Long-press the message, tap the bin icon and choose Delete for everyone. It works only for your own messages and only for a limited time after sending (about two days), so act quickly.
On Android
- Open the chat and press and hold the message. To pick more than one, tap the others too.
- Tap the bin icon (Delete) at the top.
- Tap Delete for everyone.
On iPhone
- Press and hold the message.
- Tap Delete. Select any other messages, then tap the bin icon at the bottom.
- Tap Delete for Everyone.
WhatsApp Web / Desktop
Point at the message, click the small arrow ▾, choose Delete, then Delete for everyone.
What the other person sees
- The message is replaced with "This message was deleted".
- If they already read it, or saw it in a notification, it cannot be taken back from their memory, and a screenshot may exist.
- A deleted photo or video may already be saved in their gallery if their phone downloads media automatically.
Delete for me
Delete for me removes the message only from your phone. Everyone else still has it. Use it for clearing your own screen, not for taking back a mistake.
Why "Delete for everyone" is missing
- The time limit has passed. Only "Delete for me" is left.
- You picked someone else's message (you can't delete their messages for them).
- You selected a mix of messages, some too old. Select only the recent one.
- Both of you should use an up-to-date WhatsApp for deletion to work properly.
Group admins
In groups, an admin can delete any member's message for everyone. Members then see that an admin deleted it.
Small mistake? Edit instead
For a typo, you can edit the message within 15 minutes rather than deleting it.
Safety tip
Sent your bank details, OTP or a private photo to the wrong person by mistake? Delete it for everyone at once, then call the person and ask them to delete it too. If it was a bank detail or OTP, call your bank right away.
This is GroupChatOn’s own easy guide. We are not WhatsApp and are not linked with WhatsApp or Meta. WhatsApp sometimes changes its menus: if a button looks different on your phone, update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.
Still stuck?
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Questions, or an error not listed here?
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