How do I delete messages?

Deleting messages on your device can help free up storage space and keep your inbox organized. Here are some tips for deleting messages across different services and apps.

Delete Text Messages on an iPhone

To delete individual text messages on an iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap on the conversation containing the message you want to delete.
3. Tap and hold on the message you want to delete.
4. Tap “Delete Message” and confirm.

To delete entire conversations on an iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Swipe left on the conversation you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete” to confirm.

Enable Message History Deletion

You can also set messages to automatically delete after 30 days or 1 year:

1. Go to Settings > Messages.
2. Tap “Keep Messages”.
3. Choose “30 Days” or “1 Year”.

Delete Text Messages on Android

To delete individual text messages on Android:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap and hold on the message you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete message” and confirm.

To delete entire conversations on Android:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Long press the conversation you want to delete.
3. Tap the trash icon.

Enable Auto-Delete

You can also enable auto-delete for old messages:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the 3 dots icon > Settings > Advanced.
3. Select “Auto-delete messages” and choose a duration.

Delete Emails

On Mobile

To delete emails on your iPhone or Android phone:

1. Open the Gmail or email app.
2. Swipe left on an email to reveal the delete icon.
3. Tap the trash icon to delete the email.

In Webmail

To delete emails when logged into a webmail account:

1. Select the checkbox next to emails you want to delete.
2. Click the “Delete” or “Move to trash” button at the top.
3. Confirm the deletion.

In Desktop Apps

To delete emails in Outlook or other desktop apps:

1. Select the email and press the Delete key.
2. Alternatively, right-click and select Delete.

Delete WhatsApp Messages

To delete WhatsApp messages on iPhone or Android:

1. Open the chat containing the message.
2. Long press on the message.
3. Tap “Delete”.

To delete entire conversations:

1. Swipe left on the chat from the Chats tab.
2. Tap “Delete”.

Auto-Delete WhatsApp Messages

You can also enable disappearing messages which automatically delete after 7 days:

1. Open WhatsApp Settings.
2. Tap Account > Privacy.
3. Turn on “Default message timer” and select 7 days.

Delete Facebook Messages

To delete Facebook messages on mobile:

1. Open the Messenger app.
2. Tap and hold on the message bubble you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete message” and confirm.

To delete full conversations:

1. Swipe left on the conversation in your inbox.
2. Tap “Delete conversation”.

Delete Facebook Messages on Desktop

If you’re accessing Facebook on a desktop web browser:

1. Open the conversation.
2. Hover over the message and click the “X” icon.

To delete the full thread, click the 3 dots at the top and select “Delete conversation”.

Delete iMessage Chats on iPhone

To delete iMessages on your iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app and tap the conversation you want to delete.
2. Tap the contact name at the top and select “Delete All”.

You can also swipe left on the conversation and tap “Delete” to remove it.

Delete Snapchat Conversations

To delete Snapchat chats:

1. Swipe right from the Chat screen to go to Friends.
2. Tap and hold on a friend’s name.
3. Tap “Delete” to remove the conversation.

Delete Individual Snaps

To remove individual snaps you’ve sent or received:

1. Open the chat.
2. Press and hold on the snap.
3. Tap “Delete” to remove it.

Delete Telegram Messages

To delete Telegram messages on mobile:

1. Open the chat.
2. Tap and hold on the message.
3. Select “Delete”.

To remove an entire chat:

1. Swipe left on the chat from your list.
2. Tap “Delete”.

Auto-Delete Telegram Chats

You can set all new chats to auto-delete after a chosen duration:

1. Go to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security.
2. Turn on “Auto-Delete Messages”.
3. Select a duration like 7 days or 1 month.

Delete Messages from Other Apps

Most messaging apps have similar options for deleting individual messages or entire conversations. Here are some examples:

Delete Signal Messages

1. Swipe left on a chat in your inbox.
2. Tap “Delete conversation”.

Delete Slack Messages

1. Hover over a message and click the trash can icon.

Delete Skype Messages

1. Right-click a message and choose “Delete”.
2. Or click “Edit”, then “Delete” and “Delete Selected”.

Delete Hangouts Conversations

1. In Gmail, locate Hangouts on the left sidebar.
2. Hover over a conversation and click the trash icon.

Delete Viber Messages

1. Tap and hold a message.
2. Choose “Delete message” or “Delete conversation”.

Delete WeChat Messages

1. Tap and hold on a message.
2. Select “Delete”.

Delete Line Messages

1. Tap and hold on a chat or message.
2. Choose “Delete” and confirm.

Delete Messages from Multiple Devices

When you delete messages from a synced device like your phone, they may also be deleted from linked devices like your tablet or computer. Here are some tips:

• Messages deleted from iPhones also disappear from iPads and Macs linked to the same Apple ID.
• On Android, SMS messages deleted from your phone also vanish from tablets if message sync is on.
• WhatsApp deletions sync across mobile and desktop if you have WhatsApp Web linked.
• Telegram lets you selectively turn off sync on each device to prevent message deletion syncing.

For other services like Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and Hangouts, deletions only apply to the device you delete from. The messages remain on your other logged-in devices.

Recover Deleted Messages

If you accidentally deleted a message and want to try recovering it, here are some options:

SMS Text Messages

Unfortunately text messages are nearly impossible to recover once deleted. As they aren’t stored in the cloud, your only hope is using data recovery software if you had an unencrypted local backup.

WhatsApp Messages

You may be able to restore deleted WhatsApp messages from a local backup. On iPhone, use iTunes to restore from an iCloud backup. On Android, use a local data backup tool to view archived WhatsApp data.

iMessage

To recover deleted iMessages on iPhone, you can restore from an iCloud backup and hope your message was included there.

Gmail and Other Webmail

Many webmail providers like Gmail send deleted messages to a Trash folder where they sit for 30 days. Check your email Trash folder to see if you can recover the deleted message.

Outlook PST Files

If you use Outlook desktop app, scan for .PST files on your computer using recovery software. Deleted items may still be retained in those offline Outlook data files.

Prevent Accidental Deletions

To avoid mistakenly deleting important messages, consider these precautions:

• Enable message backup features like iCloud backup or Google Takeout.
• Be careful when selecting conversations to delete.
• Avoid swiping to delete individual messages if your aim is off.
• Use apps with undo capabilities like Gmail and Outlook.
• Turn off message deletion syncing across devices if unsure.

Free Up Space by Deleting Messages

Don’t forget that clearing out old messages is an easy way to free up storage space on your devices. Here is approximately how much space you can save:

App	Space per 100 Messages
SMS text	100 KB
WhatsApp	60 MB
Facebook Messenger	40 MB
iMessage	350 MB
Snapchat	90 MB
Skype	120 MB
Telegram	25 MB

As you can see, regularly removing old chats, especially from apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, can quickly clear up a lot of storage space on your phone or tablet.

Conclusion

Deleting messages allows you to keep your inboxes organized and free up device storage. Be aware that deletions can sync across linked devices, so perform them cautiously. For accidentally erased messages, recovery options vary across different messaging apps and services.