How to Delete Messages on iPhone

Keeping unnecessary messages on your iPhone can be an annoying struggle, especially when they start filling up your device’s storage or pop up in search results when you’re looking for something else. Learning how to delete messages on iPhone can make your device run more smoothly, help you organize your conversations, and protect your privacy.

Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to delete messages on iPhones. In just a few taps, you can remove individual messages, whole conversations, or even all of your messages at once. We’ll guide you through the process of deleting Messages on your iPhone, whether you use the default Messaging app or a third-party app like WhatsApp or Signal.

Whether you want to declutter your inbox, free up storage space, or protect your privacy, deleting messages on your iPhone is a simple and essential task to keep your device running smoothly.

how to delete messages on iphone

Follow these simple steps to delete messages on your iPhone:

• Open the Messages app.
• Tap on a conversation.
• Tap on the conversation header.
• Select "Edit."
• Tap on the messages you want to delete.
• Tap on the trash can icon.
• Tap on "Delete Message."
• Tap on "Delete."

To delete all messages from a conversation:

• Open the Messages app.
• Swipe left on the conversation.
• Tap on "Delete."

To delete all messages at once:

• Settings.
• Messages.
• Keep Messages.
• 30 days.
• Delete All.

Open the Messages app.

To begin the process of deleting messages on your iPhone, you'll need to open the Messages app. The Messages app is Apple's default messaging app for sending and receiving text messages (SMS), multimedia messages (MMS), and iMessages (messages sent between Apple devices). It comes pre-installed on all iPhones and is typically located on the home screen.

Once you've located the Messages app, tap on it to open it. You'll be taken to your message inbox, which displays a list of all your recent conversations. From here, you can select the conversation that contains the messages you want to delete.

If you're having trouble finding the Messages app, you can also access it through the Spotlight search. Swipe down from the middle of the home screen to open Spotlight, then type "Messages" in the search bar. Tap on the Messages app icon to open it.

Now that you've opened the Messages app, you're ready to start deleting messages.

Once you've selected the conversation you want to delete messages from, there are a few different ways to delete them:

Tap on a conversation.

Once you've opened the Messages app and selected the conversation that contains the messages you want to delete, it's time to tap on the conversation.

Tapping on a conversation will open it up, displaying all of the messages in the conversation. You can scroll through the messages to find the ones you want to delete.

If you want to delete all of the messages in the conversation, you can simply tap on the "Edit" button in the top-right corner of the screen. This will put the conversation into edit mode, allowing you to select all of the messages at once.

However, if you only want to delete certain messages, you'll need to tap on each message individually to select it. You can select multiple messages at once by swiping across them with your finger.

Once you've selected the messages you want to delete, you can proceed to the next step: deleting the messages.

In the next section, we'll explain how to delete the messages you've selected.

Tap on the conversation header.

The conversation header is the bar at the top of the conversation that displays the contact's name or phone number, along with their profile picture (if they have one). It also shows the time of the most recent message in the conversation.

• To delete a single message:
  

  Tap on the conversation header to open the conversation. Then, tap and hold on the message you want to delete until a menu appears. Tap on "Delete" to delete the message.

• To delete multiple messages:
  

  Tap on the conversation header to open the conversation. Then, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap on the messages you want to delete, then tap on the trash can icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Tap on "Delete Messages" to confirm.

• To delete all messages in a conversation:
  

  Tap on the conversation header to open the conversation. Then, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap on "Delete All" in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Tap on "Delete All Messages" to confirm.

• To delete all messages from a contact:
  

  Open the Messages app and tap on the "Contacts" tab. Tap on the contact you want to delete messages from. Tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and tap on "Delete All Messages." Tap on "Delete All Messages" again to confirm.

Whichever method you choose, the messages will be permanently deleted from your iPhone.

Select "Edit."

Once you've tapped on the conversation header, you'll see a menu of options appear. One of the options will be "Edit." Tap on "Edit" to enter edit mode.

Edit mode allows you to select multiple messages at once, making it easy to delete a large number of messages quickly and easily. To select a message, simply tap on it. You can select multiple messages by swiping across them with your finger.

As you select messages, a checkmark will appear next to each message. You can also tap on the "Select All" button in the top-right corner of the screen to select all of the messages in the conversation.

Once you've selected the messages you want to delete, you can proceed to the next step: deleting the messages.

In the next section, we'll explain how to delete the messages you've selected.

Tap on the messages you want to delete.

Once you've entered edit mode, you can start selecting the messages you want to delete.

• To select a single message:
  

  Tap on the message you want to delete. A checkmark will appear next to the message.

• To select multiple messages:
  

  Swipe across the messages you want to delete. Checkmarks will appear next to the messages as you select them.

• To select all messages in a conversation:
  

  Tap on the "Select All" button in the top-right corner of the screen. All of the messages in the conversation will be selected.

• To deselect a message:
  

  Tap on the message again. The checkmark will disappear.

Once you've selected the messages you want to delete, you can proceed to the next step: deleting the messages.

Tap on the trash can icon.

Once you've selected the messages you want to delete, it's time to delete them. To do this, tap on the trash can icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the selected messages. Make sure you're deleting the correct messages, as this action cannot be undone.

If you're sure you want to delete the messages, tap on "Delete Messages." The selected messages will be permanently deleted from your iPhone.

Here are some additional tips for deleting messages on your iPhone:

• You can also delete messages by swiping left on a conversation and tapping on "Delete."
• To delete all messages from a conversation, open the conversation and tap on "Edit." Then, tap on "Delete All" in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• To delete all messages from a contact, open the Messages app and tap on the "Contacts" tab. Tap on the contact you want to delete messages from. Then, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and tap on "Delete All Messages."

Tap on "Delete Message."

Once you've tapped on the trash can icon, a confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the selected messages.

• To delete the selected messages:
  

  Tap on "Delete Message." The selected messages will be permanently deleted from your iPhone.

• To cancel and return to the conversation without deleting the messages:
  

  Tap on "Cancel." The confirmation dialog will disappear and you'll be returned to the conversation.

Once you've deleted a message, it cannot be recovered. So, make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to delete the message before you tap on "Delete Message."

Tap on "Delete."

Once you've tapped on "Delete Message," a final confirmation dialog will appear. This dialog warns you that the message will be permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

If you're absolutely certain that you want to delete the message, tap on "Delete." The message will be permanently deleted from your iPhone.

If you change your mind and decide you don't want to delete the message, tap on "Cancel." The confirmation dialog will disappear and you'll be returned to the conversation.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about deleting messages on your iPhone:

• Deleted messages cannot be recovered. So, make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to delete a message before you tap on "Delete."
• If you accidentally delete a message, you can try to recover it from a backup. However, this is not always possible.
• If you're concerned about losing messages, you can enable iCloud Messages. This will back up your messages to iCloud, so you can recover them if you ever need to.

Open the Messages app.

To begin the process of deleting messages on your iPhone, you'll need to open the Messages app. The Messages app is Apple's default messaging app for sending and receiving text messages (SMS), multimedia messages (MMS), and iMessages (messages sent between Apple devices). It comes pre-installed on all iPhones and is typically located on the home screen.

Once you've located the Messages app, tap on it to open it. You'll be taken to your message inbox, which displays a list of all your recent conversations.

If you're having trouble finding the Messages app, you can also access it through the Spotlight search. Swipe down from the middle of the home screen to open Spotlight, then type "Messages" in the search bar. Tap on the Messages app icon to open it.

Now that you've opened the Messages app, you're ready to start deleting messages.

In the next section, we'll explain how to select the messages you want to delete.

Swipe left on the conversation.

To quickly delete a conversation, you can swipe left on it in the Messages app's inbox. This will reveal a "Delete" button.

Swipe left on the conversation that you want to delete. A red "Delete" button will appear. Tap on the "Delete" button to delete the conversation.

A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the conversation. Tap on "Delete" to confirm.

The conversation will be permanently deleted from your iPhone. You will not be able to recover it.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about deleting conversations by swiping left:

• You can only delete one conversation at a time using this method.
• If you accidentally delete a conversation, you can try to recover it from a backup. However, this is not always possible.
• If you're concerned about losing conversations, you can enable iCloud Messages. This will back up your conversations to iCloud, so you can recover them if you ever need to.

Tap on "Delete."

Once you've swiped left on the conversation and the "Delete" button appears, you can tap on it to delete the conversation.

• To delete the conversation:
  

  Tap on the red "Delete" button. A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the conversation. Tap on "Delete" again to confirm.

• To cancel and return to the conversation without deleting it:
  

  Tap on the "Cancel" button. The confirmation dialog will disappear and you'll be returned to the conversation.

Once you've deleted a conversation, it cannot be recovered. So, make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to delete the conversation before you tap on "Delete."

Settings.

If you want to delete all of your messages at once, you can do so through the Settings app. This will delete all of your messages from all of your conversations.

To delete all of your messages through Settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on "Messages."
3. Tap on "Keep Messages."
4. Select "30 days."
5. Tap on "Delete All."

A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete all of your messages. Tap on "Delete All" to confirm.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about deleting all messages through Settings:

• This will delete all of your messages, including iMessages, text messages, and multimedia messages.
• You will not be able to recover these messages once they are deleted.
• If you're concerned about losing messages, you can enable iCloud Messages. This will back up your messages to iCloud, so you can recover them if you ever need to.

Messages.

To delete all of your messages through Settings, you'll need to tap on "Messages." This will open the Messages settings page.

• To open the Messages settings page:
  

  Open the Settings app. Then, tap on "Messages." The Messages settings page will open.

• To delete all of your messages:
  

  On the Messages settings page, tap on "Keep Messages." Then, select "30 days." Finally, tap on "Delete All." A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete all of your messages. Tap on "Delete All" again to confirm.

Once you've deleted all of your messages, they cannot be recovered. So, make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to delete all of your messages before you proceed.

Keep Messages.

The "Keep Messages" setting allows you to control how long your messages are stored on your iPhone before they are automatically deleted.

You can choose to keep your messages for 30 days, 1 year, or indefinitely. If you select "30 days," your messages will be deleted automatically after 30 days. If you select "1 year," your messages will be deleted automatically after 1 year. If you select "Forever," your messages will never be deleted automatically.

To change the "Keep Messages" setting, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on "Messages."
3. Tap on "Keep Messages."
4. Select the desired setting (30 days, 1 year, or Forever).

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about the "Keep Messages" setting:

• The "Keep Messages" setting only applies to messages that are stored on your iPhone. Messages that are stored in iCloud are not affected by this setting.
• If you change the "Keep Messages" setting to a shorter period of time, your existing messages will be deleted automatically after the new setting takes effect.
• If you're concerned about losing messages, you can enable iCloud Messages. This will back up your messages to iCloud, so you can recover them if you ever need to.

30 days.

If you select the "30 days" option for the "Keep Messages" setting, your messages will be deleted automatically after 30 days.

This is a good option if you want to keep your messages for a short period of time, but you don't want to keep them indefinitely. For example, you might want to keep your messages for 30 days so that you can easily search through them if you need to, but you don't want to keep them forever because they might take up too much storage space on your iPhone.

To select the "30 days" option, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on "Messages."
3. Tap on "Keep Messages."
4. Tap on "30 days."

Once you've selected the "30 days" option, your messages will be deleted automatically after 30 days.

Delete All.

Once you've selected the "30 days" option for the "Keep Messages" setting, you can tap on "Delete All" to delete all of your messages immediately.

• To delete all of your messages immediately:
  

  Open the Settings app. Then, tap on "Messages." Tap on "Keep Messages." Select "30 days." Finally, tap on "Delete All." A confirmation dialog will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete all of your messages. Tap on "Delete All" again to confirm.

Once you've deleted all of your messages, they cannot be recovered. So, make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to delete all of your messages before you proceed.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about deleting messages on iPhone:

Question 1: How do I delete a single message?
Answer 1: To delete a single message, open the Messages app and find the conversation that contains the message. Tap and hold on the message until a menu appears. Then, tap on "Delete."

Question 2: How do I delete multiple messages?
Answer 2: To delete multiple messages, open the Messages app and find the conversation that contains the messages. Tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on the messages you want to delete. Finally, tap on the trash can icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Question 3: How do I delete all messages in a conversation?
Answer 3: To delete all messages in a conversation, open the Messages app and find the conversation. Tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on "Delete All" in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Question 4: How do I delete all messages from a contact?
Answer 4: To delete all messages from a contact, open the Messages app and tap on the "Contacts" tab. Tap on the contact you want to delete messages from. Then, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and tap on "Delete All Messages."

Question 5: How do I delete all messages at once?
Answer 5: To delete all messages at once, open the Settings app and tap on "Messages." Then, tap on "Keep Messages." Select "30 days." Finally, tap on "Delete All."

Question 6: What happens if I accidentally delete a message?
Answer 6: If you accidentally delete a message, you can try to recover it from a backup. However, this is not always possible. To avoid losing messages, you can enable iCloud Messages. This will back up your messages to iCloud, so you can recover them if you ever need to.

Closing Paragraph for FAQ:

These are just a few of the most frequently asked questions about deleting messages on iPhone. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Now that you know how to delete messages on iPhone, here are a few tips to help you keep your messages organized and your iPhone running smoothly:

Tips

Here are a few tips to help you keep your messages organized and your iPhone running smoothly:

Tip 1: Delete old messages regularly.
The more messages you have stored on your iPhone, the slower it will run. To keep your iPhone running smoothly, it's a good idea to delete old messages regularly. You can do this by setting a "Keep Messages" limit in the Messages settings. This will automatically delete messages that are older than the specified limit.

Tip 2: Use iCloud Messages to back up your messages.
iCloud Messages is a great way to back up your messages so that you can recover them if you ever need to. To enable iCloud Messages, go to Settings > Messages and turn on "iCloud Messages." This will back up your messages to iCloud and allow you to access them from any device that is signed in to your iCloud account.

Tip 3: Use the search bar to find messages quickly.
If you're looking for a specific message, you can use the search bar in the Messages app to find it quickly. Simply tap on the search bar and type in a keyword or phrase. The Messages app will then display a list of all messages that match your search criteria.

Tip 4: Create message filters to organize your messages.
Message filters are a great way to organize your messages and make them easier to find. You can create filters based on criteria such as sender, subject, or keyword. To create a message filter, go to Settings > Messages > Message Filters. Then, tap on "Add New Filter" and enter the desired criteria.

Closing Paragraph for Tips:

These are just a few tips to help you keep your messages organized and your iPhone running smoothly. By following these tips, you can make sure that your iPhone is always running at its best.

Now that you know how to delete messages on iPhone and how to keep your messages organized, you can use the Messages app more effectively and efficiently.

Conclusion

In this article, we've discussed how to delete messages on iPhone, as well as some tips for keeping your messages organized and your iPhone running smoothly.

To summarize the main points:

• To delete a single message, tap and hold on the message until a menu appears. Then, tap on "Delete."
• To delete multiple messages, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on the messages you want to delete and tap on the trash can icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• To delete all messages in a conversation, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on "Delete All" in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• To delete all messages from a contact, tap on the contact's name in the Messages app. Then, tap on "Edit" in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and tap on "Delete All Messages."
• To delete all messages at once, open the Settings app and tap on "Messages." Then, tap on "Keep Messages." Select "30 days." Finally, tap on "Delete All."

Closing Message:

Deleting messages on iPhone is a simple task that can be done in just a few taps. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily delete unwanted messages and keep your iPhone running smoothly.