WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows users to send messages, make voice and video calls, and share photos, videos, documents and other media. While this makes it easy to communicate and share moments with friends and family, many users wonder if it’s possible to delete media that has already been sent or received on WhatsApp.
In this article, we’ll look at whether you can delete media from WhatsApp once it’s been sent or received, and the different options available for removing photos, videos, documents and other files from chats.
Can You Delete Media from WhatsApp Once Sent?
The short answer is yes, you can delete media you’ve sent on WhatsApp as long as it hasn’t been opened by the recipient yet.
Here’s a more detailed look at how it works:
Deleting Unopened Media You’ve Sent
If you’ve sent a photo, video, document, voice message or any other type of media on WhatsApp, and the recipient hasn’t opened or downloaded it yet, you can delete it from your end which will remove it from their chat as well.
To do this:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where you sent the media.
- Tap and hold on the media file you want to delete.
- Tap the trash can icon to delete it.
This will instantly delete that media from the chat for both you and the recipient. So if you sent something by mistake or changed your mind about sharing, you can quickly take it back before the recipient has seen it.
Media That’s Already Been Opened
However, if the recipient has already opened or downloaded the media you sent, deleting it from your end will only remove it from your chat – it will still be visible in the recipient’s chat.
So once media has been viewed, you cannot remotely delete it from the recipient’s WhatsApp. The only way is if you request the recipient to delete it themselves from their end after opening it.
Deleting Media You’ve Received on WhatsApp
Just like you can delete unopened media you’ve sent, you can also delete any media files you’ve received on WhatsApp as long as you haven’t opened or saved them.
Here’s how:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where you received the media.
- Tap and hold on the unopened media file.
- Tap the trash can icon to delete it.
This will delete the media from your chat. However, it will still be visible in the sender’s chat if they sent it to multiple people.
If you want the sender to delete the media entirely from their end so that no one else receives it, you’ll have to request them to delete it manually after informing them that you’ve removed it from your chat.
Opened Media Received on WhatsApp
If you’ve already opened a media file sent to you on WhatsApp, you can still delete it from your chat but it won’t be deleted from the sender’s end:
- Open the chat.
- Tap and hold on the media to select it.
- Tap the trash icon to delete it.
This will only remove it locally from your chat. The sender can still see it in their chat with you.
The only way to have it deleted from the sender’s end after opening is to request them to manually remove it. But this will only work if they sent it only to you. If they sent it to multiple chats, your request will only remove it from your chat with them.
How to Delete Media from WhatsApp Group Chats
WhatsApp also allows you to delete media from group chats you’re a part of. Here are the options:
Deleting Media You Sent
If you’re the one who shared a particular media file in a group chat, you can delete it to remove it from the group as long as no one has viewed it yet:
- Open the group chat.
- Tap and hold on the media you sent.
- Tap the trash icon to delete it.
However, if even one participant has already opened that media, your deletion will only remove it from your view of the group chat but all other participants will still be able to see and open it.
Deleting Media Sent by Other Participants
You cannot directly delete media in a group chat that was sent by another participant.
But you have two options if you want a particular media removed:
- Ask the participant who originally shared it to delete their copy of the media from the group chat.
- Report the content to the group admin for them to remove it.
The group admin has the power to delete specific messages from the group chat, including media files.
Backup Chats Before Deleting Media
One thing to keep in mind before deleting any media files from WhatsApp is to back up your chat history first.
Here are two ways to do that:
Local Backup
WhatsApp lets you create local backups of chats to your phone’s internal storage or SD card. Enabling this backs up your chat history including media files on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
To turn on local backups:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Back Up to Google Drive to turn it off.
- Tap Back up to local storage and select a frequency.
Google Drive Backup
You can also backup WhatsApp chats to Google Drive to store them safely in the cloud. This includes media files from chats.
To enable Google Drive backup:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Back Up to Google Drive and select a backup frequency.
Having backups allows you to restore deleted media if needed.
How to Delete Media Stored on Phone Storage
By default, WhatsApp automatically saves all media files you receive to your phone’s internal storage or SD card. So even if you delete them from chats, they may still be accessible in your phone’s gallery or file manager app.
To delete media permanently from your phone’s storage:
- Open your device’s Files/File Manager app.
- Navigate to the WhatsApp Media folder.
- Select the media items you want to delete.
- Delete them.
This will permanently remove the files so they cannot be retrieved from your phone’s storage.
Use Third-Party Apps to Delete Media
There are also some third-party apps available on the Google Play Store that allow deleting media files from WhatsApp chats and phone storage in bulk:
- Cleaner for WA – Helps delete unwanted media taking up space on your phone by acting as a WhatsApp media cleaner.
- WA Cleaner – Scans WhatsApp media on your phone and allows deleting unnecessary photos, videos, GIFs, etc. easily.
- Phone Cleaner – Cleans up large files from WhatsApp media along with other files to free up phone storage space.
These can make it easier to mass delete media compared to manually going through each item.
Does Deleting Media on WhatsApp Delete It from Recipient’s Phone?
A common question many users have is whether deleting a media file from their own WhatsApp chat also deletes it from the recipient’s phone storage.
The answer is no. When you delete media on WhatsApp by any method, it only removes it from your chat and phone storage. It does NOT delete or alter the media saved on the recipient’s device.
Even if you delete an unopened media file before the recipient sees it, their phone still automatically saves a copy of it which will stay in their phone storage.
The only way the media can be deleted from their phone is if they go and manually delete it themselves from their device storage. WhatsApp does not directly sync or delete media from a recipient’s phone when you remove it from your end.
Can You Recover Deleted WhatsApp Media?
If you’ve deleted a media file from WhatsApp that you wanted to keep, is it possible to get it back?
There are a couple of ways you may be able to recover deleted media:
Retrieve from Local/Google Drive Backup
If you had set up backups as covered earlier, you can restore deleted media from either your local backup or Google Drive backup.
To restore from Google Drive:
- Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
- When prompted, tap Restore to restore chats including media from the backup.
For local backup:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Restore to restore your backup and retrieve deleted media.
Use Data Recovery Apps
There are dedicated data recovery apps that can scan your phone storage and find deleted media files, including those deleted from WhatsApp. Some options to check out:
- DiskDigger – Scans your device storage and allows recovering deleted photos, videos, and other media.
- DigiLab Rescue – Powerful data recovery tool for retrieving deleted files from Android device storage.
- UndeleteMyFiles Pro – Recoups deleted media and documents from internal storage and external SD card.
However, this method does not guarantee recovering all deleted data. The sooner you try after deletion, the better the chances.
How to Prevent Deleted Media from Being Restored
In some cases, you may want to ensure media you’ve deleted on WhatsApp can no longer be retrieved under any circumstances.
Here are a couple of options to prevent deleted media files from being restored:
- Use a media deletion app – Some apps like Media Shredder allow permanent deletion by overwriting a media file to prevent recovery.
- Encrypt your phone storage – Using device encryption means deleted data cannot be retrieved even with recovery apps.
- Factory reset your phone – This erases all data including deleted media by restoring phone to factory settings.
But keep in mind – doing any of the above will result in permanent data loss, so only use if absolutely necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common FAQs about deleting media files on WhatsApp:
Does deleting media on WhatsApp notify the recipient?
No, WhatsApp does not directly notify recipients if you delete media from a chat. The media will simply disappear from the chat on the recipient’s end without any indication if deleted unopened. If opened media is deleted, the recipient will see a “This media has been deleted” placeholder.
Is media deleted from WhatsApp servers if you delete it from chats?
No, deleting media from your chats does not remove copies stored in WhatsApp’s servers or backups. Media stays in WhatsApp databases even after deletion from chats.
Can you delete media from an individual WhatsApp contact’s phone?
There is no way to remotely delete media from an individual contact’s phone storage directly from WhatsApp. You would need physical access to their device to delete media they received from you.
Is media you delete in WhatsApp groups deleted for all participants?
No, when you delete media in a WhatsApp group, it only removes it from your view of the group. All other participants still have access to that media in the group unless the sender deletes it.
Can you delete media before sending it on WhatsApp?
Yes, when you select a media file to send on WhatsApp, you get the option to delete it before sending. This prevents the media from ever being sent to the recipient.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp doesn’t allow unsending media after it’s been opened by the recipient, you do have the option to delete unopened media you’ve sent or received before it’s too late. For group chats, you can only delete your copies of media files but not for other participants.
To recap, here are some key points to remember about deleting media on WhatsApp:
- You can delete unopened media you sent or received to remove it entirely from the chat.
- Opened media can only be deleted from your end of the chat, not the recipient’s.
- Back up chats before deleting media to retain copies.
- Deleted media stays in your phone storage and can be recovered with backups or data recovery apps.
- Permanently preventing deleted media recovery requires overwriting files or factory resetting phone.
So while WhatsApp doesn’t allow completely undoing media sharing in all cases, you still have some control over cleaning up media you’ve sent and received by deleting unopened files and using backups judiciously.