WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. With so much messaging activity, your WhatsApp chats can quickly become cluttered. If you want to clear your message history in a chat or group, WhatsApp provides a handy “select all” feature to select and delete all messages at once.
Selecting All Messages on WhatsApp
Selecting all messages in a WhatsApp chat is easy whether you use an Android phone or an iPhone. The process is nearly identical on both platforms.
Android Phones
To select all messages in a WhatsApp chat on Android:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to delete messages from
- Tap and hold your finger on the first message in the chat
- Tap “Select all” from the popup menu
- This will highlight all messages in the chat
iPhones
On an iPhone, the process is very similar:
- Open the WhatsApp chat
- Tap and hold your finger on the first message in the chat
- Tap “Select All” from the popup menu
- This will select and highlight every message in the chat
Once you select all messages, you’ll see them highlighted with a checkmark icon. This indicates they are now selected.
Deleting All Selected WhatsApp Messages
After you select all messages in a WhatsApp chat, deleting them is simple.
On Android
On Android devices:
- After selecting all messages, tap the trash can icon at the top
- Confirm that you want to delete all selected messages
- The messages will be erased from the chat
On iPhone
To delete all selected messages on an iPhone:
- After selecting all messages, tap the “Delete” button at the bottom
- Confirm that you want to delete the messages
- The selected messages will be removed from the chat
All of the selected messages will be deleted at once. This makes it easy to clear an entire chat history quickly.
Other Ways to Delete Messages on WhatsApp
In addition to selecting all messages, there are a few other ways to delete messages and chats on WhatsApp:
- Delete individual messages – Tap and hold on a specific message, then choose “Delete”
- Delete media – Open a chat, tap the contact name at the top, then “Media,” select items to delete and tap trash can icon
- Clear chat history – Open a chat, tap contact name, tap “Clear chat history”
- Delete chat – Swipe left on a chat from the Chats tab, then tap “Delete”
Tips for Deleting WhatsApp Messages
Here are some tips to keep in mind when deleting WhatsApp messages:
- Deleted messages are erased from your phone’s storage but remain on the recipient’s phone until they also delete them.
- You can only delete messages for up to 7 minutes after sending them.
- Clear chat history regularly to save storage space, especially for large groups.
- Be careful before deleting chats as they cannot be recovered.
- Create backups regularly in case you accidentally delete a chat.
How to Delete WhatsApp Messages for Everyone
WhatsApp gives you the ability to delete a message you’ve sent not just from your phone, but also from the recipient’s phone. This is called deleting a message “for everyone.”
On Android
On Android:
- Tap and hold on the message to open the options menu
- Tap “Delete for everyone”
- Confirm you want to delete the message
- The message will be removed from both phones if done shortly after sending
On iPhone
To delete a WhatsApp message for everyone on iPhone:
- Tap and hold the message bubble
- Tap “Delete” in the popup menu
- Tap “Delete for Everyone”
- Confirm deletion and the message will be removed if done within a few minutes
This provides a short window to revoke messages. But it only works on messages not too old.
Undo Deleting WhatsApp Messages
If you delete a message or chat by accident, WhatsApp offers a handy “undo” feature. This lets you recover recently deleted messages.
On Android
On Android phones:
- After accidentally deleting messages, tap “Undo” at the bottom
- Deleted messages will reappear in the chat
- You have a few seconds after deleting to use the Undo option
On iPhone
To undo deleting WhatsApp messages on an iPhone:
- Right after accidentally erasing messages, shake your phone gently
- An “Undo” button will appear at the bottom – tap it
- The deleted messages will be restored
- The Undo option goes away after a few seconds
So if you act quickly, you can reverse message deletion. But the Undo option is only available briefly.
Recovering Deleted WhatsApp Messages
If you don’t undo message deletion in time, is it still possible to recover deleted WhatsApp messages?
Unfortunately, once messages are permanently deleted from WhatsApp, they cannot be retrieved directly within the app. However, there are a couple potential ways to try recovering deleted WhatsApp messages:
- Restore from backup – If you have a recent backup, you may find deleted messages there.
- Use data recovery software – Some advanced third-party software tools may be able to recover deleted data from your phone’s storage.
But neither method has guarantees. The best approach is prevention – frequently back up your WhatsApp chats to preserve important message history.
Back Up WhatsApp Messages
To make sure you have a backup of your WhatsApp messages in case you ever need to restore them, follow these steps:
On Android
Backing up chats on Android:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup
- Tap “Back Up” to manually backup anytime
- Enable automatic backup to Google Drive for daily backups
On iPhone
To backup WhatsApp messages on an iPhone:
- Go to iPhone Settings > [your name] > iCloud
- Enable iCloud backup for WhatsApp
- Connect to power and WiFi to allow regular auto backups
With backups enabled, your WhatsApp chat history will be preserved both on your phone and in the cloud.
Conclusion
Deleting WhatsApp messages can be done swiftly by selecting all messages and erasing them. While deleted messages can’t be recovered in the app itself, regular backups provide insurance against accidental data loss. Following the tips in this guide will allow you to effectively manage your WhatsApp chats by deleting old messages while still preserving your important chat history.