# Star a message

Starring messages is a good way to keep track of important messages, such as
tasks you need to go back to or documents you reference often.

## Star a message

{start_tabs}

{tab|desktop}
{!message-actions.md!}

1. Click the **star** (<i class="fa fa-star-o"></i>) icon.

{tab|mobile}

1. Long press on a message.

1. Select **Star message** in the menu that appears.

{end_tabs}

Starred messages have a filled in star (<i class="fa fa-star"></i>) to
their right.  You can unstar a message using the same instructions
used to star it.

## View your starred messages

You can view your starred messages by clicking **Starred messages** in the
left sidebar, or by [searching](/help/search-for-messages) for `is:starred`.

By default, Zulip displays the number of starred messages in the left
sidebar; this allows you to use them as an inbox of messages you'd
like to come back to. If you are using starred messages for something
else and would prefer not to see the count in your left sidebar, you
can disable that feature.

{start_tabs}

{settings_tab|display-settings}

1. Under **Advanced**, toggle **Show counts for starred messages**.

{end_tabs}

## Related articles

* [Marking messages as unread](/help/marking-messages-as-unread)
* [Reading strategies](/help/reading-strategies)
