Can you delete an entire WhatsApp group chat?

• You can only delete a WhatsApp group that you created yourself or that you are the admin of.
• WhatsApp groups are a great way to loop a number of people into one conversation, making it easy to share plans, photos, and chat.
• Deleting a WhatsApp group requires you to remove each member one-by-one, and then exit the group yourself.
• This story is a part of Business Insider's Guide to WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is all about bringing people together, and there's no better way to do that than by creating a WhatsApp group. WhatsApp groups make it easy for you to exchange group messages, swap photos, lock in plans, and communicate important information regarding your workplace, school, or community.

But as with all things in life, sometimes there comes a time for a WhatsApp group to go away. Deleting a WhatsApp app group is a multi-step process, but unless it's a massive group, it's not that complicated or time consuming. 

Here's how to do it.

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How to delete a WhatsApp group

1. Open WhatsApp on your iPhone or Android device and tap "Chats," then tap on the group that you want to delete.

2. Tap the word "Group" at the top of the screen.

3. Scroll down and tap on a name in the group, then tap "Remove from Group" then "Remove" to confirm.

4. Repeat the same removal steps with each group member.

5. Once all members have been removed, choose "Exit Group" yourself.

6. You will now see the option to "Delete Group." Tap it, then confirm it.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to use WhatsApp on your iPad through a web browser and connected iPhone

• 'Can you use WhatsApp on a computer?': How to download and use WhatsApp's desktop version

• How to manually add a contact to WhatsApp using your iPhone

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• How to block someone on the WhatsApp iPhone app in 2 different ways

Steven John

Freelance Writer

Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com.

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Is your WhatsApp filled with derelict group chats from 2016? Or, maybe you’ve transferred a chat to Telegram or Signal and want to get rid of your old WhatsApp one.

Whatever your reason, we’ve put together this guide to teach you how to delete a group chat from WhatsApp. Read on to learn how to do it…

How to delete a group on WhatsApp 

While deleting a WhatsApp group doesn’t take long, there is an order to doing it. 

First, you need to remove any participants from the chat. Next, you’ll want to leave the group yourself. Finally, you can go ahead and delete the chat. You won’t even see the option to delete the chat until everyone’s out of there, meaning you can’t just hit a button and be done with it. 

Follow the steps below to learn how to delete a group chat on WhatsApp… 

What you’ll need: 

• An iOS or Android phone (iPhone 13 used)
• A WhatsApp account 

The Short Version 

1. Open the WhatsApp chat settings
2. Kick everyone out of the group 
3. Leave the group yourself 
4. Tap Delete Group 
5. Confirm to delete the group and you’re done! 

How to delete a group on WhatsApp

1. Step
   1

   Open WhatsApp

   

   These steps should work on any iOS or Android smartphone.

   

2. Step
   2

   Tap on a group chat

   

   This is the chat you’re going to delete.

   

3. Step
   3

   

   This should be near the bottom of the page.

   

4. Step
   4

   Select a participant and tap Remove From Group

   

   You’re going to need to remove everyone from the group before you can delete the chat.

   

5. Step
   5

   Tap Remove to kick them out of the chat

   

   Repeat steps 5 and 6 until everyone but yourself has left the group.

   

6. Step
   6

   Tap Exit Group

   

   You should only do this when you’re the last person in the group.

   

7. Step
   7

   Tap Exit Group again to confirm you want to leave

   

   This will kick you out of the group but you’ll still be able to see the chat settings.

   

8. Step
   8

   Tap Delete Group

   

   The option will be in the same spot Exit Group was before you left the group.

   

9. Step
   9

   Tap Delete Group again to confirm and delete the group chat permanently

   

   That’s it! You’re group chat is no more. Previous participants will still be able to see the group in their chat list, but they won’t be able to send any further messages.

   

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Troubleshooting

Can I delete a group chat if I’m not an admin? 

You can’t delete chats if you’re not the admin. If you want to be an admin, you’ll either need to make the chat in question or convince an existing admin to add you as admin – which they probably won’t want to do if you’re only doing it so you can delete the chat. 

Will I still be able to view the chat after I delete it?

Once you delete the chat, it will disappear from your WhatsApp chats list and the chat history will be erased from your phone. This doesn’t apply to other participants, however, who can continue to see the chat but not send messages in it.

Can you Delete a whole WhatsApp group for everyone?

Can you Delete a whole WhatsApp conversation from both sides?