Overwatch Lets You Block Any Word In Every Channel

By Indie Kings | October 12, 2026

Updated October 12, 2026: Overwatch Season 5 adds a Custom Restricted Words setting that hides any chat message containing exact words or phrases you type, and it works across whispers, group chat, team chat and match chat. Per Duskforge, you manage the list under Options in the Social tab.

Image: Overwatch Ana scope artwork. Credit: Duskforge.

Overwatch chat can be useful, distracting, funny, tense and exhausting, sometimes in the same match. Per Duskforge, the Season 5 answer to that problem is small but practical. The game now lets you type the exact words and phrases you do not want to see, and then it hides messages that contain them.

This report is based only on article facts from Duskforge, with reporting credited to Neviriah and publication dated October 10 2026. No extra patch numbers, button labels beyond those reported, or release claims are added here. The goal is to explain the setting clearly, show where it lives, show what it does, and show where its limits sit.

If you have ever muted all chat because one recurring word kept appearing, this setting is aimed at you. It offers a middle path between seeing everything and seeing nothing. You keep callouts, cooldown notes, grouping messages and friendly chat, while selected terms disappear behind a warning.

Where to Find Custom Restricted Words

Per Duskforge, the setting lives with the other chat filters. That placement matters because players already look in that area for profanity controls and message flagging options. You do not need to hunt through account pages, external apps or platform level controls.

The reported path starts in Options. From there you go to the Social tab. Then you select Text Chat. Then you scroll down to the Text Profanity Filters section. Inside that section you will see Custom Restricted Words with a Manage Words control.

Selecting Manage Words opens the list. You choose Add Word for each word or phrase you want hidden. When you finish adding entries, you select Done. That saves the list and returns you to the Text Chat settings.

Duskforge notes that Custom Restricted Words sits at the bottom of Options, Social, Text Chat. That detail helps because long settings pages are easy to misread. If you stop too early, you may see only the older automatic filters and miss the new custom list.

The list supports up to 100 entries. That number is important for planning. One hundred entries is enough for many players to cover recurring annoyances, nicknames they prefer not to read, spoilers, slang that tilts them, or terms that repeatedly spark arguments in match chat.

There is also a Clear All button. Clear All removes the whole list if you ever want to start over. That is useful after a season break, after a name change in your group, or after you realize your list has grown stale and hides more than you intended.

The same list applies to all four chat channels at once. You do not need to set it up separately for whispers, group chat, team chat and match chat. One list covers everything, which keeps maintenance simple.

The table above collects the core setting facts in one place. It is useful when you return later and want to check the cap, the location or the reset option without rereading the whole guide. Each row reflects only what Duskforge reported.

One practical tip is to add entries slowly. Start with the small number of terms that actually bother you. Play several matches. Then decide whether you need more. A short and accurate list is easier to review than a long list built in one frustrated sitting.

Another practical tip is to use exact phrases where possible. The feature works on exact words and phrases you type. If a longer phrase is the real problem, entering that phrase may be more precise than entering a single short word that appears in harmless messages too.

It also helps to review the list after role queue streaks, event modes or arcade sessions. Different modes bring different chat habits. A list tuned for competitive team chat may feel too strict for a relaxed group stack, or too loose for open match chat.

What Happens When Someone Types a Blocked Word

When a message contains one of your restricted words or phrases, the message is hidden. Per Duskforge, it is not deleted. It is replaced by a warning that reads Possible Bad Message Custom. That wording tells you why the message was hidden.

The warning matters because deletion and hiding are different. Deletion would remove all context. Hiding preserves the fact that someone spoke, while giving you control over whether to read the text. You can reveal the message if you want to see the full text.

That reveal option is useful in team play. A teammate may use one of your restricted words harmlessly while calling a play, naming a location, reacting to a fight, or quoting someone else. If the hidden message might contain useful context, you can open it and judge for yourself.

This behavior also helps in group chat. Friends often repeat jokes, memes or rage phrases without meaning harm. If one of those phrases is on your list, you will see the warning instead of the text. You can still reveal it when the match situation makes context important.

The same logic applies in whispers. A whisper is easy to miss during a fight, and an unpleasant whisper is hard to unread. Hiding the text behind a warning gives you a pause before deciding whether to engage, ignore or report.

For match chat, the benefit is control over a channel many players already distrust. Match chat includes opponents as well as teammates. It can carry tactical talk, congratulations and humor, but it can also carry bait, spam and targeted annoyance. A custom list lets you stay in the channel while removing specific triggers.

The table above shows channel coverage in plain form. Per Duskforge, the feature applies to whispers, group chat, team chat and match chat. There is no separate setup per channel. One list covers all four at once.

Streamers get one extra safeguard. Per Duskforge, with Streamer Mode on, the game asks you to confirm before it shows or lets you edit your list. That confirmation step prevents blocked words from appearing on stream by accident.

That streamer detail deserves emphasis. A block list is personal. It may contain words you strongly dislike, terms tied to bad experiences, or phrases you simply never want an audience to see. Showing that list live could defeat its purpose and could also broadcast terms you wanted to avoid.

If you stream, set up the list before you go live. Then test the confirmation behavior while offline or in a private lobby if possible. Knowing where the prompt appears will save fumbling during a broadcast when chat is moving fast.

If you do not stream, the same caution still applies in shared rooms. Do not open the list on a shared screen unless you are comfortable with others seeing it. Edit it before grouping up, not during a countdown when someone may be watching.

The Automatic Filter Only Catches So Much

Overwatch already has automated filtering. Per Duskforge, that includes the Flag Potentially Disruptive Messages option and the profanity filter levels for each channel. Those tools try to hide disruptive chat by default.

Blizzard said in the patch notes, as relayed by Duskforge, that those systems do their best to hide disruptive chat by default, while the new option lets players pick the exact words and phrases themselves. That division of labor is the heart of the Season 5 change.

Automatic systems are broad by design. They aim to catch common profanity, slurs, spam patterns and disruptive behavior across millions of messages. They cannot know which nickname bothers you, which meme tilts you, or which otherwise ordinary word has become a problem in your matches.

That is why custom control matters. One player may want to hide a former username they no longer use. Another may want to hide a spoiler term during an event or story update. Another may want to hide a word the default filter misses, or a phrase tied to endless balance arguments.

Duskforge frames this point directly. No automatic filter knows what bothers you specifically. It could be a nickname you do not want to read or see, ever. It could be a word the default filter misses. It could be something else entirely that you just do not want in your games.

The custom list does not replace the automatic filters. It sits beside them. Players who like strong default filtering can keep those protections on and add personal entries on top. Players who prefer lighter defaults can still use the custom list for a small number of specific terms.

Think of the automatic filter as a wide net and the custom list as a set of named hooks. The net catches much of the obvious problem traffic. The hooks catch the personal cases that a general system will never prioritize. Together they reduce the need to mute everything.

This layered approach is especially useful because chat needs change by session. During a focused climb, you may want tight filtering. During a casual stack with friends, you may want lighter filtering. A personal list makes those adjustments faster than leaving and rejoining channels or muting entire chat categories.

Setup Steps in Detail

Per Duskforge, setup takes about a minute. That short time cost is part of the appeal. Players who have avoided settings menus because they expect long toggles and confusing subpages can finish this task between matches.

First, open Options. That is the main settings entry point. If you are in queue, you can still move through menus, but it is calmer to do this from the main menu or during a low stress moment.

Second, go to the Social tab. Social holds communication controls rather than video, audio or gameplay tuning. If you only adjust aim, graphics or key binds, this tab may be unfamiliar, so take a moment to read the headings.

Third, select Text Chat. Text Chat is the subsection for written channels. Voice controls live elsewhere, so do not expect this list to mute voice lines, voice chat or pings.

Fourth, scroll down to the Text Profanity Filters section. This is where the older filters already live. The new setting appears alongside them, which reinforces that it is another text filter, not a reporting tool or an account action.

Fifth, next to Custom Restricted Words, choose Manage Words. This opens the personal list. From there you add entries one by one.

Sixth, choose Add Word for each word or phrase you want hidden. Type the exact term. Repeat for each additional entry. When finished, choose Done.

After saving, the list applies to all four chat channels at once. You do not need to repeat the steps for whispers, group, team and match chat. That single application step is what keeps the one minute setup claim realistic.

• Open Options and select the Social tab.
• Select Text Chat and scroll to Text Profanity Filters.
• Choose Manage Words next to Custom Restricted Words.
• Use Add Word for each exact word or phrase, then choose Done.
• Use Clear All only when you truly want to restart the whole list.

The list above restates the reported steps as a checklist. It is not a substitute for reading the settings labels on screen. Labels can shift slightly with updates, so always follow the visible Manage Words, Add Word and Done controls.

If you reach the 100 entry cap, pause and prune. Remove terms that no longer appear. Combine variants only if the feature treats them as you expect. Keep the entries that solve real recurring problems and drop experiments that hide harmless talk.

If you share an account or machine, remember that settings may affect whoever plays next. A list tuned to one player can confuse another. Clear All is available, but a better habit is to review entries before handing over the setup.

Why This Matters for Everyday Play

Duskforge makes a larger point that goes beyond menus. Although this does not sound like much, it is actually a big deal if you have ever muted chat entirely because of one person or situation. That sentence captures the lived reality of team game chat.

Full mute is effective but costly. It removes insults, spam and tilt bait. It also removes ultimate callouts, regroup requests, flank warnings, swap suggestions and friendly encouragement. Many players accept that tradeoff only because they see no middle option.

Custom Restricted Words creates that middle option. You can remain present in team chat while removing the small set of terms that reliably ruin your focus. That can make shotcalling clearer, reviews calmer and losses less sticky.

The feature may also help players who return after a break. Returning players often feel rusty on maps, heroes and pacing. Chat noise makes that return harder. A small personal filter lowers the social load while they relearn the game.

It may help group leaders too. A stack leader who organizes practice, reviews replays or welcomes new members can set expectations for text chat and use the custom list as a personal safety net. It does not enforce rules on others, but it reduces what the leader has to absorb.

It may help players who support friends through rough sessions. If a friend tilts on a certain phrase, hiding that phrase can keep the session friendly. That is not the same as solving tilt, but fewer triggers can mean better decisions in the next fight.

The broader lesson is that chat tools shape attention. Every hidden insult is attention preserved for tracking ultimates, hearing footsteps, watching the kill feed and reading the objective state. Over a long session, that preserved attention compounds.

None of this requires heavy moderation knowledge. Typing exact words is a familiar action. Most players already use block and mute lists on other platforms. Bringing that habit into Overwatch chat lowers the learning curve to near zero.

The one minute setup claim also matters for adoption. Long privacy checklists often go unfinished. A short task that pays off in the next match is more likely to be completed. That is why guides should stress how fast the first version of the list can be.

Limits, Reports and Sensible Expectations

Per Duskforge, this only hides messages on your screen. It does not stop anyone from typing them. It does not report them. Other players will still see the messages unless they also filter or hide them.

That limit is essential. A personal filter is not moderation. It changes your view, not the shared match record. If someone is being abusive, the report button is still the way to go. Hiding a word does not replace reporting harassment, threats, hate or repeated disruption.

Exact matching also has tradeoffs. Typing exact words and phrases gives precision, but determined senders can alter spacing, spelling or punctuation. The custom list is best seen as friction against recurring annoyance, not as a perfect barrier.

Overfiltering is another risk. A broad term can hide useful messages. A joke entry added in frustration can hide a real callout later. Periodic review keeps the list aligned with what you actually need.

Underfiltering is possible too. If you add only one variant of a phrase, other variants will still appear. That is not a failure of the concept. It means your list needs the specific forms that show up in your region, rank range and modes.

Parents and guardians should treat this as one layer among several. Platform level controls, account supervision, voice chat choices and playtime habits still matter. A text word list cannot manage voice behavior, images, usernames outside chat, or behavior in external apps.

Teams trying to improve communication should pair the filter with clear norms. Say which channel carries calls. Say when to use pings versus text. Say how to ask for a swap without blame. Tools work better when the social rules are stated.

Finally, remember the streamer caution even if you record clips for friends. Clip software can capture settings screens. Review recordings before sharing if you opened Manage Words on camera. A quick trim protects a personal list.

1. Use the custom list for personal visibility control.
2. Use report tools for abuse that violates rules.
3. Review entries when hidden messages start hiding useful context.

The short list above keeps the mental model clean. Hide what drains you. Report what harms the match. Review the list so it keeps serving the first goal without hurting team awareness.

FAQ

What is Custom Restricted Words in Overwatch Season 5?

Per Duskforge, it is a setting where you type exact words or phrases you do not want to see, and any chat message containing them gets hidden. It was added in Season 5 as a personal text filter.

Where is the Custom Restricted Words setting?

Per Duskforge, open Options, go to the Social tab, select Text Chat, scroll to Text Profanity Filters, then choose Manage Words next to Custom Restricted Words. Use Add Word for each entry and choose Done when finished.

Which chat channels does it cover?

Per Duskforge, it applies to whispers, group chat, team chat and match chat. One list applies to all four channels at once, so no separate setup is needed.

What do I see when a blocked word appears?

Per Duskforge, the message is hidden behind a Possible Bad Message Custom warning rather than deleted. You can reveal the message if you need the context, which helps when a teammate uses the term harmlessly.

How many words can I block and how do I reset the list?

Per Duskforge, you can add up to 100 entries and there is a Clear All button if you want to start over. Review the list over time so it hides annoyances without hiding useful callouts.

Does hiding a message report the sender?

Per Duskforge, no, hiding changes only your screen and does not stop others from typing the term or report the sender. If someone is abusive, use the report button in addition to your personal filter.

Bottom Line

Custom Restricted Words is a short setup task with a lasting payoff. Type the exact terms you want gone, save the list, and those messages move behind a warning across whispers, group, team and match chat. For players tired of choosing between full chat and full mute, that middle path is worth the minute.

Sources

Per Duskforge, all setting details, channel coverage, menu path, entry cap and behavior details in this article come from Duskforge reporting by Neviriah, published October 10 2026.

Duskforge: Overwatch now lets you block any word you want from chat, and it works in every channel