WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. At some point, you may wish to delete your WhatsApp account and all of your messages. There are a few reasons you may want to do this:
You Want to Take a Break From WhatsApp
If you find WhatsApp to be distracting or taking up too much of your time, deleting your account can be a way to take a break from the app. This gives you a chance to focus on other things and decide later if you want to recreate your account.
You’re Concerned About Your Privacy
Even though WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, some users prefer to delete their account periodically as an extra privacy measure. This erases all your messages from WhatsApp’s servers. Keep in mind your contacts may still have copies of conversations you had with them.
You’re Switching to a Different App
If you prefer to use a different messaging app like Signal or Telegram, deleting your WhatsApp account helps make a clean break. You can ask your contacts to message you through the new app instead.
Your Account Was Compromised
If your WhatsApp account was hacked, deleting it is an important step to secure your information. Make sure to also enable two-factor authentication when you set up your account again to improve security.
You’re Getting a New Phone Number
Since WhatsApp ties your account to your phone number, getting a new number means you’ll need to delete your existing WhatsApp account. You can then create a fresh account using your new phone number.
How to Delete Your WhatsApp Account
Here are step-by-step instructions to delete your WhatsApp account completely:
Back Up Your WhatsApp Data
Before deleting your account, make sure to back up your WhatsApp messages and media to either Google Drive or local storage:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap “Back Up” to back up to Google Drive or “Back Up Now” to back up locally.
Delete WhatsApp
To delete your WhatsApp account:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Account > Delete My Account.
- Tap “Delete My Account” and confirm again.
This will begin the account deletion process. It can take up to 90 days for your account to be completely removed from WhatsApp’s servers.
Delete WhatsApp From Your Phone
Finally, don’t forget to also uninstall WhatsApp from your device:
- On iPhone, hold down the WhatsApp icon until it starts wiggling, then tap the X icon to delete.
- On Android, go to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp and tap Uninstall.
What Happens When You Delete WhatsApp
Here are some key things that happen after deleting your WhatsApp account:
| What Happens | Details |
|---|---|
| Your account is deactivated | You’ll be logged out of WhatsApp everywhere. You can no longer use your account. |
| Your messages are deleted | All your WhatsApp messages, media, and call history will be erased from WhatsApp’s servers. |
| Your groups are removed | You’ll be removed from all WhatsApp groups automatically. |
| Your backups are deleted | Any WhatsApp backups on Google Drive or your device will be deleted. |
Although your data is removed from WhatsApp’s servers when you delete your account, keep in mind:
- Contacts may still have copies of conversations with you in their chat history.
- Any media you shared outside of WhatsApp could still be out there.
- A deleted WhatsApp account can’t be retrieved. Your account and messages are gone for good!
How Long Does It Take to Delete WhatsApp?
The amount of time it takes to fully delete your WhatsApp account depends on a few factors:
Immediate Disablement
Your WhatsApp account is disabled right after starting the deletion process. You immediately lose access to the app.
1-90 Days for Full Deletion
WhatsApp says it takes up to 90 days to completely wipe all your data from their servers after account deletion. This long window is likely because of encrypted backup files.
Backups Are Deleted Within 1 Day
Any Google Drive or local backups of your chat history are deleted within approximately 1 day of deleting your account.
Profile Info, Groups, and Media Deleted Faster
Non-message data like your profile photo, group memberships, and shared media is likely deleted more quickly than your actual chat logs.
So in summary – you lose access to WhatsApp instantly, but traces of your account data can remain for up to 90 days on WhatsApp’s servers after deletion.
Can You Recover a Deleted WhatsApp Account?
Unfortunately, there is no way to recover a deleted WhatsApp account. Once you delete your account, it’s gone for good along with your entire message history and cannot be retrieved.
WhatsApp does not have an account recovery process. Your only option is to create a brand new account using the same phone number.
Tips to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Data
Although you can’t recover your old account, here are some tips to try recovering as much of your old WhatsApp data as possible if you deleted your account by mistake:
- Check Google Drive and your local storage for any cached WhatsApp backups.
- Ask your chat contacts to send you old conversations they may still have.
- Use data recovery software to scan for any cached media files from WhatsApp.
- Check your email inbox for any emailed chat history or media.
But any data solely stored in your deleted WhatsApp account will be unrecoverable.
Can You Temporarily Disable WhatsApp?
Rather than fully deleting your WhatsApp account, another option is to temporarily disable or deactivate it. Here are two ways to do this:
Uninstall the App
The simplest way to disable WhatsApp is to just uninstall the app from your phone. This stops all notifications and removes access to your chats.
Your account remains intact on WhatsApp’s servers, so you can reinstall later and restore your messages. Your contacts may still be able to message you.
Log Out of WhatsApp
You can also log out of your WhatsApp account to disable it:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Log Out.
- This logs you out everywhere, but your account is still active.
- You can log back in anytime with your phone number.
Logging out gives you an added layer of account protection if your phone is ever lost or stolen.
Conclusion
Deleting your WhatsApp account means losing access to all of your messages and groups on the app. The deletion process happens immediately, but it can take up to 90 days for WhatsApp to fully erase your data from their servers.
Make sure to back up your chat history before deleting your account. There is unfortunately no way to recover a deleted WhatsApp account, so only delete it if you’re absolutely certain.