S

Ctrl + S

Extended search

Alt + K

Alt + K

Lock screen

Ctrl + Alt + L

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WhatsApp keyboard shortcuts for Mac

On macOS devices, you can use the following WhatsApp keyboard shortcuts to perform a wide range of actions:

Action

WhatsApp for web

macOS desktop client

Mark as read

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + U

Cmd + Shift + U

Mute

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + M

Cmd + Shift + M

Archive chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + E

Cmd + Shift + E

Delete chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Backspace

Cmd + Shift + D

Pin chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + P

Cmd + Shift + P

Search

Cmd + Ctrl + /

Cmd + F

Search chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + F

Cmd + Shift + F

New chat

Cmd + Ctrl + N

Cmd + N

Next chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Tab

Ctrl + Tab

Previous chat

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Close chat

Escape (Esc)

Escape (Esc)

New group

Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + N

Cmd + Shift + N

Profile and about

Cmd + Ctrl + P

Cmd + P

Settings

Cmd + Ctrl + ,

Cmd + ,

Emoji panel

Cmd + Ctrl + E

Cmd + E

GIF panel

Cmd + Ctrl + G

Cmd + G

Sticker panel

Cmd + Ctrl + S

Cmd + S

Extended search

Cmd + K

Cmd + K

If you spend a good chunk of your day texting on WhatsApp, we strongly recommend you try out the web and desktop versions of the messaging app on your great laptop, regardless of it's a PC or Mac. Responding to messages with a proper keyboard will be a serious game-changer and allow you to get through your backlog easily. These keyboard shortcuts will make the process even faster, but it may take a while for you to memorize them. It's well worth the effort, though, and we're sure you won't regret it. We hope this helps you make the best use of WhatsApp on a computer!