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Mute or unmute a channel

Zulip lets you mute topics and channels to avoid receiving notifications for messages you are not interested in. Muting a channel effectively mutes all topics in that channel. You can also manually mute a topic in an unmuted channel, or unmute a topic in a muted channel.

Muting has the following effects:

  • Messages in muted topics do not generate notifications (including alert word notifications), unless you are mentioned.
  • Messages in muted topics do not appear in the Combined feed view or the mobile Inbox view.
  • Muted topics appear in the Recent conversations view only if the Include muted filter is enabled.
  • Unread messages in muted topics do not contribute to channel unread counts.
  • Muted topics and channels are grayed out in the left sidebar of the desktop/web app, and in the mobile app.
  • In the desktop/web app, muted topics are sorted to the bottom of their channel, and muted channels are sorted to the bottom of their channel section.

Note: Some parts of the Zulip experience may start to degrade if you receive more than a few hundred muted messages a day.

Mute a channel

  • Desktop/Web
  • Mobile

  1. Hover over a channel in the left sidebar.

  2. Click on the ellipsis ().

  3. Click Mute channel.

  1. Press and hold a channel until the long-press menu appears.

  2. Tap Mute channel.

If you are in a channel view, you can access the long-press menu from the bar at the top of the app.

Unmute a channel

  • Desktop/Web
  • Mobile

  1. Hover over a channel in the left sidebar.

  2. Click on the ellipsis ().

  3. Click Unmute channel.

  1. Press and hold a channel until the long-press menu appears.

  2. Tap Unmute channel.

If you are in a channel view, you can access the long-press menu from the bar at the top of the app.

Alternate method to mute or unmute a channel

  • Desktop/Web
  • Mobile

  1. Click on the gear () icon in the upper right corner of the web or desktop app.

  2. Select Channel settings.

  3. Select a channel.

  4. Select the Personal tab on the right.

  5. Under Notification settings, toggle Mute channel.

  1. Press and hold a channel until the long-press menu appears.

  2. Tap Channel settings.

  3. Toggle Muted.

If you are in a channel view, you can access the channel settings menu from the information (information) button in the top right corner of the app.

Managing muted channels

Zulip works best when most of the messages you receive are not muted. If you find yourself muting a lot of channels, consider unsubscribing from public channels you've muted. You can always re-subscribe if you need to, view the channel feed without subscribing, or search for messages in all public channels.

Your feedback helps us make Zulip better for everyone! Please contact us with questions, suggestions, and feature requests.