Delete individual messages or entire conversations
You can remove text messages from your iPhone in two ways: delete single messages one at a time, or delete an entire conversation at once. Most people delete whole conversations because they're faster, but if you want to keep some messages from a person and remove others, you can do that too.
The method you choose depends on how many messages you need to remove. If you're clearing out old conversations to free up space or organize your Messages app, deleting by conversation is the quickest route. If you're keeping a conversation but removing specific messages within it, you'll use the single-message method instead.
Key Takeaways
- Delete an entire conversation by opening Messages, swiping left on the conversation name, and tapping the trash icon that appears.
- Delete individual messages within a conversation by tapping Edit in the upper left, selecting the messages you want to remove, and tapping Delete.
- Deleted messages are gone permanently — iPhone does not have a trash folder or recovery option for text messages.
- Deleting messages from your phone does not delete them from the recipient's phone, and does not remove them from iCloud if you have Messages in iCloud turned on.
How to delete an entire conversation
Open the Messages app and look at your list of conversations. Find the conversation you want to delete. Press and hold on the conversation name until a menu appears with options including Delete. Tap Delete, and the conversation disappears when ready.
Alternatively, you can swipe left on the conversation name with your finger. A red trash icon appears on the right side. Tap the trash icon to delete the conversation. This method is faster if you're deleting multiple conversations in a row — you can swipe and tap your way through several without opening a menu each time.
Either method removes the entire conversation and all messages in it. You cannot undo this action, so make sure you want to delete the conversation before you confirm.
How to delete individual messages within a conversation
Open the conversation that contains the messages you want to remove. Tap Edit in the upper left corner of the screen. The messages in the conversation now show small circles to the left of each one.
Tap the circle next to each message you want to delete. The circle fills in with a checkmark when selected. You can select as many messages as you want from the same conversation. Once you've selected all the messages you want to remove, tap Delete in the lower right corner. The selected messages disappear, but the conversation itself stays open.
This method is useful when you want to keep a conversation but remove specific messages — for example, keeping recent messages from a contact while deleting old ones to save space.
What happens to deleted messages
When you delete a message from your iPhone, it is removed from your phone permanently. iPhone does not have a trash folder or recycle bin for text messages the way your computer does. Once you tap Delete, the message is gone and cannot be recovered from your phone.
However, if you have Messages in iCloud turned on in your iPhone settings, deleted messages may still exist in your iCloud account. To check whether this is on, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, select iCloud, and look for Messages. If the toggle is green, your messages are backed up to iCloud. Deleting from your phone does not automatically delete them from iCloud — you would need to delete them from iCloud separately through iCloud.com or by signing out of iCloud on your phone.
Deleting a message from your phone also does not delete it from the other person's phone. When you delete a conversation or message, it only affects what appears on your device.
Freeing up space by deleting old conversations
Text messages take up very little storage space on modern iPhones, so deleting them rarely solves a storage problem. However, if you have many conversations with photos or videos attached, those attachments do use noticeable space. Deleting conversations that contain large media files can free up some room.
To see how much space Messages is using, go to Settings, tap General, select iPhone Storage, and scroll down to find Messages. The number shown is the total size of all your messages and attachments. If this number is large, deleting conversations with photos and videos will reduce it.
A faster way to free up space is to delete the attachments without deleting the messages themselves. Go to Settings, tap General, select iPhone Storage, tap Messages, then tap Edit in the upper right. You can then select conversations and tap Delete to remove just the attachments while keeping the text messages.
Organizing conversations you want to keep
Instead of deleting conversations, you can organize them by pinning important ones to the top of your Messages list. Open Messages, press and hold a conversation, and tap Pin. Pinned conversations stay at the top even if you receive newer messages from other people. This keeps important contacts visible without deleting anything.
You can also mute notifications from a conversation without deleting it. Press and hold the conversation, tap Mute, and choose how long to mute it. The conversation stays in your list but stops sending you notifications. This is useful for group chats or less urgent contacts that you want to keep but don't need alerts from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a deleted text message?
No. Once you delete a message from your iPhone, it cannot be recovered from the phone itself. If you have Messages in iCloud turned on, the message may still exist in your iCloud backup, but you cannot restore it to your phone without restoring your entire phone from a backup, which would overwrite all current data.
Does deleting a message delete it from the other person's phone?
No. Deleting a message only removes it from your iPhone. The person you were texting still has the message on their phone unless they delete it themselves. There is no way to delete a message from someone else's device after you've sent it.
Will deleting messages free up a lot of storage space?
Text alone uses almost no space. Conversations with photos or videos attached do use noticeable storage, so deleting those conversations can help. Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages to see how much space your messages are using before you delete anything.
What's the difference between deleting and muting a conversation?
Deleting removes the conversation and all its messages from your phone permanently. Muting keeps the conversation in your list but stops it from sending you notifications. Mute is useful if you want to keep a conversation but don't need alerts from it.
If I delete a conversation, can I still see old messages if the person texts me again?
Yes. When the person texts you again, a new conversation starts. The old deleted messages do not reappear — only new messages from that point forward appear in the conversation.