You can delete your own messages, but not others' messages, and deletion is permanent

In Slack, you can remove any message you sent yourself. Once deleted, that message disappears from the channel or direct message thread for everyone — there is no way to recover it. You cannot delete messages sent by other people, even if you are a workspace admin, though admins can disable message editing and deletion across the entire workspace if needed.

The process takes seconds and works the same way on desktop, mobile, and web. The key thing to understand is that deletion is final — Slack does not keep a recoverable trash folder for deleted messages, and the person who sent the message cannot undo the deletion once it is gone.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete only messages you sent yourself by hovering over the message and selecting the delete option from the menu.
  • Deleted messages vanish for everyone in the channel or thread, not just for you.
  • Workspace admins can turn off message deletion entirely, which prevents anyone from deleting their own messages.
  • If you need to hide a message without deleting it, you can edit it to say something like "message removed" instead.
  • Slack does not recover deleted messages, so think before you delete if the message might be needed later.

How to delete a message on desktop or web

Open Slack in your browser or desktop app and find the message you want to delete. Hover your mouse directly over the message text — a small row of icons will appear to the right of the message. Click the three-dot menu icon (it looks like ⋯) to open a dropdown menu.

From the dropdown, select Delete message. Slack will ask you to confirm: click Delete again in the confirmation box. The message is now gone from the channel or thread for all members.

If you do not see the three-dot menu when you hover, your workspace admin may have disabled message deletion. In that case, you will not have the option to delete at all.

How to delete a message on mobile (iPhone or Android)

Open the Slack app and navigate to the channel or direct message containing the message you want to delete. Press and hold your finger on the message for about one second — a menu will pop up with several options.

Tap Delete message from the menu. Slack will ask you to confirm the deletion. Tap Delete again, and the message is removed.

On some older versions of the Slack app, you may need to swipe left on the message first before the delete option appears. If you are unsure, try pressing and holding the message — that method works on all current versions.

What happens after you delete a message

Once deleted, the message is gone from the channel view for everyone. No one can see it, search for it, or recover it. If the message was part of a thread, the entire message disappears — replies to that message remain, but the original message they were replying to is no longer visible.

Slack does not send a notification to other channel members that you deleted a message. However, if someone was reading the channel at the exact moment you deleted it, they may have seen it before it vanished.

If you are worried about a message being seen before you delete it, remember that Slack is not designed for privacy — any message you send is visible to everyone in that channel or thread for at least a few seconds.

Editing instead of deleting if you want to keep a record

If you want to remove the content of a message but keep evidence that you sent something, you can edit the message instead of deleting it. Hover over your message and click the three-dot menu, then select Edit message. Replace the text with something like "message removed" or leave it blank, then save.

This approach is useful in professional settings where you want a record that a message existed but do not want the original content visible. The edited message will show a small (edited) label next to the timestamp, so others know it was changed.

When workspace admins can prevent message deletion

Slack workspace admins can disable message deletion for the entire workspace through the admin settings. If your admin has turned this off, you will not see the delete option when you hover over your messages, even if you are the one who sent them.

This setting is sometimes used in highly regulated industries or organizations where message retention is required for compliance. If you need to delete a message and cannot, contact your workspace admin to ask whether the restriction can be lifted for your situation, or ask them to delete it on your behalf (though most admins cannot delete individual messages — they can only disable the feature).

Messages in threads and direct messages

Deleting a message works the same way in threads as it does in channels — hover or press and hold, then select delete. The message disappears from the thread for everyone.

In direct messages between two people, you can delete your messages the same way. The other person will see that a message was deleted (it shows as a blank space or a note saying "message deleted"), but they cannot see what the message said. If you delete a message in a group direct message, all members see that it was deleted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete someone else's message?

No. You can only delete messages you sent yourself. Workspace admins cannot delete individual messages either — they can only disable the delete feature for everyone. If a message violates your workspace policies, report it to your admin or use Slack's reporting tools.

Can I recover a message I deleted by accident?

No. Slack does not keep deleted messages in a trash folder or recovery system. Once you delete a message, it is permanently gone. If the message was important, your only option is to ask someone else who saw it to tell you what it said, or to retype it.

Will people know I deleted a message?

Slack does not send a notification that you deleted a message. However, if someone was actively reading the channel when you deleted it, they may have seen it before it disappeared. In threads, people can see that a message was deleted because a blank space or deletion notice appears where it was.

What if I want to hide a message without deleting it?

Edit the message instead of deleting it. Replace the text with something like "removed" or leave it blank. The message will show as edited, and the original content will be gone, but there will be a record that you sent something. This is useful if you need to keep evidence of the message for compliance or record-keeping.

Why can't I see the delete option when I hover over a message?

Your workspace admin has likely disabled message deletion for the entire workspace. Contact your admin if you need to delete a message. Some older versions of the Slack app may also have different menu layouts — try pressing and holding the message instead of hovering.