What you can delete in iMessage, and what you cannot

You can delete individual messages, entire conversations, and your iMessage history from your device. What you cannot do is delete messages from someone else's phone, or permanently erase iMessages from Apple's servers if the recipient still has them. When you delete a message from your device, it stays on the other person's phone unless they delete it too.

iMessage is Apple's texting service that runs over data or Wi-Fi instead of your cellular plan. If you want to stop using iMessage altogether, you can turn it off in your settings — but this is different from deleting past messages. Turning it off means new texts will go through SMS (regular text) instead, and you will no longer receive iMessages from other Apple users.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you are using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and whether you want to delete one message, a whole conversation, or disable iMessage entirely.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a message from your device removes it only from your phone or computer, not from the recipient's device.
  • You can delete individual messages by swiping left on iPhone or right-clicking on Mac, or delete an entire conversation by swiping left and tapping Delete.
  • Turning off iMessage in Settings stops new messages from routing through Apple's service, but does not erase your message history.
  • If you turn iMessage back on later, your old messages will still be there unless you manually deleted them.
  • Signing out of your Apple ID in iMessage settings is a separate step from turning iMessage off, and affects which phone number or email receives iMessages.

Deleting individual messages on iPhone

Open the Messages app and find the conversation containing the message you want to delete. Press and hold the specific message until a menu appears with options including Copy, More, and Unsend. Tap More to select multiple messages if needed, then tap the trash icon at the bottom right and confirm the deletion.

If you want to unsend a message instead of just deleting it from your view, tap Unsend in that same menu. Unsend removes the message from both your phone and the recipient's phone, but only works if you unsend within two minutes of sending and both of you are using iOS 16 or later. After two minutes, you can only delete it from your own device.

Deleting entire conversations on iPhone

In the Messages app, swipe left on the conversation you want to remove. A red Delete button appears. Tap it to remove the entire conversation and all its messages from your phone. You can also tap Edit in the top left, select multiple conversations by tapping the circle next to each one, then tap Delete in the bottom right.

Deleting a conversation does not stop the person from texting you again. If they send you a new message, a new conversation thread will start. The person will not know you deleted the conversation unless you tell them.

Deleting messages on Mac

Open Messages and find the conversation. Click on the specific message you want to remove, then press Delete or Command-Delete. The message disappears from your Mac. To delete an entire conversation, right-click on it in the conversation list on the left side and select Delete, or click once to select it and press Delete.

Messages deleted on your Mac remain on your iPhone and iPad unless you delete them there too. iMessage syncs across your Apple devices, but deletion does not always sync immediately — you may need to manually delete the same conversation on each device.

Turning off iMessage completely

On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Messages, and toggle off iMessage. On Mac, open Messages, go to Messages menu (top left), click Preferences, select Accounts, click your Apple ID, and uncheck Enable this account. On iPad, go to Settings, tap Messages, and toggle off iMessage.

When you turn off iMessage, your phone number and email address stop being registered with Apple's iMessage service. New text messages from other Apple users will arrive as regular SMS texts instead. This process can take a few minutes to complete on Apple's servers.

If you are switching to an Android phone, turning off iMessage before you leave is important. If you do not, iMessages sent to your phone number will still route to Apple's servers and you will not receive them on your new Android device. You can turn it off in Settings on your iPhone before you switch, or visit iMessage.com if you no longer have access to an Apple device.

Signing out of iMessage with your Apple ID

Turning off iMessage and signing out of your Apple ID are two separate actions. Signing out removes your Apple ID from the Messages app but does not necessarily turn off iMessage itself. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Messages, scroll down, and tap Send & Receive. Tap your Apple ID at the top and select Sign Out.

You might sign out if you are sharing a device with someone else and do not want your messages mixed with theirs, or if you are troubleshooting iMessage problems. After signing out, you can sign back in with a different Apple ID, or turn iMessage off entirely if you do not want to use it.

What happens to your message history

Deleting messages from your device does not erase them from iCloud if you have iCloud backup turned on. If you restore your phone from an iCloud backup, your deleted messages may come back. To prevent this, turn off iCloud backup for Messages before you delete them, or delete the iCloud backup itself after you have deleted the messages locally.

To check if Messages are backed up to iCloud, go to Settings, tap your name, select iCloud, and look for Messages in the list. If it is toggled on, your messages are being backed up. Toggle it off if you want to delete messages permanently and prevent them from being restored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the other person see that I deleted a message?

No, they cannot see that you deleted it from your phone. If you use Unsend within two minutes on iOS 16 or later, they will see a notification that you unsent the message. Otherwise, deletion is invisible to them — the message stays on their device.

If I turn off iMessage, will I lose all my old messages?

No. Turning off iMessage only stops new messages from using Apple's service. Your old message history stays on your phone unless you manually delete it. If you turn iMessage back on later, those messages will still be there.

What is the difference between Delete and Unsend?

Delete removes a message only from your device. Unsend removes it from both your phone and the recipient's phone, but only works within two minutes of sending and requires iOS 16 or later. After two minutes, you can only delete it locally.

Do I need to delete iMessage before switching to Android?

Yes. If you do not turn off iMessage before switching, texts sent to your phone number will still route to Apple's servers and you will not receive them on Android. Turn it off in Settings on your iPhone, or visit iMessage.com if you no longer have an Apple device.

Will deleting a conversation stop someone from texting me?

No. Deleting a conversation only removes it from your view. If the person texts you again, a new conversation thread will appear. They will not know you deleted the old one.