Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

This article shows you how to delete media files, such as photos, videos, and other files you sent or received in WhatsApp chats. If you don't want to have to rummage through WhatsApp chats on your phone, you can delete all WhatsApp chats to remove all media files from WhatsApp's storage. If you want to delete media files in a particular conversation, you can do so in WhatsApp's Settings.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Delete all chats on iPhone

1. 

   Open WhatsApp. Tap the WhatsApp app icon that looks like a chat bubble and a white phone handset on a green background. This is the step to open the main WhatsApp page if you are already logged in.
   • If you are not logged in, follow the on-screen instructions to enter your phone number and choose a username.

2. 

   
   
   Touch Setting (Settings). This gear-shaped icon is in the lower right corner of the screen. This is the step in opening the Settings menu.
   • If WhatsApp opens a conversation, first tap the "Back" button in the top left corner of the screen.
   • If WhatsApp opens a page with "Settings" at the top, you're already in the Settings menu.

3. 

   
   
   Touch conversation (Chats). This option is next to the chat bubble icon in the center of the page.

4. 

   Touch Whiten all chat (Delete All Chats). This option is at the bottom of the page.

5. 

   
   
   Enter your phone number when prompted. Tap the "phone number" text field in the middle of the page, then enter the phone number that you used to create your WhatsApp account.

6. 

   Touch Whiten all chat (Delete All Chats). This option is below the phone number text field. All chats (including messages and media files) will be deleted from your iPhone or iPad.
   • You may need to close and reopen WhatsApp in order for the iPhone storage to display the correct available storage space after deleting the data.
   advertisement

Method 2 of 4: Delete all chats on Android

1. 

   Open WhatsApp. Tap the WhatsApp app icon that looks like a chat bubble and a white phone handset on a green background. This is the step to open the main WhatsApp page if you are logged in.
   • If you are not logged in, follow the on-screen instructions to enter your phone number and choose a username.

2. 

   Touch ⋮. This button is in the upper right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
   • If WhatsApp opens a conversation, first tap the "Back" button in the top left corner of the screen.
   • If WhatsApp opens a page with "Settings" at the top, you're already in the Settings menu. If so, skip to the next step.

3. 

   Touch Setting (Settings). This button is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. This is how to open WhatsApp's Settings page.

4. 

   Touch conversation (Chats). This option is at the top of the Settings page.

5. 

   Touch Chat history (Chat history). This option is near the bottom of the Chat page.

6. 

   Touch Delete all chats (Delete all chats). This option is near the bottom of the page.

7. 

   Make sure the "Delete media from my phone" box is checked. This option is in the pop-up menu. If the box is not checked, touch to check it before proceeding.

8. 

   Touch ERASE (DELETE). This button is in the lower right corner of the pop-up menu. This is the step of deleting all WhatsApp chats and the associated media files. advertisement

Method 3 of 4: Delete media files in iPhone chats

1. 

   Open WhatsApp. Tap the WhatsApp app icon that looks like a chat bubble and a white phone handset on a green background. This is the step to open the main WhatsApp page if you are already logged in.
   • If you are not logged in, follow the on-screen instructions to enter your phone number and select a username.

2. 

   Touch Setting (Settings). This gear-shaped icon is in the lower right corner of the screen. This is the step in opening the Settings menu.
   • If WhatsApp opens a conversation, first tap the "Back" button in the top left corner of the screen.
   • If WhatsApp opens a page with "Settings" at the top, you're already in the Settings menu.

3. 

   Touch Use of data and memory (Data and Storage Usage). This option is near the bottom of the screen, next to the green box with the icon ↑↓ in.
   • On an older iPhone SE, iPhone 5S, or iPhone, you may need to scroll down to see this option.

4. 

   Scroll down and touch Memory information (Storage Usage). This option is at the bottom of the page.

5. 

   Choose a chat. Tap the conversation containing the media file you want to delete. You may need to scroll down to see the conversation you want to delete.

6. 

   Touch Manage… (Manage). This option is at the bottom of the screen. This is the step to open a list of media file types that you have sent in selected chat.

7. 

   Check each circle on the page. Some cells are already available; To remove all media files from the conversation, make sure each non-gray box is checked.
   • Some boxes are greyed out because the conversation doesn't contain media files (for example, if the chat doesn't contain any videos, the "Videos" box will be gray).

8. 

   
   
   Touch Erase (Clear). This button with red text is located at the bottom of the screen.

9. 

   Touch Erase when there is an announcement. This is the step to delete all selected media files in the conversation.

10. 

    
    
    Repeat the steps above for other chats. Since WhatsApp doesn't currently have the ability to delete all in-app media files with just one touch, you'll need to repeat the steps above for each conversation containing the media file.
    • You may need to close and reopen WhatsApp in order for the phone memory to show the correct available storage space after deleting data.
    advertisement

Method 4 of 4: Delete media files in Android chats

1. 

   
   
   Open WhatsApp. Tap the WhatsApp app icon that looks like a chat bubble and a white phone handset on a green background. This is the step to open the main WhatsApp page if you are logged in.
   • If you are not logged in, follow the on-screen instructions to enter your phone number and select a username.

2. 

   Touch ⋮. This button is in the upper right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
   • If WhatsApp opens a conversation, first tap the "Back" button in the top left corner of the screen.
   • If WhatsApp opens a page with "Settings" at the top, you're already in the Settings menu. If so, skip to the next step.

3. 

   Touch Setting (Settings). This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. This is the step to open WhatsApp settings.

4. 

   Touch Use of data and memory (Data and storage use). This option is in the middle of the page.

5. 

   Touch Memory usage (Storage usage). You should see this option at the top of the page.
   • If you don't see this option, WhatsApp doesn't have any media files that you can delete.
   • If you get a memory error and don't see this option, try uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp.

6. 

   Choose a chat. Touch the name of the person or group to open the media files page in the respective conversation.

7. 

   Touch DISCOVER THE CAPACITY (FREE UP SPACE or MANAGE MESSAGES). This button is in the lower right corner of the screen.

8. 

   Check each box on the page. Tap on each square to do this.
   • Some boxes are greyed out because the conversation doesn't contain media files (for example, if the chat doesn't contain any videos, the "Video" box will be gray).

9. 

   Touch DELETE ITEM (CLEAR MESSAGES). This button is at the bottom of the screen.

10. 

    Touch DELETE MESSAGES (CLEAR ALL MESSAGES) when there is an announcement. Here is the step to delete all selected media files in WhatsApp from the phone. advertisement

Advice

• You can delete messages in a conversation by touching and holding your finger in a conversation, then tapping Erase (Delete) in the pop-up menu (or tap the trash can icon on Android), then tap Delete with everyone (Delete for Everyone). As long as you do this within 7 minutes of texting, the message will be deleted from everyone's phone conversation.
• WhatsApp will cache a few megabytes of information in the cache, meaning you can't completely delete all media files from WhatsApp's storage. The only way to thoroughly delete WhatsApp messages is to delete all conversations, uninstall WhatsApp from phone, then reinstall it.

Warning

• Deleting all messages and / or media files from your WhatsApp account will not remove it from the accounts of the other WhatsApp users you have chatted with.
• Once something is removed from WhatsApp, you won't be able to get it back.