You can delete messages one at a time, in bulk, or delete entire conversations

WhatsApp gives you three ways to remove messages: delete individual messages, delete multiple messages at once, or delete an entire conversation. The method you choose depends on whether you want to keep the conversation thread but remove specific messages, or whether you want to erase the whole chat. On both iPhone and Android, the steps are nearly identical, though the exact button locations differ slightly.

Deleting a message removes it from your phone only — the person who received it will still see it in their copy of the conversation unless they delete it themselves. If you want to remove a message from both sides of the conversation, WhatsApp has a separate feature called "Delete for Everyone" that works only if you delete within about an hour of sending.

Key Takeaways

  • Individual messages can be deleted by long-pressing the message, tapping delete, and confirming — this removes it only from your phone.
  • The "Delete for Everyone" option removes a message from both your phone and the recipient's phone, but only works within roughly one hour of sending.
  • To delete an entire conversation, long-press the conversation name in your chat list and tap delete, which removes all messages in that thread at once.
  • Deleting messages does not affect your backup — WhatsApp backups include deleted messages unless you create a new backup after deletion.
  • On iPhone, deleted messages stay in your phone's storage until you back up again; on Android, they are removed when ready.

How to delete a single message on your phone only

Open WhatsApp and find the conversation containing the message you want to remove. Long-press (press and hold) the message until it highlights and a menu appears at the bottom of the screen. On Android, tap the trash or delete icon. On iPhone, tap "More" (three dots), then tap the trash icon.

A confirmation window will appear asking if you want to delete the message. Tap "Delete" or "Yes" to confirm. The message will disappear from your chat, but the person who received it will still see it on their phone. The conversation thread remains intact — other messages before and after the deleted one stay in place.

How to use "Delete for Everyone" to remove a message from both phones

This feature works only on messages you sent yourself, and only if you delete them within about one hour of sending. Open the conversation, long-press your own message, and look for an option labeled "Delete for Everyone" or "Delete Chat" (the exact wording varies by phone model and WhatsApp version). Tap it and confirm.

When you delete for everyone, the message disappears from both your phone and the recipient's phone. In their chat, they will see a note saying "This message was deleted" instead of the original text. This feature does not work on messages older than roughly 60 minutes, and it does not work on messages others sent to you.

How to delete multiple messages at once

If you want to remove several messages from the same conversation without deleting the entire chat, long-press the first message you want to delete. A checkbox will appear next to it. Tap each additional message you want to remove — checkboxes will appear next to each one. Once you have selected all the messages, tap the delete icon at the bottom of the screen and confirm.

This method removes only the messages you selected, leaving the rest of the conversation intact. It works on your phone only — the other person will still see all their copies of those messages. You cannot use "Delete for Everyone" when deleting multiple messages at once; that option only works on individual messages sent within the time limit.

How to delete an entire conversation

Open your chat list and long-press the conversation you want to remove. A menu will appear with options including delete. Tap "Delete" and confirm. The entire conversation — all messages, media, and call history in that thread — will be removed from your phone.

Deleting a conversation does not block the person or prevent them from messaging you again. If they send you a new message after you delete the conversation, a new chat thread will start. On some phones, you may see an option to "Delete and Clear Media" which also removes any photos or videos from that conversation from your phone's storage.

What happens to deleted messages in your backup

WhatsApp automatically backs up your conversations to cloud storage — Google Drive on Android, iCloud on iPhone. If you delete messages and then your phone backs up before you create a new backup, those deleted messages will be included in the backup file. This means if you restore from that backup later, the deleted messages will reappear.

To prevent deleted messages from being backed up, create a new backup after you delete them. On Android, open WhatsApp Settings, tap Chats, then Chat Backup, then "Back Up to Google Drive". On iPhone, open WhatsApp Settings, tap Chats, then Chat Backup, then "Back Up Now". The new backup will not include messages you have already deleted.

Why a message might not delete or why "Delete for Everyone" stops working

If you try to delete a message and it does not disappear, make sure you are using the current version of WhatsApp — older versions sometimes have bugs. Open your phone's app store and check for updates. If an update is available, install it and try again.

"Delete for Everyone" stops working after roughly one hour because WhatsApp's servers stop holding the message after that window closes. If you are past the time limit, the only option is to delete the message from your phone only. Some older phones or older WhatsApp versions may have a shorter time window or may not support "Delete for Everyone" at all — if you do not see that option, your version may be out of date.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete a message, can the other person still see it?

Yes, unless you use "Delete for Everyone". A regular delete removes the message from your phone only. The recipient will still see it in their conversation. "Delete for Everyone" removes it from both phones, but only works within about an hour of sending and only on messages you sent yourself.

Does deleting a conversation delete it from the other person's phone?

No. Deleting a conversation removes it only from your phone. The other person will still see the entire conversation in their chat list. If they message you again, you will see a new conversation thread start on your end.

Can I recover a message I deleted by mistake?

If you have a backup that includes the deleted message, you can restore from that backup to get the message back. However, restoring a backup replaces your entire chat history with the version from that backup, so you will lose any messages sent or received after the backup was created. There is no way to recover a single deleted message without restoring the entire backup.

What is the difference between deleting a message and archiving a conversation?

Deleting removes the message or conversation from your chat list entirely. Archiving hides a conversation from your main chat list but keeps it stored on your phone — if the person messages you again, the conversation will reappear. Archiving is useful if you want to clean up your chat list without losing the history.

If I delete a message, does it free up storage space on my phone?

Deleting text messages frees up very little space because text takes almost no storage. If the message contained photos or videos, deleting it will free up more space. On Android, the space is freed when ready. On iPhone, the space is freed the next time your phone backs up to iCloud.