Delete chat

Delete a chat from your overview. The other participants keep it, and if someone writes to you again, the chat returns with its full history.

Web
Nachrichten›Chats›Chat ···›Chat löschen
App
Nachrichten›Chat›Chat antippen›···›Chat löschen
Permission required: Chat – View chats

What is this?

With Delete chat you remove a chat from your overview. This only applies to you: the other participants still have the history. If a new message arrives in the chat, it shows up for you again.

As a group admin you can't end a group chat for everyone by deleting it. Use Archive instead: the chat is then frozen for everyone and can only be read.

How to delete a chat

  1. Open the chat you want to delete.
  2. Tap ··· at the top right (chat options).
  3. Choose Delete chat.
  4. Confirm the prompt "Delete chat?".

The chat disappears from your overview right away.

End a group chat for everyone

  • Archive chat (group admins only): the chat moves to the archive for everyone and nobody can write anymore. Existing messages stay readable. Reactivate chat brings it back at any time.
  • Leave chat (app only, in the group settings): you are removed from the participant list, and the others keep chatting without you.

Permission

You need the View chats permission and must be a participant of the chat. Only an admin of the group can archive and reactivate it.

Tips

  • Mute instead of delete: if a chat just bothers you, muting is usually the better choice. The chat stays and you can jump back in at any time.
  • Before archiving a group chat, let the group know briefly so everyone understands why they can't write anymore.
  • In active groups, hand admin rights to someone else rather than archiving the chat.

Frequently asked questions

Do the others see that I deleted the chat?▾
No. Deleting only affects you, in 1:1 chats and group chats alike. The other participants still see the chat in their overview.
Can I restore a deleted chat?▾
Not directly. If someone sends a new message in the chat, or you start a new 1:1 chat with the same person, the chat reappears in your overview with its previous history. Only when every participant has deleted the chat is it removed for good, with all its messages.
What happens to attachments such as images and PDFs?▾
As long as someone still has the chat, the messages and attachments stay available to that person. Only when everyone has deleted the chat are the messages removed.

Still have a question? Ask the AI help bot.

Click the help button in the bottom right and ask your question.