How to Delete WhatsApp Messages (For Me or For Everyone)

We've all sent the wrong thing to the wrong chat. A draft quote to a client group, a half-finished thought to your mum, a screenshot that was never meant to leave your phone. WhatsApp gives you two ways to take a message back, and they do very different things, so it's worth knowing which one you're pressing.

Below are the steps from WhatsApp's help centre for phones and computers, what the other person still sees afterwards, and the limits that catch people out, especially in work and group chats.

Deleting a WhatsApp message for everyone

This is the one you want when you've sent something by mistake. According to WhatsApp's help centre, a message deleted for everyone is replaced in the chat with the words 'This message was deleted'. On Android, the steps are:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat with the message in it.
2. Tap and hold the message. You can tap more messages to delete several at once.
3. Tap the bin icon at the top of the screen.
4. Choose Delete for everyone.

On an iPhone the wording is the same, though I couldn't confirm the exact layout from WhatsApp's pages, so menus vary by app version. Look for Delete after you press and hold, then pick Delete for everyone.

There's a time limit. WhatsApp says you have two days after sending a message to ask for Delete for everyone, and that you and the people in the chat should be on the latest version of the app.

Deleting a WhatsApp message just for yourself

Delete for me tidies your own screen and nothing else. WhatsApp's help pages say it has no impact on anyone else's chat, so the other person still sees the message.

1. Open the chat and tap and hold the message.
2. Tap the bin icon at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Delete for me.

Note the next bit. After you choose Delete for me, WhatsApp says you get 5 seconds to tap Undo. After that, it's gone, and WhatsApp says it can't recover deleted messages for you.

What the other person can still see once you delete on WhatsApp

Delete for everyone isn't a guarantee, and WhatsApp's own notes are refreshingly honest about it. According to its help centre:

• People might see your message before it's deleted, or if the deletion wasn't successful.
• You won't be told if Delete for everyone didn't work.
• Someone using WhatsApp on an iPhone might still have the photo or video you sent saved to their Photos, even after the message vanishes from the chat.
• A deleted-for-everyone message leaves a note behind in the chat saying a message was deleted.

So if what you sent was sensitive, act quickly, and don't assume it's invisible. If you've shared something you really shouldn't have, a quick message asking them to ignore it often helps.

Comparing Delete for me and Delete for everyone on WhatsApp

	Delete for me	Delete for everyone
Who it affects	Only your own phone	Everyone in the chat
Time limit	None, but you can only undo it for 5 seconds	Two days after sending
What's left behind	Nothing on your side	A note saying the message was deleted
Can you get it back?	Only from a backup	Only from a backup

WhatsApp is clear on that last row: when you delete a message, there's no way to get it back unless you included it in a backup. If you've been caught out the other way round, my piece on whether WhatsApp has a recently deleted folder covers what's possible.

Deleting WhatsApp messages in a group chat as an admin

If you run a group for customers, a community or a team, this part matters. WhatsApp's help pages say group admins can delete messages sent by other members. The deleted message is replaced with a note that it was deleted by an admin, and other members can see which admin did it.

1. Open the group chat and tap and hold the message.
2. At the top of the screen, tap the bin icon.
3. Choose Delete for everyone, then confirm by choosing Delete for everyone again.

Admins have two days after someone else sends a message to do this. WhatsApp also says a message deleted by an admin isn't recoverable and can't be appealed, so check the right message is selected before you confirm. It's a handy tool for removing spam or an off-topic link before it spreads.

Deleting WhatsApp photos and videos from a chat

Deleting a message and deleting the media inside it are close cousins. For a single photo or video, tap and hold it and use the same bin icon. To clear lots at once, WhatsApp says there's no way to delete all media from a chat in one step, but the easiest route is:

1. Open the chat and tap its name at the top to reach the chat info screen.
2. Tap Media, Links, and Docs.
3. Tap and hold one item, then tap others to add them to your selection.
4. Tap the bin icon and confirm.

Deleting media this way only removes your copy. The other person still has theirs. If it's phone storage you're trying to claw back, my notes on stopping WhatsApp saving photos to your gallery will stop the pile growing again.

Deleting WhatsApp messages on a computer

On WhatsApp Web and the desktop app, the idea is the same, but you point and click rather than tap. WhatsApp's computer steps are:

1. Open the chat and hover over the message.
2. Click the small arrow or menu icon that appears.
3. Click Delete, then pick Delete for me or Delete for everyone.

WhatsApp adds that when you delete a message for yourself or for everyone, the deletion syncs across all your online devices where you're logged in. So deleting it on your laptop clears it from your phone too.

WhatsApp message deleting for small business owners

If you use WhatsApp to talk to customers, a few habits save embarrassment:

• Check the chat name before you hit send, particularly when you've got a client group and a personal chat open side by side.
• Don't rely on Delete for everyone for anything confidential. Treat it as damage limitation, not an undo button.
• Keep a note of anything a customer sent that you may need later, such as an address or an order detail, before you clear a chat.
• If you only want a chat out of sight rather than gone, hiding a WhatsApp chat is safer than deleting it.

If you can't delete a WhatsApp message

A few things commonly get in the way, based on WhatsApp's help centre:

• The two-day window has passed, so Delete for everyone has gone from the menu. You can still use Delete for me.
• You're not an admin and the message is someone else's. Only admins can delete other people's messages in a group.
• Your app is out of date. WhatsApp says you and the recipients should use the latest version.
• You're hoping to undo a Delete for me after the 5 seconds are up. WhatsApp says it can't recover those messages for you.

Want to remove a whole conversation rather than single messages? That's a separate job in WhatsApp's help pages, covered under deleting chats.

I keep every related walkthrough in the WhatsApp Help: 43 Guides to Transfers, Backups, Business and Privacy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I delete a WhatsApp message for everyone?

Open the chat, tap and hold the message, tap the bin icon, then choose Delete for everyone. WhatsApp says you have two days after sending to do this.

What's the difference between Delete for me and Delete for everyone?

Delete for me removes the message from your phone only, and the other person still sees it. Delete for everyone asks WhatsApp to remove it from the chat for everyone, leaving a note that it was deleted.

Can I undo deleting a WhatsApp message?

After Delete for me, you get 5 seconds to tap Undo. After that, WhatsApp says it can't recover deleted messages for you, unless you included the message in a backup.

Does the other person know I deleted a message?

Yes. When a message is deleted for everyone, the chat shows a note saying it was deleted. WhatsApp also says some people may see it before it's gone.

Can a group admin delete someone else's message?

Yes. WhatsApp says group admins can delete messages from other members, and the chat shows that an admin removed it. That deletion can't be appealed.