To delete a Spotlight on Snapchat, go to your Profile, open the Spotlight & Snap Map section, press and hold the Snap and delete it. Snapchat keeps Spotlight Snaps until you delete them, and there's no official switch that removes the Spotlight tab from the app.
Two different things hide behind this search. Some people want to remove a video they posted to Spotlight. Others want Spotlight itself gone from their app. The first is easy and fully in your control. The second isn't something Snapchat's help pages offer, so I'll show you what you can switch off instead.
Delete a Snap you posted to Spotlight
Snapchat says the place to manage your Spotlight submissions is your Profile, in the section called Spotlight & Snap Map.
- Tap your Bitmoji or profile icon to open your Profile.
- Scroll to Spotlight & Snap Map.
- Press and hold the Snap you want to remove.
- Tap Delete and confirm.
Don't wait for it to fade away on its own. Snap's privacy page says Spotlight submissions are stored on its servers until you delete them, and they may be visible on Snapchat for long periods of time.
Deleting from a computer
If you post from a laptop, you can also delete from one:
- Go to profile.snapchat.com and click My Posts.
- Select the Snap under Spotlight Snaps.
- Click Delete, then Delete again to confirm.
One limit: Snapchat says deleting posts from the web isn't available for Public Profiles. If your Spotlight posts sit on a Public Profile, use the app.
What deleting can't pull back
Here's the part to be honest with yourself about. Snap says Spotlight Snaps are public, and other Snapchatters may share them on and off Snapchat or Remix them, for example layering their own reaction over your video. Snapchat also says Spotlight posts can appear in Search results and in Stories on or off Snapchat.
Deleting removes your original. It can't reach copies someone else shared before you got there. So the sooner you delete something you regret, the better.
| Where your Spotlight Snap might be | Removed when you delete it? |
|---|---|
| Your Spotlight & Snap Map section | Yes |
| Your Story, if it was shared there by default | Delete it from your Story too |
| Copies shared off Snapchat by others | No, deleting can't reach those |
| Your Public Profile content, if you clear it | No, clearing leaves Spotlight Snaps in place |
Watch the two defaults that spread your post further
When you post to Spotlight from the main camera, Snapchat says the post is also shared to your Story by default. You can turn that off on the New Spotlight Post page before you submit. If you've deleted a Spotlight and still see it, check your Story.
The second is remixing. If you're 18 or over, the options to let others remix your Snap and show it on your Public Profile are on by default. For 16 and 17 year olds they're off. Check these before you hit submit if you'd rather nobody built on your video.
And a small one people miss: if you reply to someone's Spotlight with a Snap Comment, that comment becomes a new Spotlight post of its own. Treat it as public.
Can you turn off Spotlight completely?
Not from anything I could find in Snapchat's official help pages. Spotlight is one of the main tabs, opened from the play icon at the bottom of the screen, and the help centre doesn't describe a setting that hides it. What you can control is your part in it:
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- Stop posting to it. When you send a Snap, pick your Story or friends rather than Spotlight.
- Untick the Story default on the New Spotlight Post page if you do post.
- Turn off remixing before you submit.
- Clear out old posts from Spotlight & Snap Map on your Profile.
If you want to keep a Spotlight video before you delete it, save it to your phone first. My guide to saving Snapchat videos and photos covers that.
It also helps to know when Snapchat offers Spotlight posting at all. Snapchat says the Post button only appears on the camera preview when you're 16 or older, you're in a region where Spotlight posting is enabled, and your video is 5 seconds or longer. If you're helping a younger teen tidy their account and there's no Spotlight section to clean up, that's likely why, and it means there's nothing public from Spotlight to delete in the first place.
Snap Map lives in the same section
Anything you've submitted to Snap Map, or place-tagged in Spotlight, shows up in that same Spotlight & Snap Map section, and Snap says Map submissions may stay visible for long periods, sometimes years. While you're tidying, delete any you don't want and review who can see you on Snap Map. If you'd rather share a moment with friends only, posting to your Story is the safer home, and you can still save a Snapchat Story afterwards.
My advice
Delete any Spotlight you're unsure about now, from the Spotlight & Snap Map section on your Profile, then delete the matching Story copy if there is one. You can't switch Spotlight off, but you can make sure you're not feeding it anything you'd regret. And before your next post, take two seconds to check the Story and remix toggles. That's where most of the surprises start.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete a Spotlight on Snapchat?
Open your Profile, go to Spotlight & Snap Map, press and hold the Snap and delete it.
Can I turn off Spotlight on Snapchat?
Snapchat's help pages don't describe a setting that removes the Spotlight tab. You can stop posting to it, turn off remixing and delete your old Spotlight Snaps.
Does Snapchat delete Spotlight Snaps automatically?
No. Snap says Spotlight submissions are stored until you delete them and may be visible for long periods.
Why can I still see my Spotlight after deleting it?
It may also have been shared to your Story by default, or someone may have shared or remixed it. Delete the Story copy too.
Can I delete Spotlight posts on the web?
Yes, at profile.snapchat.com under My Posts, except for Public Profiles, where Snapchat says web deletion isn't available.
