Seven handy tips for WhatsApp desktop

Notifications

The drawback of belonging to several groups is the constant deluge of messages. Whatsapp incessantly pings whenever you get a text message. To curb this, click on the three horizontal dots beside the profile picture and go to Settings. Choose Notifications, and you'll see the options that can be customized. Uncheck Sounds, silence groups, etc. To disable all alerts, uncheck Desktop Alerts.

Emoji Commands

A must-have app if you use emojis frequently. By using a colon prefix, type out the emotion or object and the app instantly displays the emojis to pick from. For example: :anger displays emojis pertaining to anger, :laugh displays the emojis related to laughter. Use arrow keys to pick and Enter to send.

Emoticons to Emojis

The pre-emoji era had emoticons such as :-), :-(, ;-), and so forth. Whatsapp desktop does support this. Type out the emoticon and once you send it, it changes to a corresponding emoji. Handy for those who enjoy the classic AOL chat.

TAB

The desktop version is built to be mouse-free, all actions can be performed using the keyboard. The Tab button comes in handy and has precise actions. The first hit goes to the search bar, second to the chat list, third to the emoji board and the final one to the text box. You never have to use the mouse. Enter lets you perform the action.

Text formatting

Whatsapp supports Markdown. Using these modifiers, you can format the text you're sending by changing it to bold, italics, or having a strikethrough. This option is friendlier on a desktop since the keys are highly accessible than on a smartphone. Use underscores on both ends to change it to italics, asterisks for bold, tilde for strikethrough and backticks for monospace font.

Example:

~Hi~ for strikethrough.

```Hi``` for Monospace font.

*Hi* for bold

_Hi_ for italics.

Remember to use the modifiers on both ends.

Shortcuts

As mentioned above, Whatsapp desktop is designed to be mouse-free. The following commands will get the job done.

Control+N: Opens a new chat.

Control+Shift+N: Creates a new group.

Control+Shift+[/]: Moves between chats.

Control+E: Archives a chat.

Control+Shift+M: Mutes a chat.

Control+Shift+U: Changes the status of the chat.

Control+Backspace/Delete: Deletes a chat.

Control+P: Opens your profile

Mac users can use the Command key instead.

ChatMate

For Mac users only, ChatMate is a third-party app which augments the experience of Whatsapp desktop. It has a Dark Mode, which blends seamlessly with the Mojave OS. ChatMate also brings Do Not Disturb and Touch Bar support, making it a nifty app.