WhatsApp is a widely used messaging application with features like text messaging, voice and video calls, group chats, and multimedia sharing. If you are a regular user of WhatsApp, you must be coming across many unwanted or unimportant messages that you might want to delete from your device permanently.
This might be due to privacy or security concerns, switching to a new phone, managing your device’s storage, not wanting to use the app anymore, or organizing chats to make important conversations easier to locate. Additionally, removing unnecessary data can improve your device’s performance, which is particularly beneficial for devices with limited storage.Â
But how can I delete WhatsApp Messages permanently? If you are looking for a guide to help you with this, this article is all you need. Read ahead to know how you can delete WhatsApp messages permanently.Â
Ways to Delete WhatsApp Messages Permanently
There are multiple methods to delete your WhatsApp conversations permanently. This article will help you further by delving into the step-by-step process to give the full explanation about the same.
1. Deleting WhatsApp Messages Permanently from WhatsApp Itself (Android & iPhone)
You must first delete the conversations from WhatsApp before you go ahead and permanently delete the messages. Here’s how you can do it-
From Private Chats
To delete the messages from the private chats, follow the steps given below-
- Open WhatsApp on your device.
- Go to the private conversation you wish to permanently delete.
- Find the message and hold tap on it.
- Tap on the Delete Icon appearing on the top of the screen.
- Now click on Delete chat.
From Group Chats
To delete the messages from the group chats, follow the steps given below-
- Open the WhatsApp app on your phone/tablet.
- Search and open the group chat you wish to delete.
- Tap on the Three Dots Icon on the top right corner of the screen.
- Click on More and further select the Exit group option.
- Now tap on Exit.
- Next, on the main page of WhatsApp chats, tap and hold the group chat and tap on the Delete Icon that appears on the top of the screen.
- Click on Delete Group; this will delete the group messages after you have left the group.
Note- If you want to delete the chat without exiting the group then tap on Clear Chat option instead of Exit Group. This will delete the chat but you will still be the part of the group and you will receive all the new messages.
Delete All Chats at Once
You can also delete all the chats at once instead of deleting them one by one manually. This can be done by following the steps given below-
- Open WhatsApp on your phone.
- Tap the Three Dots Icon on the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap on Settings, then select the Chats option.
- Scroll down and click on Chat History.
- Next, select Delete all chats.
- Confirm the action by tapping on Delete chats on the pop-up window.Â
2. Deleting WhatsApp Messages Permanently from the Device’s Memory (Android Only)
Usually, most of the Whatsapp data has a backup on your phone memory. You might, therefore, want to delete the backup to permanently delete the Whatsapp messages after you have cleared the conversation, as mentioned in the first method. You can follow the steps given further to do so-
- Go to the File Manager on your Android device.
- Tap on the Android folder to open it.Â
- Here, open the Media folder.
- Scroll down to find the com.whatsapp folder. Tap and hold the folder, and then tap on Delete to delete it.Â
- Ensure you delete the folder from the Recycle Bin as well.Â
This will delete the WhatsApp Messages from your Android phone’s memory.Â
3. Deleting WhatsApp Messages Permanently from Google DriveÂ
WhatsApp data can be backed up on Google Drive on your Android device. If you reinstall WhatsApp, you can restore the old messages from this backup. Once you have deleted the WhatsApp messages from your phone’s storage, you must also delete the backup of messages from Google Drive.Â
- Open the Google Drive app.
- Go to the Three Line Icon on the top left corner of the screen.
- Select Backups.
- Locate WhatsApp backup, then tap on the Three Dots Icon adjacent to the backup option.
- Now select the Delete backup option.Â
- Then tap on Delete to confirm the action.
4. Deleting WhatsApp Messages Permanently from iCloud
Like Android phones and tablets use Google Drive to store WhatsApp backup, iPhones and iPads use iCloud. After clearing the chat, you must delete the backup from the iPad if you want to permanently delete the WhatsApp messages on your iOS and iPadOS devices. This is how it can be done-
- On your iPhone, go to your Phone Settings.
- Click on your name at the top of the screen.
- Next, click on iCloud.
- Select the Manage Storage option to continue.
- Next, click on Backups.Â
- Select WhatsApp and tap Delete to delete the WhatsApp backup from iCloud.Â
Conclusion
The above steps should help you with deleting WhatsApp Messages permanently. It is important to note that once messages are deleted, they cannot be recovered, so you should be careful before taking this step. We hope you find this article helpful; if you have any queries regarding the methods we discussed above, you can comment below.Â
FAQs
1. Can I Delete My Entire WhatsApp Chats Permanently?
Yes, you can delete entire WhatsApp chats permanently. To do so, you must clear the chat from WhatsApp and then delete the chat’s backup from your phone’s storage and Google Drive/iCloud.Â
2. What If I Have Backed Up My WhatsApp messages To Google Drive or iCloud?
If you have backed up your WhatsApp messages to Google Drive or iCloud, deleting them from your phone will not delete them from your backup. To delete the messages permanently from your backup, go to the Google Drive or iCloud settings and delete the WhatsApp backup.
3. What Happens If I Delete A WhatsApp Message The Recipient Has Already Seen?
If you delete a WhatsApp message the recipient has already seen, the message will still be visible in the recipient’s chat history. If you delete the messages for everyone, they will no longer see that message, but a notification will appear saying, ‘This message was deleted.’
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