WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to send messages, photos, videos, documents and more to individuals or groups. WhatsApp has mobile apps for iOS and Android, as well as a desktop app called WhatsApp Web that runs in your browser.
One common question people have is whether deleted messages show up on WhatsApp Web. The short answer is no, deleted messages do not show up on WhatsApp Web. However, there are a few caveats to this.
Deleted Messages on WhatsApp Web
When you delete a message you sent on WhatsApp mobile, it will be deleted from your device and the recipient’s device. The message will no longer be visible in the chat history. However, if the recipient already saw the message before you deleted it, then obviously they would still have seen the contents.
Likewise, on WhatsApp Web which is linked to your mobile account, any messages you delete will no longer appear in the chat history. So deleted messages do not show up on WhatsApp Web.
Caveat 1 – Backups
While deleted messages do not appear on WhatsApp Web, they may still exist in your chat backups. WhatsApp automatically backs up your chats at regular intervals, unless you have turned off backups. The backup includes your full chat history and media.
So if you delete a message, and your chat is backed up afterwards, then that message will still be part of the backup. If you restore from backup, the deleted messages will show up again.
Caveat 2 – Linked Devices
You can have WhatsApp running simultaneously on up to 4 linked devices. This includes WhatsApp mobile plus up to 3 instances of WhatsApp Web/Desktop.
If you delete a message on one device, it may still briefly appear on your other linked devices until they sync. So you may see deleted messages flash briefly on WhatsApp Web before disappearing.
Caveat 3 – Notifications and Previews
If you receive a WhatsApp message notification on your computer before opening the chat on WhatsApp Web, it may show a preview of the message. Even if you subsequently delete the message on your phone, the notification preview will remain on your computer until dismissed.
Additionally, if you preview a message from the notification pane on your computer, then delete it on your phone, you may still see the message briefly in the chat history on WhatsApp Web before it disappears.
Can Recipients See Deleted Messages?
As mentioned earlier, when you delete a message you sent, it is removed from the recipient’s chat window as well. So they cannot see deleted messages in the chat history. However, here are some cases where recipients may still see deleted messages:
- If the recipient read the message before you deleted it
- If the recipient took a screenshot or picture of the message before you deleted it
- If the recipient was using a third party app to back up all WhatsApp messages
- If the message was deleted after WhatsApp’s automatic backup ran on the recipient’s device
How to Delete Messages Completely
Given the caveats above, you may be wondering how to delete WhatsApp messages permanently so they are non-recoverable. Here are a few tips:
- Delete messages on all linked devices – This ensures they are removed from all chat histories.
- Force close WhatsApp after deleting – This avoids backups running afterwards.
- Delete local backups – This removes cached messages from your device storage.
- Turn off Google Drive/iCloud backup – Stops remote backups from retaining messages.
- Ask recipient to delete the message – Ensures it’s gone from their device as well.
However, there is no bulletproof method to guarantee permanent deletion. The recipient may have seen and backed up the message already before you deleted it.
Conclusion
To summarize:
- Deleted messages do not appear in WhatsApp chat history or WhatsApp Web.
- However, backups and linked devices can briefly retain deleted messages.
- Recipients may still have seen or backed up the message before it was deleted.
- Permanently deleting a message requires deleting from all devices and disabling backups.
So while WhatsApp Web itself does not show deleted messages, they may still exist in other locations. The only foolproof way to ensure privacy is to avoid sending anything over WhatsApp that you wouldn’t want potentially recovered.
What are your thoughts?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with deleting messages on WhatsApp. Here are some discussion questions:
- Have you ever accidentally deleted important chats on WhatsApp and wished you could recover them?
- Have you used a third party app to back up your WhatsApp chats?
- Do you frequently delete messages after reading for privacy reasons?
- Have you ever encountered a situation where a deleted WhatsApp message came back to bite you?
Please leave a comment below sharing your experiences or thoughts on deleting WhatsApp messages. I’m especially interested in real-life examples of how message deletion has helped or harmed communication. Let me know!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does WhatsApp Web show deleted messages?
No, WhatsApp Web does not show messages that have been deleted from your mobile device. The message will be removed from the chat history on all synced devices.
Can you recover deleted WhatsApp messages?
It is possible to recover deleted WhatsApp messages if you have a local or cloud backup that contains the deleted messages. Third party apps may also be able to extract deleted messages from your phone’s storage.
Do deleted WhatsApp messages stay on the server?
No, WhatsApp messages are deleted from WhatsApp’s servers when you delete them within your chat history. However, any existing backups may still contain the deleted messages.
Can WhatsApp Web Messages Be Recovered
WhatsApp Web messages cannot be recovered once they are deleted from your mobile device. However, messages may still exist in your local or cloud backups.
How Long do Deleted WhatsApp Messages Stay on Phone?
Deleted WhatsApp messages are immediately removed from your chat history. However, they may continue to exist in phone storage and backups until they are overwritten. Third party apps may be able to recover recently deleted messages.
Key Takeaways
- Deleted WhatsApp messages do not appear in chat history or WhatsApp Web.
- Backups and linked devices can briefly retain deleted messages.
- Recipients may have seen or backed up messages before deletion.
- Permanently deleting messages requires disabling backups on all devices.
- There is no foolproof way to guarantee message deletion if already seen.