How do I permanently hide archived chats?

Archiving chats can help keep your messaging apps organized and decluttered. However, you may want to permanently remove chats from view instead of just archiving them. Here’s how to permanently hide archived chats on some popular messaging platforms.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp has an archive feature that removes chats from your main chat list. Archived chats are still accessible if you tap on the Archived Chats section. To permanently hide archived WhatsApp chats:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap on Settings.
2. Go to Chats > Chat History.
3. Tap on Clear Archived Chats.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently delete all archived chats.

This will remove all archived chats so they are no longer accessible in any way in WhatsApp.

Delete Individual Archived Chats

You can also delete specific archived chats instead of all of them at once:

1. Go to Archived Chats in WhatsApp.
2. Tap and hold on a chat you want to delete.
3. Tap on Delete Chat in the menu that pops up.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently delete the chat.

This will remove that particular chat from WhatsApp entirely.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger has an archive feature that removes chats from your main list but keeps them accessible. To fully remove archived Messenger chats:

1. Open the Messenger app and tap on your profile photo.
2. Go to Archived Threads.
3. Tap the Edit button at the top right.
4. Select the chats you want to permanently delete by tapping the circles next to them.
5. Tap Move to Trash at the bottom.
6. Confirm that you want to permanently delete the selected chats.

This will completely remove the archived threads from Messenger so they are no longer accessible.

Delete Chats One by One

To delete archived Messenger chats individually:

1. Go to Archived Threads.
2. Swipe left on a chat you want to delete.
3. Tap Delete.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently remove the chat.

This will delete that particular archived conversation from Messenger.

Telegram

Telegram archives chats after you haven’t interacted with them for 6 months. To fully remove Telegram’s archived chats:

1. Open Telegram Settings.
2. Go to Data and Storage.
3. Tap on Clear Telegram Storage.
4. Select Delete All Chats.
5. Confirm that you want to permanently delete all chats.

This will wipe all archived Telegram chats that are over 6 months old. Note that you cannot selectively delete individual archived chats.

Slack

In Slack, you can archive channels and conversations to remove them from view. To completely delete archived Slack chats:

1. Click on your workspace name in the top left corner.
2. Go to Settings & Admin > Workspace Settings.
3. Click on Advanced > Deleted items.
4. Permanently delete archived channels or conversations by clicking “Delete forever”.

This will fully remove the archived Slack chats so they are no longer accessible in any way.

Delete Individual Messages

To delete specific archived Slack messages instead of whole conversations:

1. Go to the archived channel or conversation.
2. Hover over a message and click the timestamp.
3. Click Delete message in the dropdown menu.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently delete the message.

This will remove the selected archived message from the Slack chat.

Microsoft Teams

Teams has an archive option that removes chats and channels from view. To completely erase archived Teams content:

1. Go to Teams Settings > Org-wide settings > Teams & Channels.
2. Click “Deleted teams” or “Deleted channels”.
3. Permanently delete archived teams or channels by clicking “Delete permanently”.

This will fully remove the archived Teams content so it is no longer accessible.

Delete Chats

To permanently erase archived Teams chats:

1. Go to your Chats tab.
2. Hover over an archived chat and click the “More Options” icon.
3. Select Delete.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently delete the chat.

This will delete that specific archived one-on-one or group chat from Teams.

Discord

Discord doesn’t have an archive function, but you can remove servers from your Server List to hide them. To permanently delete archived Discord servers:

1. Click the Server Dropdown arrow at the top left.
2. Go to Hidden Servers.
3. Right-click a hidden server and choose “Delete Server”.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently remove the server.

This will fully delete the server and all its content from your Discord account.

Delete Individual Channels

To permanently remove archived channels in a Discord server:

1. Go to the server and click Channels.
2. Right-click on an archived channel.
3. Click Delete Channel.
4. Confirm that you want to permanently delete the channel.

This will erase the selected channel and all its messages from the Discord server.

Signal

Signal does not have an archive function. However, you can delete conversations to remove them from your inbox. To permanently erase Signal conversations:

1. Open a conversation’s menu.
2. Tap Delete Conversation.
3. Confirm that you want to delete the conversation.

This will fully delete the conversation and all its messages from your Signal account. Note that other participants may still have the conversation on their devices.

Common Questions

Can I recover a chat after permanently deleting it?

Generally no, permanently deleting a chat is designed to fully erase it so it cannot be recovered. However, if you quickly undo the deletion on some apps then you may be able to recover recently deleted chats.

What happens when I permanently delete a chat that other people are in?

Permanently deleting a chat or group conversation will only remove it from your view. Other participants will still have access to the chat on their own devices or accounts.

Is there a way to batch delete multiple chats?

Some apps like Messenger and Slack allow you to select multiple chats to delete at once. Otherwise, chats often have to be deleted individually.

Will deleting a chat delete media or files that were shared?

No, deleting a chat will only remove the conversation itself. Any media or files exchanged in the chat will still be saved on your device or account.

Can I delete part of a conversation or single messages?

Most messaging apps only allow deleting entire conversations. However, Slack gives you the option to delete individual messages in a chat.

Summary Table

App	Delete Archived Chats	Delete Specific Chats
WhatsApp	Clear Archived Chats	Delete Individual Chats
Messenger	Move Archived to Trash	Swipe and Delete
Telegram	Clear Telegram Storage	No Option
Slack	Delete Archived Content	Delete Messages
Teams	Delete Archived Teams/Channels	Delete Chats
Discord	Delete Hidden Servers	Delete Channels
Signal	No Archive Option	Delete Conversations

Conclusion

Permanently removing archived chats requires using the delete option in each messaging app. While the specifics vary between platforms, the general process involves accessing archived chats, selecting conversations to delete, and confirming removal. With apps lacking archive features, deleting is the only option to remove chats from view. Overall, permanently erasing archived chats provides a way to clear out old or unwanted messaging content.