The basic steps depend on which app you use
How you delete a text message depends on whether you're using your phone's built-in messaging app or a third-party app like WhatsApp, iMessage, or Signal. On most phones, you can delete a single message by pressing and holding it until a menu appears, then selecting delete. On some phones you'll see a trash icon; on others you'll see the word "delete" in a menu. The exact wording and location of these buttons varies by phone model and operating system.
If you want to delete an entire conversation instead of one message, look for a delete or trash option when you press and hold the conversation thread itself — not the individual messages inside it. This removes all messages in that thread at once. Some apps also let you swipe left or right on a conversation to trigger a delete option without opening a menu.
Keep in mind that deleting a message from your phone does not delete it from the recipient's phone. They will still see the message on their end unless they delete it themselves. Some apps like Signal offer a "disappearing messages" feature that automatically deletes messages after a set time on both phones, but this only works if both people are using that app and have the feature turned on.
Key Takeaways
- On most phones, press and hold a single message until a menu appears, then tap delete or the trash icon.
- To delete an entire conversation, press and hold the conversation thread itself rather than opening it first.
- Deleting a message from your phone does not remove it from the other person's phone.
- Some messaging apps offer disappearing messages that delete automatically after a set time, but both people must have the feature enabled.
- The exact steps and button labels differ between iPhone, Android, and different messaging apps, so look for visual cues like a trash icon or menu options.
Deleting messages on iPhone
On iPhone, open the Messages app and find the conversation containing the message you want to delete. Press and hold the message bubble until a menu appears with options including "More", "Copy", and "Delete". Tap "Delete" and the message disappears from your phone. If you want to delete multiple messages at once, tap "More" instead, then tap additional messages to select them (they will show a checkmark), and finally tap "Delete" in the bottom right corner.
To delete an entire conversation on iPhone, go to the main Messages screen where you see your list of conversations. Swipe left on the conversation you want to remove, and a red "Delete" button will appear. Tap it to remove the entire thread. Alternatively, tap "Edit" in the top left corner, select the conversations you want to delete by tapping the circle next to each one, then tap "Delete" in the bottom right.
Deleting messages on Android
On Android, the steps vary slightly depending on which messaging app you use. In the default Google Messages app, open a conversation and press and hold the message you want to delete. A menu will appear with a trash icon or "Delete" option — tap it to remove the message. To delete multiple messages, keep holding and tapping additional messages until they are all selected, then tap the trash icon once.
To delete an entire conversation in Google Messages, go to the main screen showing all your conversations. Press and hold the conversation thread, and a trash icon will appear at the top of the screen — tap it to delete the whole conversation. Some Android phones come with Samsung Messages or another default app instead of Google Messages, so the exact button locations may differ, but the process is similar: press and hold, then look for a delete or trash option.
Deleting messages in WhatsApp, Signal, and other third-party apps
WhatsApp lets you delete individual messages by pressing and holding the message, then tapping "Delete" from the menu that appears. You can also delete an entire chat by pressing and holding the conversation in your chat list and selecting "Delete Chat" — this removes the conversation from your phone but not from the recipient's phone. WhatsApp also offers a "Delete Messages" feature under Settings that lets you set messages to disappear automatically after 7 days, 90 days, or never, but both people must have this feature enabled for it to work.
Signal works similarly: press and hold a message to delete it, or press and hold a conversation to delete the entire thread. Signal goes further than most apps by offering "Disappearing Messages" as a standard feature — you can set messages to vanish after 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, or 1 week. Once the time expires, the message deletes from both phones automatically. Telegram, Messenger, and other apps follow the same basic pattern: press and hold, then select delete from the menu.
What happens when you delete a message
When you delete a message from your phone, it is removed from your view but remains on the recipient's phone unless they delete it themselves. The person you were texting will still see the message in their conversation history. Some apps show a "deleted message" placeholder or notification when you remove a message, while others simply leave a blank space. This varies by app and by whether the recipient is using the same app version as you.
If you delete an entire conversation, all the messages in that thread disappear from your phone, but again, the other person still has their copy. Deleting a conversation does not notify the recipient that you deleted it — they will not receive any message or alert about the deletion. If you need the other person to not see a message, you would need to ask them to delete it themselves, or use an app with disappearing messages that both of you have enabled.
Recovering a deleted message
Once you delete a message, it is generally gone from your phone permanently. Most messaging apps do not have an undo button or a trash folder where deleted messages sit temporarily. However, if you have a backup of your phone, you may be able to restore deleted messages by restoring from that backup — this would restore your entire phone to an earlier point in time, not just the messages. On iPhone, you can restore from an iCloud backup in Settings. On Android, you can restore from a Google account backup or a Samsung backup depending on your phone model.
Some apps like WhatsApp create automatic backups that you can restore from. WhatsApp backs up to Google Drive on Android and iCloud on iPhone. If you realize you deleted a message by mistake, check whether your phone or app has a recent backup you can restore. Keep in mind that restoring a backup will overwrite any changes you have made since the backup was created, so this is only practical if the deletion was very recent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the other person tell if I deleted a message?
No, the other person cannot see that you deleted a message from your phone. They still have the message on their end. Some apps show a "deleted message" notification if you delete a message within a few seconds of sending it, but this is rare and depends on the app. In most cases, deletion is invisible to the recipient.
Does deleting a conversation delete it for the other person too?
No. Deleting a conversation from your phone only removes it from your view. The other person still has all the messages in their conversation history. You would need to ask them to delete the conversation themselves if you want it gone from both phones.
What's the difference between delete and archive?
Delete removes a message or conversation from your phone entirely. Archive hides a conversation from your main chat list but keeps it stored on your phone — you can usually search for it or find it in an "archived" folder. Archive is useful if you want to clean up your inbox without losing the messages. Most apps let you unarchive a conversation later if you need to see it again.
Can I delete a message I sent to the wrong person?
You can delete it from your phone, but the recipient will still see it on theirs. Some apps like Messenger and WhatsApp let you delete a message from both phones if you do it within a short time window (usually a few minutes), but this feature is not available on all apps or all phones. Check your app's menu to see if "Delete for Everyone" or similar option is available.
How do I set messages to delete automatically?
This depends on your app. WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram all offer disappearing messages — look in Settings or in the conversation details to turn this on. The time window varies by app: Signal offers options from 30 seconds to 1 week, WhatsApp offers 7 days, 90 days, or never. Both people must have the feature enabled for it to work on both phones.