You can change the words of a message you sent for up to 15 minutes after sending. Press and hold it, choose Edit, fix the text and send again. Everyone sees the new text with the word "Edited".
On Android
- Press and hold your message.
- Tap ⋮ (top right) › Edit.
- Change the text in the box at the bottom.
- Tap the tick ✓ to save.
On iPhone
- Press and hold your message.
- Tap Edit in the menu.
- Change the text and tap the tick or send button.
WhatsApp Web / Desktop
Point at your message, click the arrow ▾ and choose Edit. Change it and press Enter.
What others see
- The message shows the new text and a small Edited label next to the time.
- They do not get a new notification for the edit.
- They cannot see the old text in the chat, but if they already read it or saw a notification preview, they know what you first wrote.
Limits
- Only your own messages, and only for 15 minutes.
- Only text can be changed. You cannot swap a photo, video, voice note or document for another one. Delete it and send the right file instead.
- You can edit as many times as you like inside the 15 minutes.
- Edits work best when the other person also uses a current WhatsApp version.
If "Edit" is missing
- More than 15 minutes have passed. Use Delete for everyone (allowed for longer) and send a fresh message.
- The message has not been sent yet (clock icon). Wait for it to send, or delete it.
- It is a forwarded message, a media file or someone else's message.
- Your WhatsApp is old. Update it from the Play Store or App Store.
Good habit
If you change the meaning of something important (an amount, a time, an address), say so in a new message too, for example "Sorry, correct time is 5 pm". People who read the first version may not notice the small "Edited" label.
Safety tip
Because messages can be edited, never send money just because a message shows bank or UPI details, even from a known contact. Confirm on a phone call first.
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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