Hide and Unhide Line Chats: Full Guide

This guide explains how to hide and unhide chats in the LINE messaging app on both iPhone and Android, covering the built-in chat hiding feature, the separate chat lock function, and how to restore hidden conversations without losing your message history.

What Does Hiding a Chat in LINE Do?

LINE’s “Hide chat” feature removes a conversation from your main chat list without deleting any messages. The chat is moved to a hidden folder that you can access later. This is useful when you want to keep a conversation private from someone who casually glances at your phone, but you don’t want to permanently erase your chat history. Hidden chats remain hidden until you manually unhide them, and you will still receive new messages from that contact, which will appear as a notification but the chat stays in the hidden folder.

How to Hide a Chat in LINE (iPhone and Android)

The steps to hide a chat are nearly identical on both iOS and Android versions of LINE:

Open the LINE app and go to the Chats tab (the speech bubble icon at the bottom).
Find the chat you want to hide. It can be a 1-on-1 chat or a group chat.
On iPhone: Swipe left on the chat row, then tap Hide. Alternatively, you can tap and hold the chat, then select Hide from the pop-up menu.
On Android: Tap and hold the chat row until a menu appears, then tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the screen, and select Hide. Some Android versions allow a long-press to bring up a context menu with a Hide option directly.
Confirm that you want to hide the chat when prompted. The chat will disappear from your main list.

Note that hiding a chat does not block the person, and it does not delete any messages. The chat is simply moved to a separate area.

How to Unhide a Chat in LINE

To bring a hidden chat back to your main chat list, follow these steps:

On the Chats tab, look for the Hidden folder at the very top of the list. It appears as a small icon that looks like a folder with an eye slash, or as a text link that says “Hidden” next to a number (the number indicates how many chats are hidden).
Tap on the Hidden icon or text. This opens a list of all your hidden chats.
Find the chat you want to unhide, then swipe left (on iPhone) or tap and hold (on Android) to reveal the Unhide option.
Tap Unhide. The chat will immediately return to your main chat list, with all its message history intact.

If you cannot find the Hidden folder, it means you currently have no hidden chats. Also note that if you hide a chat and then delete the app, the hidden status is stored on LINE’s servers, so when you reinstall, the chat will still be hidden.

Difference Between Hide, Lock, and Delete

LINE offers several ways to manage chat privacy, and it’s easy to confuse them:

Hide: Moves the chat to a hidden folder. You can unhide it anytime. Messages are not deleted. New messages still arrive.
Lock (Chat Lock): Requires a PIN or biometric authentication (Face ID / fingerprint) to open a specific chat. The chat remains visible in your list, but a lock icon appears, and tapping it prompts for authentication. This is for stronger privacy against someone who has your phone unlocked.
Delete: Permanently deletes the chat history from your device (and from LINE’s servers if you choose “Delete for everyone”). This cannot be undone. Deleting a chat does not hide it; it removes it entirely.

Use Hide when you want a clean chat list but still want to keep the conversation accessible. Use Lock when you want to keep the chat visible but require extra security to open it. Use Delete when you are sure you never want to see the chat again.

Why Can’t I Find the Hidden Folder?

Some users report that the Hidden folder is missing from their Chats tab. Here are the most common reasons and solutions:

No hidden chats: The folder only appears when you have at least one hidden chat. If you have no hidden chats, the folder is not shown.
App version: Very old versions of LINE may not have the hidden folder feature. Update LINE to the latest version from your app store.
Chat Lock is active: If you have Chat Lock enabled for a chat, it is not hidden; it is locked. The hidden folder is separate from the lock feature. Check your settings under Chats > Chat Lock to see if you have any locked chats.
Hidden chats are on a different account: If you have multiple LINE accounts, hidden chats are per account. Make sure you are logged into the correct account.

How to Hide a Chat Without the Hidden Folder (Alternative)

If you want a chat to be completely invisible and not even accessible via the Hidden folder, you can use the Archive feature (if available) or simply mute notifications and move the chat to the bottom of your list. However, LINE’s official method is the Hidden folder. There is no way to password-protect the hidden folder itself; the folder is accessible to anyone who opens the app. For stronger privacy, use Chat Lock on individual chats.

Common Problems and Troubleshooting

Here are answers to frequent issues users encounter:

Hidden chat still shows up in notifications: Hiding a chat does not suppress notifications. To stop notifications, mute the chat before hiding it, or turn off notifications for that chat in the chat settings.
I accidentally hid a chat and can’t find it: Go to the Chats tab and look for the Hidden folder. If you still can’t find it, try searching for the contact’s name in the search bar at the top of the Chats tab – hidden chats do not appear in search results, so you must use the Hidden folder.
Unhide option is grayed out: This can happen if the chat was hidden by another device or if there is a sync issue. Try restarting the app or logging out and back in.
Hidden chats reappear after update: Some users report that after a LINE update, hidden chats become visible again. This is a known glitch. You can re-hide them, and they should stay hidden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hiding a chat delete the messages?

No. Hiding a chat only moves it to the hidden folder. All messages, photos, and files remain intact. You can unhide the chat at any time and everything will be there.

Can the other person see that I hid our chat?

No. Hiding is a local action on your device. The other person has no way of knowing that you hid the chat. They will still see the chat as normal on their end.

What is the difference between hiding and locking a chat?

Hiding removes the chat from your main list and places it in a hidden folder. Locking keeps the chat visible but requires a PIN or biometric to open it. Locking is more secure because the hidden folder is not protected.

Will I still get notifications for hidden chats?

Yes, you will still receive notifications for new messages in hidden chats. To stop notifications, you must mute the chat before hiding it, or change notification settings for that specific chat.

How do I hide a group chat in LINE?

Group chats can be hidden exactly the same way as individual chats. Swipe left on the group chat (iPhone) or tap and hold (Android) and select Hide. The group chat will move to the hidden folder.

Can I hide multiple chats at once?

LINE does not offer a bulk hide option. You must hide each chat individually. However, you can unhide multiple chats at once by tapping “Edit” in the hidden folder and selecting multiple chats.

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