WhatsApp group chats can quickly become cluttered with lots of messages from multiple people. At some point, you may want to clear the chat history to start fresh. Here are a few ways to clear or delete messages in a WhatsApp group chat.
Leave the Group
One way to clear a WhatsApp group chat is to simply leave the group. When you voluntarily exit a WhatsApp group, the chat history will be cleared from your app. However, this only deletes the messages for you – all other members of the group will still have the full chat history.
To leave a WhatsApp group on Android:
- Open the group chat
- Tap on the group name at the top
- Tap Exit group
- Tap Exit to confirm
To leave a WhatsApp group on iPhone:
- Open the group chat
- Tap on the group name at the top
- Scroll down and tap Exit Group
- Tap Exit to confirm
Once you exit, the group chat will be cleared from your chats screen. However, you can rejoin the group anytime if you change your mind.
Delete Messages for Everyone
WhatsApp has a “Delete for everyone” feature that lets you remove messages in a one-on-one or group chat. When you delete a message for everyone, it is removed from the chat history for all participants.
Here are the steps to delete messages in a WhatsApp group chat:
- Open the group chat
- Tap and hold the message you want to delete
- Tap Delete from the menu
- Select Delete for everyone
This will instantly delete that message for all members of the group. You can delete multiple messages using this method.
Important notes about Delete for everyone:
- You only have up to 1 hour, 8 minutes and 16 seconds to delete a message after sending it.
- Messages can only be deleted if all group participants are using the latest version of WhatsApp.
- The feature won’t work if a contact hasn’t opened WhatsApp in over 13 hours.
- Deleted messages may still show up in chat notifications until the other person opens WhatsApp.
Clear Chat History for Yourself
If you only want to clear the chat history for yourself, there is an option for that too.
On Android:
- Open the WhatsApp group chat
- Tap the group name at the top
- Tap More > Clear chat history
On iPhone:
- Open the WhatsApp group chat
- Tap the group name at the top
- Tap Clear chat history
This will delete the entire chat history just for you. Other group participants will still have access to all previous messages in the chat.
Ask Admin to Clear Chat
If you don’t have admin rights in the WhatsApp group, you can request the admin to clear the chat history for everyone.
Here are the steps:
- Open the group chat
- Tap the group name at the top
- Tap Group info
- Tap the name of the group admin
- Send them a direct message requesting to clear the chat for everyone
Only group admins can delete messages for everyone. So if you want the entire chat history removed, you’ll need to get in touch with an admin and ask them to do it.
Export Chat History
Before clearing a WhatsApp group chat, you may want to export and save the conversation. That way you have a backup if you ever need to look back at previous messages and media.
To export a WhatsApp chat:
- Open the chat you want to export
- Tap More > More > Export chat
- Choose whether to export with or without media
- Select the date range to export
- Tap Export to create the export file
This will save the chat history as a text file in your phone’s Download folder. You can then copy it to other devices or cloud storage.
Clear Storage Used by WhatsApp
Over time, WhatsApp can take up a significant amount of storage space on your phone with cached images, videos, and other media. Here’s how to clear it:
On Android:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage Usage
- Tap Storage Usage at the bottom
- Review the space used by different chats and media
- Tap items you want to delete
- Tap Clear at the bottom to free up space
On iPhone:
- Go to iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Tap WhatsApp
- Review and delete items as needed
This will help clear up overall storage space used by WhatsApp on your phone.
Delete and Reinstall WhatsApp
If all else fails, a “nuclear option” is to completely delete and reinstall WhatsApp on your device. Here are the steps:
- Back up your WhatsApp chats via Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Delete WhatsApp from your phone.
- Reinstall WhatsApp from the app store and set up your account again.
- Restore your backup when prompted to get your chats back.
This will give you a completely fresh install of WhatsApp and remove all previous chats and groups. Just make sure your data is backed up so you don’t lose important information.
Conclusion
Here are some final tips for clearing WhatsApp group chats:
- Be careful before deleting messages for everyone – there’s no undo!
- Clear your phone’s cache and unused storage to free up space.
- Leave groups if you don’t want to receive any further notifications.
- Export chats to keep a backup of important conversations.
- Ask a group admin to clear chat history if you don’t have permissions.
With these options, you should be able to remove unwanted messages and start fresh with a clean WhatsApp group chat. Just use caution and avoid deleting anything important without backing it up first.