Preliminary operation
Prima di entrare nel vivo di quest tutorial and di scoprire, insieme, how to delete a chat from WhatsApp, let me give you a tip from a friend: make a preventive backup conversations you intend to delete. In this way, in case of any second thoughts, you will be able to retrace your steps or, at least, to access the content of the chats you had deleted.
To save a chat before deleting it, you can rely on the WhatsApp backup function or you can export the conversation as a TXT file: in the first case, you will get a backup of all the chats in WhatsApp to be restored, if necessary, by reinstalling the app. In the second, however, you will get a text file and multimedia content (eg photos and videos, if present in the conversation) to be opened externally to WhatsApp.
It should be emphasized, however, that WhatsApp automatically backs up all chats once a day and overwrites the old one: therefore, if you spend too much time between the backup and the decision to restore, you run the serious risk of not being able to get back deleted chats (as the backup will have been overwritten by a more recent version, already devoid of the deleted conversations).
Having made this necessary premise, let's take action: if you want to create a backup of all conversations in WhatsApp, start the application of the famous messaging service and, if you use Android, presses the button with i three dots in alto a destra and selects the voice Settings from the menu that appears. At this point, go on Chat> Chat backup and presses the button Back up. If WhatsApp is not yet associated with Google Drive (Google's cloud storage service, on which WhatsApp backups are saved), presses the button to activate the connection to the service and then on Back up.
If you use a iPhoneinstead, select the tab Settings which is at the bottom right, go up Chat> Chat backup and presses the button Back up now. The backup will be automatically saved to iCloud Drive (Apple's cloud storage service). Subsequently, as already mentioned, you can restore WhatsApp chats simply by uninstalling and reinstalling the app on your smartphone: I have explained everything to you in detail in my tutorial on how to backup WhatsApp.
You don't want to create a complete backup of the chats, but export the individual conversations that you will then delete? Nothing could be easier: start the WhatsApp app on your smartphone, go to the tab Chat and select the chat to export. Now, if you use Android, fai tap sul pulsating with i three dots located at the top right and select the items More> Email chat from the menu that opens. If you use iPhone, instead, presses on name of the person or group to which the conversation belongs (at the top of the screen), scroll the menu that opens and presses on the option Export chats.
Choose, therefore, whether to export the chat by attaching the half o without the media files (so if you also export the images, videos and audio files present in the conversation) and auto-sent the files generated by WhatsApp via email. If you use iPhone, you can decide to export the conversation directly to other apps, such as those of Cloud Storage, to store WhatsApp data on one of your cloud accounts. If any steps are not clear to you, you can consult my tutorial on how to save WhatsApp messages, in which I have explained to you in detail how to save WhatsApp conversations on all software platforms.
Delete a chat from WhatsApp for Android
If you want to delete a chat from WhatsApp and use a device Android, start the app of the famous messaging service, select the tab Chat and locate the conversation to delete. Then make a long tap on it, press the icon of basket that appears at the top right and confirm by pressing on the item Delete. If, together with the chat, you also want to delete the multimedia contents associated with it (photos, videos and audio files), put the check mark next to the item Delete media from phone.
If you do not want to delete an entire chat but only some of the messages contained in it, open it, make a long tap on the message to be deleted and first press the icon of the basket which appears at the top right and then on Delete for me (the option Delete for all, which allows you to delete messages even for the recipients of the same, is only available for messages that have not yet been read by the recipients).
If the message to be deleted contains media files, you can delete them from your phone by placing the check mark next to the item Delete media from phone. For more information on this procedure, see my tutorial on how to delete a message from WhatsApp.
By following the procedures described above, the chats are completely deleted from WhatsApp and you will no longer be able to recover them, unless you use a previously created backup, as explained in the opening chapter of this tutorial.
If you don't want to delete a chat from WhatsApp but just hide it from prying eyes, you can archive it: that is, make it end up in a hidden section of the app (called, precisely, Archived chats) and then keep it on the memory of your device, ready to be viewed and possibly restored if necessary.
To archive a chat, select the appropriate WhatsApp card, make a prolonged tap on the conversation of your interest and presses the icon of box which appears at the top right. Later, you will be able to access archived conversations by selecting the tab Chat of WhatsApp, scrolling the screen up and down and pressing on the item Archived chats. To bring an archived chat back to the main WhatsApp screen, do a prolonged tap on it and presses the icon of box which appears at the top right. For more details on the whole procedure, you can check out my tutorial on how to archive WhatsApp messages.
Please note: deleting a conversation from WhatsApp will not prevent its participants from sending you new messages which, of course, will be displayed on the main screen of the app. If you want to prevent someone from texting you on WhatsApp, you need to block them within the app.
I would also like to point out the possibility of automatically deleting new messages sent from a chat (after one week from their sending) by activating the setting of ephemeral messages. To enable it, open the chat of your interest, click on name of the same (above) and, after pressing on the item Ephemeral messages, tap the option Get activated. More info here.
Delete a group chat from WhatsApp for Android
Do you want delete a group conversation from WhatsApp? No problem: if you are the administrator of the group you want to delete, all you have to do is remove all the participants from it, abandon it and then remove it from the list of active chats in your WhatsApp. If you are not an administrator, however, you can only leave the group (which will continue to exist for the other participants) and delete it from your WhatsApp.
To proceed, select the tab Chat of WhatsApp, open the group you want to delete, tap on the icon with i three dots collocata in alto a destra e seleciona la voce Group info from the menu that opens. On the next screen, if you are the administrator of the selected group, tap on the name of the participants in the same and choose the item Remove [name] from the box that appears on the screen to delete them all. Once this is done, tap on the item Leave group, confirm by answering Abandon to the message that appears on the screen and then delete the group selecting the appropriate item from the WhatsApp menu.
If you are not the administrator of the selected group, you can abandon the latter and delete it from your WhatsApp by pressing on Leave group, Then Abandon and finally, su Delete group ed Delete. To delete from the phone (or tablet) memory all the multimedia contents from the selected group, put the check mark next to the item Delete media from phone. If any steps are not clear to you, try taking a look at my specific tutorial on how to delete WhatsApp group.
Delete a chat from WhatsApp for iPhone
I use a iPhone? In this case, to delete a chat from WhatsApp, all you have to do is select the tab Chat application, perform a slight swipe to the left on the title of the conversation to be deleted and first select the item Other from the menu that appears on the side and then the item Delete chat (twice in a row) from the menus that appear below.
If you do not want to delete an entire conversation, but only one of the messages inside it, open the chat of your interest from the main WhatsApp screen, then make a prolonged tap on the messages to be deleted and select the item Delete give the menu to compare.
At this point, put the check mark next to all the messages you want to delete (if you want to delete more than one), press the basket that appears at the bottom left and confirm the operation by selecting the item Delete for me from the menu that appears below. If the selected messages have not yet been read by the recipient, use the option Delete for all you can also delete them from the latter's WhatsApp (as well as from yours). For more info, read my tutorial on how to delete WhatsApp message.
I remind you that messages and chats deleted following the above procedures can no longer be recovered, except via backup (as I pointed out in the opening chapter of this tutorial).
Don't you want to delete a chat from WhatsApp, but hide it from prying eyes? In this case, you can store them and have them end up in a "secluded place" of the app, hidden from the home screen of the same.
To archive a chat, you need to do a slight swipe to the left on its title and select the item Archive from the menu that appears on the side. Once this is done, you will find the conversation on the screen Archived chats of WhatsApp, accessible by swiping from top to bottom on the tab Chat. To remove a chat from the archive, do a slight swipe to the left on the conversation title and select the entry Extract from the menu that appears on the side. If any steps are not clear to you, check out my tutorial on how to archive WhatsApp messages.
Please note: deleting a chat from WhatsApp will not prevent its participants from sending you new messages. New messages will normally appear on the main application screen. If you want to prevent someone from sending you messages on WhatsApp, you must block them using the appropriate function of the app.
If you want to automatically delete new messages sent from a chat, you can do so by activating the setting of ephemeral messages, which allows you to delete them automatically after 7 days from their sending. To activate it, open the chat of your interest, press on name of the same located at the top and, after tapping on the wording Ephemeral messages, pigia sull'opzione Get activated. More info here.
Delete a group chat from WhatsApp for iPhone
If you want delete a group from WhatsApp, you must "expel" all the participants from it (this can only be done if you are the group administrator), abandon it and finally delete it from the platform. If you are not an administrator of the group, you can only leave it and delete it from your WhatsApp, but the other participants in the conversation will continue to use it normally.
If everything is clear so far, take action: go to the card Chat of WhatsApp and select the group you want to delete. Now, tap the title of the conversation (above), scroll down the screen and, if you are the administrator of the group, remove all the participants of the group by selecting their names and pressing first on the item Remove from group and then on the voice Remove which appears in the bottom menu. Now, regardless of whether you are the administrator of the group or not, tap on the item Leave group twice in a row and press on Delete chat ed Delete all messages to delete the group.
If any steps are not clear to you, try taking a look at my specific tutorial on how to delete WhatsApp group.
Delete a chat from WhatsApp Web / Desktop
As I explained to you in my tutorial on how to use WhatsApp on PC, WhatsApp can also be used from your computer using the online service Web WhatsApp and the appropriate client for Windows or macOS. If you prefer to use it in this mode and, therefore, are interested in knowing how to delete a chat from WhatsApp by acting from a PC, follow the instructions below.
To get started, log into WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop by scanning the QR code which is displayed on the computer via the WhatsApp smartphone app. Then locate the chat to delete from the left sidebar, click on arrow "V" placed next to its title, select the item Delete chat from the menu that opens and confirm by pressing the button Delete which appears in the center of the screen.
If you do not want to delete an entire chat but only a message received on WhatsApp, open the conversation in which it is contained, click on the arrow "V" located to its right, select the item Delete message from the menu that opens and confirm by pressing the button Delete for me which appears in the center of the screen.
If the selected message has not yet been read by the recipient, you can also delete it from the latter's WhatsApp by clicking on the button Delete for all, instead of the "Delete for me" one. If any steps are not clear to you, in my guide on how to delete a message on WhatsApp you will find all the answers you are looking for.
If you don't want to delete a chat but just archive it, click on arrow "V" placed next to its title and select the item Archive chat from the menu that opens. After that, the conversation will be available in the section Archived of WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop, accessible by pressing the icon with the three vertical dots placed at the top.
To remove a chat from the WhatsApp archive, go to the menu Archived, click on arrow "V" located to its right and select the item Extract from the archive give the menu check if you press.
Delete a group chat from WhatsApp Web / Desktop
If you want delete a group in WhatsApp for PC, you must act just as seen on smartphones, in the procedures dedicated to Android and iOS. Therefore, if you are the administrator of the group to be deleted, delete all the participants, then leave the group and, finally, delete the latter from your WhatsApp. If, on the other hand, you are not an administrator of the group, just leave the group and delete it from your WhatsApp.
To proceed, select the group from the left sidebar, then click the i icon three vertical dots che si trova in alto a destra e seleciona la voce Group info from the menu that appears. At this point, scroll the bar that appeared on the right, click on arrow V placed next to the name of the participants, select the entry Remove from the menu that opens and confirm (by clicking on the button Remove). This step is only necessary if you are a group administrator.
Now, regardless of your role in the group, click on the item Leave group, confirm by clicking on OK ed delete the group pressing the appropriate option that appears below.
Now you have deleted the group from your WhatsApp and, if you were an administrator, also from the WhatsApp of all the other participants (which you have "expelled" previously). Happy?
How to automatically delete photos and videos in WhatsApp chat
If, on the other hand, you want to automatically delete photos and / or videos sent to WhatsApp you can take advantage of the functionality View once, which automatically deletes sent media files, after first viewing by recipients.
Furthermore, this tool does not save images or videos in Gallery of recipients and is easily accessible through the WhatsApp to Android e iOS. Furthermore, it can be used in an equally simple and fast way from a PC, using the WhatsApp client for Windows / macOS or using WhatsApp Web.
Therefore, to get started, first choose the multimedia element you want to send in the chat by selecting it via the gallery of your device or by taking the photo or recording the video on the spot (thecamera icon).
Once this is done, click on button (1) which is visible in the preview panel of the sending of multimedia content, in order to activate the functionality related to the self-destruction of the image or video.
By doing so, in fact, the multimedia content that you will send in the chat, by pressing the button with theairplane icon, will be visible to the recipient only once, after receipt. Useful, don't you think?
In this regard, in case of doubts or problems, or for more information on how to send self-destructing photos and videos on WhatsApp, I suggest you read my guide dedicated more specifically to the functionality in question.
