Deleting messages on your device can be a tedious task, especially if you have accumulated hundreds or thousands of messages over time. Fortunately, most messaging apps provide a way to delete all messages at once, allowing you to quickly clear out your message history in just a few taps.
Why Would You Want to Delete All Your Messages?
Here are some common reasons for deleting all messages at once:
- You’re getting a new phone and don’t want to transfer old messages
- Your storage space is full and you need to free up room
- You want to protect your privacy before selling or giving away your phone
- You want to start fresh and remove old or unnecessary conversations
Deleting all your messages can be a handy way to do some “spring cleaning” on your messaging apps every once in a while. It clears out old or unneeded conversations and gives you a fresh start.
How to Delete All iMessage Messages at Once
For iPhone users, here are the steps to delete all your iMessage messages at one time:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone
- Tap on Messages
- Scroll down and tap on “Keep Messages”
- Tap on the option for “30 Days” or “1 Year” to delete older messages
- Tap “Delete All”
This will give you the option to permanently delete all messages older than the time period you selected. All messages from the past 30 days or 1 year will be immediately erased.
Alternate Ways to Delete All iMessages
A few other ways to delete all iMessages at once include:
- Using iTunes or Finder to restore or erase your iPhone, which wipes all content and settings
- Turning off iMessage syncing on your iPhone and all linked devices
- Deleting conversations individually in the Messages app
The Keep Messages setting is usually the quickest and simplest option if you just want to clear your message history while keeping your current iPhone setup intact.
How to Delete All WhatsApp Messages at Once
For Android and iPhone users who regularly use WhatsApp, here is how to delete all WhatsApp messages at one time:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on Settings
- Tap Chats > Chat History
- Tap “Delete All Chats” and confirm when prompted
This will immediately erase your full WhatsApp message history on that device. One thing to note is that any media or files sent through WhatsApp will not be deleted using this method.
Other WhatsApp Delete Options
A couple other ways to delete WhatsApp messages include:
- Long press on an individual chat and tap “Delete chat”
- Go to Settings > Data Usage and tap “Delete Account” to erase your full account
The “Delete All Chats” option is best if you just want to remove your messages but keep using WhatsApp on that phone number.
How to Delete All Facebook Messenger Messages
If you use Facebook Messenger as one of your main messaging apps, here is how to delete all Facebook messages at once:
- Open the Messenger app and tap on your profile icon
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Clear History
- Tap “Clear History” again to confirm
This will wipe your entire Messenger message history clean in one tap. You can also choose to clear just certain conversations or date ranges if you don’t want to erase everything.
Other Facebook Message Delete Options
A couple other ways to delete Facebook messages include:
- On desktop, go to Settings & Privacy > Activity Log > Messages > delete
- Long press on an individual chat and select “Delete Conversation”
Again, the “Clear History” option in the app is the easiest way to mass delete all Facebook messages at once.
How to Delete All Text Messages on Android
For Android users, here is how to delete all your text (SMS) messages at the same time:
- Open the Messages app
- Tap the three-dot menu icon
- Tap “Delete messages”
- Select “All threads”
- Tap “Delete all”
This will wipe all your different text conversations and entire message history in one go. You can also delete threads individually or select multiple conversations to remove.
Other Text Message Delete Options
A couple other Android text message delete options include:
- Long press an individual thread, tap forward arrow, select “Delete thread”
- Clear app cache and data for Messages app
- Performing a factory reset on your Android phone
But for most purposes, using the built-in “Delete all” function is the simplest way to erase all texts at once.
How to Delete All Text Messages on iPhone
On an iPhone, you can delete all text messages in one go by:
- Opening the Messages app
- Tapping on the “Edit” button in the upper right corner
- Tapping “Select All”
- Tapping the delete (trash) icon to confirm
This will permanently erase your full SMS message history from your iPhone. You can also select individual threads or conversations to remove.
Other iPhone Text Message Delete Options
Some other ways to delete all iPhone text messages include:
- Using iTunes or Finder backup and restore to wipe messages
- Resetting all settings on your iPhone
- Performing a factory reset to erase all contents and settings
But the built-in delete function is the most direct way to mass delete all text messages on an iPhone.
How to Delete Skype Messages
Here are the steps to delete all your Skype messages and history:
- Open the Skype app and tap on your profile icon
- Go to Settings > Privacy & History
- Tap “Delete Skype history”
- Check the boxes of data you want to erase
- Tap the trash icon to delete
This lets you delete your Skype messages, calls, files and other history. You can also choose to delete history older than a certain timeframe if you don’t want to erase everything.
Other Skype Delete Options
Some other ways to delete Skype data include:
- Access chat options to delete specific conversations
- Go to individual chat profiles and tap “Delete history”
- Delete your entire Skype account to erase all history
Using the Privacy & History settings lets you mass delete entire categories of Skype data at once.
How to Delete Telegram Messages
To delete all Telegram messages on both mobile and desktop, follow these steps:
- Open Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security
- Go to the “Delete my account” section
- Select “Delete Account”
- Enter your phone number and confirm
This will erase your entire Telegram account history, including all chats, groups, contacts and data. Your account will no longer exist.
Other Telegram Delete Options
Some other Telegram delete options include:
- Delete specific chats by swiping left and tapping delete
- Enable auto-delete timers for all new chats
- Clear cache and data for Telegram app
But deleting your account is the only way to entirely delete all Telegram messages and groups in one step.
How to Delete WeChat Messages
To delete all your WeChat data on mobile or desktop:
- Open WeChat and go to Me > Settings > General
- Tap “Delete account”
- Enter your password to confirm account deletion
This will permanently erase your entire WeChat account, including messages, contacts, groups, moments and history. You can also delete individual chats before deleting your account.
Other WeChat Delete Options
Some other ways to delete WeChat data include:
- Open a chat then tap and hold to select messages for deletion
- Shake your phone and tap “Delete” to erase one chat
- Clear app cache or data to temporarily delete chats
But the nuclear option to wipe everything is to fully delete your WeChat account. This clears all message history instantly.
How to Delete LINE Messages
To delete all LINE messages and chats:
- Open LINE app and go to More > Settings
- Tap “Delete account”
- Enter your phone number or email and LINE password
- Select “Delete account” again to confirm
This will delete your entire LINE account and all associated message history. You can also delete individual chats before deleting your account.
Other LINE Delete Options
Some other ways to delete LINE data include:
- Long press a chat and tap “Delete” to erase chat
- Go to chat info and tap “Delete history” to clear chat
- Enable auto-delete of old messages in chat settings
But for maximum deletion, deleting your LINE account completely wipes all traces of your messaging history.
How to Delete Signal Messages
Signal has a built-in option to delete all messages in just a few taps:
- Open Signal and tap on your profile icon
- Go to Settings > Chats
- Tap “Delete All Chats”
- Enter your Signal PIN to confirm
This will immediately erase your full Signal chat history. You can also long press an individual chat and select “Delete chat” to remove specific conversations.
Other Signal Delete Options
A couple other Signal delete options include:
- Enable disappearing messages in each chat
- Clear Signal app cache and data
- Delete your Signal account to wipe all history
But the “Delete All Chats” function is the fastest way to bulk delete all your Signal messages.
Conclusion
Deleting your entire messaging history can be a quick and easy way to protect your privacy, free up storage space, or wipe the slate clean when getting a new device. Most popular chat apps provide ways to erase all messages in just a few taps.
Common options include clearing chat history, deleting your account, enabling disappearing messages, or performing a factory reset on your phone. But be aware that deleted messages are usually gone forever, so only mass delete if you’re certain you don’t need your message history.
With the right steps, removing your messaging content in bulk can be simple. Just be cautious when erasing your entire chat history and always consider backing up important messages before deleting.