To clear a chat on Snapchat, open Settings from your Profile, go to My Privacy and Data, tap Clear Data, then Clear Conversations and tap the X next to a name. That only tidies your Chat feed: it doesn't delete anything you've sent or saved, so to remove a message from the conversation itself, press and hold it and tap Delete.
Most people mix those two up, and it's why messages they thought were gone are still sitting in their friend's chat. Clearing is about your list. Deleting is about the conversation.
Below are the exact steps for both, how to make chats disappear automatically so you don't have to keep doing this, and the limits Snapchat is upfront about in its own support pages.
Clear a conversation from your Chat feed
Snapchat puts this option in slightly different places on iPhone and Android.
On an iPhone:
- Tap the gear icon on your Profile screen to open Settings.
- Scroll down to App and Privacy and tap My Privacy and Data.
- Under Manage My Data, tap Clear Data.
- Scroll down and tap Clear Conversations.
- Tap the X next to the name of the conversation you want to clear.
On Android:
- Tap the gear icon on your Profile screen to open Settings.
- Scroll down to App and Privacy and tap My Privacy and Data.
- Under Manage My Data, tap Clear Conversation and pick the chat.
Snapchat's note on this is short and important: clearing a conversation won't delete any saved or sent content. Your friend's view of the chat doesn't change at all.
Delete a message you sent
- Open the chat.
- Press and hold the message, Snap, Bitmoji or photo you sent.
- Tap Delete.
Here's what you need to know before you rely on it:
- Your friend can see that a message was deleted. The chat shows it, so it isn't invisible.
- They may already have taken a screenshot before you deleted it.
- You can only delete what you sent. Messages from the other person stay.
- If you've blocked someone, you can't see that chat any more, so you can't delete messages from it either.
- Snapchat tries to remove deleted messages from its servers and your friend's phone, but it says this might not work straight away if they have a bad connection or an old version of the app.
Clear versus delete: which one you need
| You want to | Use | Does your friend still see it? |
|---|---|---|
| Tidy your Chat feed | Clear Conversations in Settings | Yes, nothing changes for them |
| Remove one message you sent | Press and hold, then Delete | No, but they see that something was deleted |
| Stop chats piling up at all | Delete Chats setting in that conversation | Messages vanish on the timer for everyone |
| Get out of a group | Leave Group | Your Snaps and Chats are cleared from the group |
Make chats delete themselves
If you're clearing chats because you don't want old messages hanging around, this setting does the job for you. By default, Snapchat deletes one-to-one and group chats 24 hours after everyone has viewed them, or 31 days after they were sent, whichever comes first.
To change it for a conversation:
- Swipe right from the Camera screen to the Chat screen.
- Press and hold a friend's or group's name and tap Chat and Notification Settings.
- Tap Delete Chats.
- Choose After Viewing, 24 Hours After Viewing, 7 Days After Viewing or Never.
Anyone in the conversation can change this, and everyone sees a message in the chat saying the setting changed. New messages follow the new rule, but older messages keep the setting they were sent under. Messages also stick around longer if someone saves, replies to or reacts to them.
Chats that don't follow the normal rules
A few kinds of chat sit outside the usual timer, and they catch people out:
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- Community Group Chats are deleted by default 7 days after everyone has viewed them.
- Anything you share with My AI is stored until you delete it, unlike chats with friends.
- Chats you send to a Topic Chat are public and Snapchat keeps them for 5 years.
- Unopened Snaps are deleted from Snapchat's servers after 31 days.
Leaving a group clears your messages from it
This one's easy to miss. If you leave a Group Chat, the Snaps and Chats you sent are cleared from that group, even if someone saved them. To leave, press and hold the group on the Chat screen and tap Leave Group. It's the only built-in way to pull your side of a group conversation in one go.
Saved messages and why they don't go away
A saved message has a grey background, and everyone in the chat can see what's been saved. That's also why your clear-out sometimes looks like it hasn't worked: a saved message stays in the chat until whoever saved it unsaves it. If you're tidying up, check how saving and unsaving chats on Snapchat works first.
And if it's a Snap you regret sending rather than a text, my guide to unsending a Snap covers what your friend sees when you pull it back.
My advice
Use Clear Conversations when your feed's a mess, and press and hold to delete when a message shouldn't be in the chat at all. If you find yourself doing either regularly, set the conversation to delete After Viewing and let Snapchat do the work. Just don't treat delete as a guarantee. If something matters, assume the other person may have seen it or saved a screenshot before you got to it.
Frequently asked questions
Does clearing a chat on Snapchat delete it for the other person?
No. Clearing a conversation only removes it from your Chat feed. Snapchat says it won't delete any saved or sent content, so your friend still sees the full chat.
Can the other person see if I delete a message on Snapchat?
Yes. Your friend can see that a message was deleted in the chat, and they may have taken a screenshot before you deleted it.
Can I delete messages the other person sent me on Snapchat?
No. You can delete messages, Snaps, Bitmoji, Memories and photos you sent, but you can't delete messages sent by other people.
How long do Snapchat chats last by default?
Chats are deleted 24 hours after everyone has viewed them or 31 days after they were sent, whichever is sooner. You can change this to After Viewing, 7 days or Never.
Does leaving a Snapchat group delete my messages?
Yes. When you leave a Group Chat, the Snaps and Chats you sent are cleared from the group, even if someone saved them.
