How to completely clear a chat in WhatsApp for everyone - briefly?
To completely clear a chat in WhatsApp for everyone, you can use the "Delete for Everyone" feature. This allows you to remove messages from both your device and the recipient's device within an hour of sending them.
How to completely clear a chat in WhatsApp for everyone - in detail?
To completely clear a chat in WhatsApp for everyone, you need to follow a series of steps that will ensure all messages, media files, and other data are permanently deleted from both your device and the devices of the participants in the conversation. Here’s a detailed guide:
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Backup Your Chats: Before proceeding with any deletion, it is crucial to back up your chats to avoid accidental loss of important information. You can do this by going to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. This will save all your messages and media files to Google Drive or iCloud, depending on your device.
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Delete Individual Messages: If you want to delete specific messages within a chat, you can select them and choose the delete option. However, this method only deletes messages from your device and not from the devices of other participants in the chat.
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Clear Chat History: To clear the entire chat history for yourself, you need to follow these steps:
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Delete for Everyone: WhatsApp offers a feature called "Delete for Everyone", which allows you to delete specific messages from everyone's devices in a group or individual chat. Here’s how to use it:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat containing the message you want to delete.
- Press and hold on the message until it gets selected. You can also select multiple messages by tapping on them.
- Tap on the delete icon (trash can) at the top of the screen.
- Select "Delete for Everyone". Note that this option is only available for a short period after sending the message, usually within 7 minutes for individuals and 13 hours 8 minutes for group chats.
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Permanently Delete Chat: If you want to permanently delete a chat from your device, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat you want to delete.
- Tap on the three dots (menu) at the top right corner of the screen.
- Select "More" > "Delete Chat".
- Confirm your action by tapping "Delete". This will remove the chat from your device, but it won't delete messages from other participants' devices unless they also delete the chat on their end.
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Exit Group Chat: If you are part of a group chat and want to leave, thereby removing all messages related to that group from your device, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the group chat.
- Tap on the group name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap "Exit Group".
- Confirm your action by tapping "Exit". This will remove the group from your device, but it won’t delete messages from other participants' devices unless they also leave or delete the chat on their end.
By following these steps, you can ensure that all messages and media files are deleted from your device and, in some cases, from the devices of other participants as well. Always remember to back up your important chats before proceeding with any deletion to avoid losing valuable information.