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    Phone & Tablet
    Beginner
    3 min read 5 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Pin an iMessage Conversation to the Top

    Keep your most important text conversations pinned at the top of your iPhone Messages list so you never have to scroll to find them.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Phone & Tablet
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    3 min read
    Steps
    5
    Topics covered
    iphone
    imessage
    messages
    pin
    organization
    ios

    In this guide (5 steps):

    1. 1.Open the Messages app
    2. 2.Swipe right on the conversation you want to pin
    3. 3.See your pinned conversation at the top
    4. 4.Pin more conversations (up to 9 total)
    5. 5.Unpin a conversation when you no longer need it pinned
    1

    Open the Messages app

    ~15s
    Tap the Messages app icon on your iPhone home screen — it's the green icon with a white speech bubble. You'll see your list of conversations.
    2

    Swipe right on the conversation you want to pin

    ~23s
    Find the conversation you want to pin in your list. Place your finger on it and swipe slowly to the right (toward the right edge of the screen). A yellow pin icon will appear. Tap the pin icon to pin that conversation.

    Quick Tip

    Alternatively, you can press and hold the conversation for about one second, and a menu will appear. Tap "Pin" from that menu.

    3

    See your pinned conversation at the top

    ~18s
    The conversation will move to the top of your Messages list and appear as a large circle with the person's photo or initials. New messages from that person will show a number badge on their circle. And you may see a preview of their latest message below the circle.
    4

    Pin more conversations (up to 9 total)

    ~19s
    Repeat the swipe-right or press-and-hold method for any other conversations you want to pin. You can pin up to 9 conversations. They'll line up as circles across the top of your Messages screen. You can also rearrange pinned conversations by pressing and holding one of the circles, then dragging it to a new position.
    5

    Unpin a conversation when you no longer need it pinned

    ~24s
    Press and hold the pinned circle at the top of Messages. A small menu will appear. Tap "Unpin." The conversation will return to its regular spot in your main conversation list, sorted by date.

    Quick Tip

    You might want to unpin seasonal conversations — for example, a conversation with a holiday event planner — after the event is over, to free up space for the conversations you use most.

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    If you regularly text certain people — your children, your spouse, your doctor's office — it can get annoying to scroll through a long list of conversations every time you open the Messages app. Apple's pin feature solves this by letting you "stick" up to nine conversations at the very top of your Messages list, where they're always visible the moment you open the app.

    Pinned conversations appear as large circular icons at the top of your Messages list, above all your regular conversations. You can see the person's contact photo (or their initials if they don't have a photo), and you'll see a badge number on the icon when they send you a new message.

    Pinning is available on iPhones running iOS 17 or later (released in 2020), so most iPhones in use today support it. You can pin individual people, groups, or even a conversation with a business.

    Pinning someone doesn't notify them — it's a personal organization tool that only you can see on your phone. You can pin up to 9 conversations total. And you can unpin them at any time in the same way you pinned them.

    This is one of those small features that makes a surprisingly big difference in daily use. Instead of hunting for your daughter's texts every morning, her name is right there waiting for you at the top of the screen.

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    iphone
    imessage
    messages
    pin
    organization
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    Official Resources

    Apple Support — iPhoneGoogle Help — AndroidSamsung Support

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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