In recent months, Signal has become increasingly popular due to global security issues surrounding other messaging apps. It’s no wonder why: Signal keeps your messages away from prying eyes with its heavy encryption system.
However, there may come a time when you want to delete messages to prevent other people from accessing them through your phone. If so, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will provide step-by-step instructions on how to delete Signal messages from a single chat, group chat, all messages, and more.
How to delete all messages on Signal
You may want to clear some memory on your phone and decide to delete some old chats with people you are no longer in contact with. Alternatively, you may want to do this simply for security reasons. Whatever the reason, below are detailed steps on how to delete messages from a specific chat in Signal:
For Android users
Apply the following steps to delete messages from a Signal chat on your Android device:
- Launch the Signal app on your mobile device.
- Check your chat list and long press the one you want to delete.
- A menu of options will appear at the top of the screen. You will notice a trash can icon. Touch it.
- Confirm that you want to delete that chat by pressing “Delete.”
You have now deleted all messages from that Signal chat.
For iOS users
Follow these steps to delete messages from a Signal chat on your iPhone or iPad:
- Launch the Signal app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Check your chat list to find the one you want to delete.
- Once you’ve found it, hold it and swipe to the right.
- Tap the “Delete” option in the red square.
You have now deleted all messages from that Signal chat.
On the desk
Apply the following steps to delete messages from a Signal chat on your desktop:
- Launch Signal on your desktop.
- Open the chat from which you want to delete all messages.
- You’ll see the drop-down icon in the top right corner of that chat.
- Select the “Delete” option from the menu.
- Click the “OK” button to confirm.
You have now deleted all messages from that Signal chat. Please note that if you use Signal on your mobile device and desktop, this action will delete them in both places.
How to delete all messages from a group in Signal
Deleting messages from a group in Signal is a relatively simple process. Simply follow these steps if you no longer need to save these messages on your phone.
Please note that you will still be a member of the group after deleting messages. You can still find the group by searching for it in the search box.
For Android users
- Launch Signal on your Android device.
- Find the group chat from which you want to delete all messages.
- Long press the chat and tap the trash to delete it.
- Tap “Delete” to confirm your action.
For iOS users
- Launch Signal on your iOS device.
- Check your chat list to find the one you want to delete all messages from.
- Swipe right on that chat.
- Select the “Delete” option in the red square.
On the desk
- Launch Signal on your desktop.
- Find the group chat you want to delete messages from in the chat list.
- Open that chat.
- Click the drop-down icon in the top right corner of that conversation.
- Choose the “Delete messages” option.
- Confirm by clicking “OK”.
How to delete all messages from the Signal app
If you want to delete all messages from the app, we will provide you with instructions on how to do this. The process will only take you a few seconds and the steps are really easy to follow.
For Android users
- Launch Signal on your device.
- Tap your profile photo (the avatar in the top left corner of the menu).
- Scroll down until you reach the “Data and storage” section. Open it.
- Click the “Manage Storage” option and select “Clear Message History.”
- Tap “Delete” to delete your Signal message history.
Note: This action will not remove you from Signal groups. You can find them again by searching for them in the search box.
For iOS users
- Launch Signal on your iPhone.
- Tap your profile photo (the avatar in the upper left corner).
- Go to the “Privacy” section.
- Tap the “Clear conversation history” option and select “Delete all.”
- Restart the app or refresh your contact list. Simply go to the “Compose” section and scroll down to your contact list.
Note: This action will not remove you from Signal groups. You can find them again by searching for them in the search box.
On the desk
There are still no options to delete your entire chat history on the desktop version. You can only delete an inpidual message or a single chat.
How to delete archived messages in Signal
Follow the steps below to delete your archived messages in Signal:
For Android users
- Launch Signal on your mobile device.
- Scroll to the bottom of the chat list until you see the “Archived Conversations” folder.
- Tap to open it.
- Find and hold the chat you want to delete messages from.
- Tap the trash icon to delete.
You have now deleted messages from an archived chat in Signal.
For iOS users
- Launch Signal on your iPhone.
- Navigate to the bottom of the chat list to find an “Archived Conversations” folder.
- Find the one you want to delete and slide it to the right.
- Tap the red square showing a trash can to delete the conversation.
You have now deleted messages from an archived chat in Signal.
On the Windows desktop
- Launch Signal on your desktop.
- Navigate to the bottom of the chat list until you see the “Archived Conversations” folder.
- Find and click the conversation you want to delete.
- Open the conversation menu by clicking the drop-down icon in the upper right corner.
- Click “Delete.”
- Click “OK” to confirm.
You have now deleted messages from an archived chat in Signal.
Additional FAQs
Here are some additional questions that can help you get the most out of this topic.
How do I backup messages in Signal?
Signal lets you back up your messages, so they’re safe in case you change phones or perform a factory reset. Simply follow the steps below to learn how to enable chat backup in Signal:
For Android users
• Launch Signal on your Android device.
• Tap your avatar in the upper left corner of the screen.
• Go to the “Chats & Media” section and go to “Chat Backups.”
• Activate chat backups.
• You will see a 30-digit code that you must copy or write down. You will need to enter this code when you make a backup later.
• Confirm that you have copied the code.
• Tap the “Enable Backups” option.
• Signal will show you the location of the backup folder. It will include a year, month, day, and time of the backup on your behalf.
For iOS users
Unfortunately, Signal does not allow you to store your messages on any device other than your current one. For that reason, you can only transfer between your old and new device if you sign up with the same Signal number.
Follow the steps below to learn how to transfer messages from one iOS device to another:
• Install Signal on your new device and register with the same number as your old device.
• You will see the “Transfer from iOS device” option that you need to tap.
• Now you will see a QR code. Put down your new iPhone for a second and pick up the old one.
• Select “Next” on your old iPhone and scan the QR from the previous step.
• Once the transfer is complete, send a text message from your new iPhone.
Please note that this action will delete your chat history on the old phone. With iOS, you can only store your messages on one device. You can’t use iCloud or other services to back up your messages.
Clear Signal message history
Signal has proven to be one of the most secure messaging apps out there. However, sometimes you simply want to go the extra mile and ensure higher levels of privacy. That’s when it helps to delete your messages. In this article, you learned how to delete all your messages in Signal from a single chat, a group chat, or your entire message history.
Do you feel safer deleting your messages on Signal? Do you periodically backup chat in the app? Share your experience in the comments section below.
