How to Delete a WhatsApp Message Without Opening It

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1. Delete the Entire WhatsApp Chat

Note: When you delete the chat, you will also lose the chats you had with the sender before.

Step 1: Open theWhatsApp appon your Android or iOS device.

Step 2: Navigate to the chat you want to delete.

Step 3:Long-pressthe chat and click on thetrashcan icon.

Note: On iOS, tap on Delete Chat from the list of options.

Step 4: In the prompt, select Delete Chat to confirm.

There you go. You have deleted a WhatsApp message without reading it. If you want, you canundo deleted messages on WhatsApp. However,if you don’t want to delete the whole chat for the sake of reading one, move on to the next method.

2. Use Airplane Mode

We will be using Airplane mode to disable WhatsApp’s chat access to the internet for the time being until we delete the message. Follow the steps below.

Note: Before you start with the steps, make sure you have closed WhatsApp, and the app is not running in the background.

Step 1: Now, go to your phone’sSettingsand selectConnection & sharing.

Note: On iOS, go to Settings.

Step 3: Toggle onAirplane mode.

Note: On iOS, toggle on Airplane Mode.

Step 4: Now, open theWhatsApp appon your phone.

Step 5: Locate the chat and tap open the message.

Step 6:Long-pressthe message and tap thetrashcan iconto delete the message.

Note: On iOS, long-press on the message, select delete, and tap on the trashcan icon.

Step 7: Tap onDelete for meto confirm.

Step 8: After deleting the message, closeWhatsAppand make sure it is not running in the background.

Step 9: Finally, turn off theAirplane mode.

There you go. You have deleted the WhatsApp message without the other person knowing. Although this method is rock solid, sometimes, it may fail to work due to the processes running in the background.

Hence, you may jump to the next method to safely delete the message without reading it for such issues or errors.

3. Using Disappearing Messages

WhatsApp’s disappearing message feature provides users with an additional layer of privacy and security. Disappearing messages enable you to delete messages after a certain period automatically.

Step 1: OpenWhatsAppon your Android or iOS device.

Step 2: Navigate to the chat where you want to activate the disappearing messages feature.

Step 3: Tap on thecontact nameand selectDisappearing messages.

Step 4: Choose your preferred period between 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days.

Note: Considering you don’t want to delete the message without viewing it, setting the time period to 24 hours is recommended.

With this, the messages will get deleted without opening after 24 hours. Moreover, this setting will only work for future messages and not the ones you’ve already received.

So, if you don’t want to tweak this setting but still want to delete a WhatsApp message without opening it, move to the next method.

Also Read:Why can’t you delete WhatsApp messages for everyone

4. Deactivate Read Receipts

Bydeactivating read receipts, you can not only have a sense of privacy by being able to read the message whenever you like but also prevent others from knowing whether you have read it.

Note: Disabling read receipts will also prevent you from knowing when others have read your messages.

On Android

Step 1: OpenWhatsAppon your Android device.

Step 2: Tap on thethree vertical dots, and from the drop-down, chooseSettings.

Step 3: From the Settings screen, selectAccount, and in the next screen, choosePrivacy.

Step 4: Under Privacy, toggle offRead receipts.

This setting doesn’t apply to the messages you have already received or the message you have already read, but only to the messages you receive after you change to this setting. So, you must delete the message and continue with the steps below.

Step 5: Locate the chat andlong-pressthe message to select and tap on thetrashcan icon.

Step 6: In the prompt, selectDelete chat.

Note: You may check the box, Also delete media received in these chats from the device gallery.

On iOS

Step 1: OpenWhatsApp.

Step 2: Go to theSettingstab from the bottom navigation bar.

Step 3: SelectPrivacy.

Step 4: In the Privacy screen, toggle off theRead Receiptsoption.

The messages you have already received or read won’t be affected by this setting, only those you receive after you change it. Therefore, you’ll need to delete the message. See the next steps.

Step 5: Locate the chat you want to delete,long-presson it, and selectDelete Chat.

Step 6:Finally, in the bottom sheet, tap onDelete Chatto confirm.

There you go. You have successfully deleted a WhatsApp message without reading it. If you mistakenly sent a text or multimedia to someone and want to delete it, check out the following section.

How to Delete WhatsApp Messages You Have Sent

Accidental messages happen due to a variety of reasons, and one such reason is typing errors. Well, whatever the reason may be, it often leads to awkward or embarrassing situations. Follow the steps to avoid it.

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your Android or iOS device.

Step 2: Open the chat where you want to delete the message.

Step 3:Long-pressthe message and tap on thetrashcan icon.

Note: On iOS, long-press the message, select delete, and tap on the trashcan icon.

Step 4: SelectDelete for Everyone.

There you go. You have successfully deleted the message you sent mistakenly. Check out the FAQ section if you have any queries we didn’t address above.

FAQs on Deleting a WhatsApp Message Without Opening It

Delete from everyone means the message will be deleted from both the sender’s and the recipient’s chat window. However, this does not guarantee that the recipient hadn’t seen the message before it got deleted. There is no recourse if the other user has seen the message or notification preview.

One tick means that the message sent from the sender’s device has not been received by the recipient’s device. If the one tick persists for days and you don’t see the profile picture, chances are the recipient has blocked you on WhatsApp.

Now that you know how to delete a WhatsApp message without opening it, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and delete the message.

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Last updated on 28 August, 2024

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