Chat & groups · Chats

Delete a chat

Where to delete a conversation, what it removes (your copy, immediately, no Trash), and why a group should be left rather than deleted.

WiA·2 min·Updated 11 Sept 2026·Verified against app release 2026.09
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Same steps on every device — only the pictures change. Show all

Deleting a chat removes every message in that conversation from your account. It is immediate and there is no Trash for chats — unlike email, there is no folder to rescue it from. It also affects only you: the other person's copy of the conversation is untouched.

If what you actually want is for a message to disappear on both sides, that is a different tool: Unsend or destroy a message within the first hour, or a self-destruct timer for everything that follows.

From the chat list

  1. Right-click the conversation's row in the list (on a phone, press and hold it).
    1Right-clicked row2Mark as unread3Delete chatWeb & desktop
    Right-click a row in the list: Mark as unread, Remind me…, Mute chat, Delete chat.12
    1Mark as unread2Delete chatiPhone
    Right-click a row in the list: Mark as unread, Remind me…, Mute chat, Delete chat.12
    1Mark as unread2Delete chatAndroid
  2. Choose Delete chat.
  3. The conversation disappears from the list straight away. From the list you are not asked a second time: instead a Conversation deleted toast counts down six seconds with an Undo button, and nothing is sent to the server until it runs out.

From inside the conversation

Open the chat, click the ⋮ menu at the top right and choose Delete. This is the route that asks: a Delete selected chat? dialog with a warning headed This cannot be undone, spelling out the three things worth knowing:

  • Every message in this conversation is deleted from your account. There is no Trash for chats to sit in.
  • It removes your copy only. The other person keeps theirs.
  • Confirming sends it straight away — the six seconds you get to cancel a swipe do not apply here.
1Delete2Conversation menuWeb & desktop
The ⋮ menu inside a conversation. Delete here opens the longer 'This cannot be undone' confirmation.123
1Delete2Self-destruct timer3Conversation menuiPhone
The ⋮ menu inside a conversation. Delete here opens the longer 'This cannot be undone' confirmation.123
1Delete2Self-destruct timer3Conversation menuAndroid
1Cancel2DeleteWeb & desktop
Delete selected chat? — confirming removes your copy at once.12
1This cannot be undone2DeleteiPhone
Delete selected chat? — confirming removes your copy at once.12
1This cannot be undone2DeleteAndroid

On the phone you can also swipe a row to the right in the chat list. The row slides away and a Conversation deleted toast appears with an Undo button counting down six seconds. After that the deletion goes through; if you press it too late you see Too late to undo. The conversation was deleted. Right is the only swipe direction on chat rows — there are no folders to move to.

Web & desktop screenshotSwipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.
Swipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.Web & desktop
Swipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.
Swipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.iPhone
Swipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.
Swipe a row to the right to delete it; the toast gives you six seconds to undo.Android

What is deleted, and what is not

Cannot see

  • The other person's copies — they keep the whole conversation
  • Messages you already unsent or that already self-destructed (those are gone anyway)

Can see

  • Your copies of every message, photo and voice note in the conversation
  • The self-destruct timer setting for that conversation, on your side

If the other person writes to you again later, a new conversation with them appears in your list, starting from that message. Their side never noticed the deletion, so for them it is the same conversation continuing.

Groups: leave instead

You can delete a group conversation the same way, and it removes your copy of the messages — but it does not take you out of the group. The other members still see you in Group info, and messages continue to be encrypted for you. What you want is Leave group, at the bottom of Group info: that tells the group you are gone, stops new messages being addressed to you, and removes the conversation from your list. See Manage a group.

If you made the group

Leaving as the admin without handing the group to someone else freezes it: nobody can add or remove members afterwards. The panel that opens when you leave offers Hand it to someone first for that reason.

Common questions

Can I get a deleted chat back?

No. Once the six-second undo on a swipe has passed, or as soon as you confirm from the dialog, the messages are gone from your account. Your keys cannot decrypt anything that no longer exists.

Does the other person know I deleted the chat?

No. Nothing is sent. Their conversation is unchanged.

I only want to delete one message, not the whole chat

Right-click (or long-press) the message and choose Delete — that removes your copy of that message alone. To remove it for both of you, use Unsend within an hour of sending.

Related

The chat list: All, Unread, InvitationsChat & groups · 3 minManage a group: name, members, admin, leaveChat & groups · 4 minUnsend or destroy a message (within 1 hour)Chat & groups · 3 minSelf-destructing messages (After sent: 30 s to 1 month)Chat & groups · 3 min
Article chat/delete-a-chatScreenshots regenerated automatically for release 2026.09