How to Delete All Messages in Signal

Over the past few 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 stop other people from gaining access to them through your phone. If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll 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 in Signal

Maybe you want to clear up some memory on your phone and decide to delete some old chats with people you no longer keep in touch with. Alternatively, you might want to do so simply for security purposes. Whatever your reason, below you’ll find 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:

1. Launch the Signal app on your mobile device.
   
2. Go over your chat list and hold the one you want to delete.
   
3. An options menu will appear at the top of the screen. You’ll notice a trash bin icon. Tap on it.
   
4. Confirm that you want to delete that chat by pressing “Delete.”
   

You’ve now deleted all messages from that Signal chat.

For iOS Users

Apply the following steps to delete messages from a Signal chat on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Launch the Signal app on your iPhone or iPad.
   
2. Go over your chat list to find the one you want to delete.
   
3. Once you’ve found it, hold it and swipe right.
4. Tap on the “Delete” option in the red square.
   

You’ve now deleted all messages from that Signal chat.

On Desktop

Apply the following steps to delete messages from a Signal chat on your desktop:

1. Launch Signal on your desktop.
   
2. Open the chat you wish to delete all messages from.
   
3. You’ll see the drop-down icon in the upper right-hand corner of that chat.
   
4. Select the “Delete” option from the menu.
   
5. Click on the “OK” button to confirm.
   

You’ve now deleted all messages from that Signal chat. Be aware that if you use Signal on your mobile device and desktop, this action will delete them in both places.

How to Delete All Messages in a Group on Signal

Deleting messages from a group in Signal is a relatively straightforward process. Just follow these steps if you no longer need to keep these messages on your phone.

Note that you’ll still be a member of the group after deleting the messages. You can still find the group by searching for it in the search box.

For Android Users

1. Launch Signal on your Android device.
   
2. Find the group chat you wish to delete all messages from.
   
3. Hold the chat and tap on the trash bin to delete it.
   
4. Tap on “Delete” to confirm your action.
   

For iOS Users

1. Launch Signal on your iOS device.
   
2. Go over your chat list to find the one you wish to delete all messages from.
   
3. Swipe right on that chat.
4. Select the “Delete” option in the red square.
   

On Desktop

1. Launch Signal on your desktop.
   
2. Find the group chat you want to delete messages from in the chat list.
   
3. Open that chat.
4. Click on the drop-down icon in the upper right-hand corner of that conversation.
   
5. Choose the “Delete messages” option.
   
6. Confirm by clicking “OK.”
   

How to Delete All Messages From the Signal App

If you want to delete all messages from the app, we’ll provide you with instructions on how to do so. The process will only take a few seconds, and the steps are really easy to follow.

For Android Users

1. Launch Signal on your device.
   
2. Tap on your profile picture (the avatar in the top left-hand corner of the menu).
   
3. Scroll down until you get to the “Data and Storage” section. Open it.
   
4. Click on the “Manage storage” option and select “Clear message history.”
   
5. Tap on “Delete” to delete your Signal message history.
   

Note: This action won’t remove you from Signal groups. You can find them again by searching for them in the search box.

For iOS Users

1. Launch Signal on your iPhone.
   
2. Tap on your profile picture (the avatar in the top left-hand corner).
   
3. Head over to the “Privacy” section.
   
4. Tap on the “Clear Conversation History” option and select “Delete everything.”
   
5. Restart the app or refresh your contact list. Just go to the “Compose” section and pull down towards the contact list.

Note: This action won’t remove you from Signal groups. You can find them again by searching for them in the search box.

On Desktop

There are no options to delete all your chat history on the desktop version yet. You can only delete an individual 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

1. Launch Signal on your mobile device.
   
2. Go to the bottom of the chat list until you see an “Archived conversations” folder.
   
3. Tap to open it.
4. Find and hold the chat you wish to delete messages from.
5. Tap on the trash bin icon to delete.
   

You have now deleted messages from an archived chat in Signal.

For iOS Users

1. Launch Signal on your iPhone.
   
2. Navigate to the bottom of the chat list to find an “Archived conversations” folder.
   
3. Find the one you wish to delete and swipe right.
4. Tap on the red square showing a trash bin to delete the conversation.
   

You have now deleted messages from an archived chat in Signal.

On Windows Desktop

1. Launch Signal on your desktop.
   
2. Navigate to the bottom of the chat list until you see an “Archived conversations” folder.
   
3. Find and click on the conversation you wish to delete.
   
4. Open the conversation menu by clicking on the drop-down icon in the top right-hand corner.
   
5. Click “Delete.”
   
6. 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 on Signal?

Signal allows you to backup your messages, so they’re safe in case you’re switching phones or performing a factory reset. Just follow the steps below to learn how to enable a chat backup on Signal:

For Android Users

• Launch Signal on your Android device.

• Tap on your avatar in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

• Head over to the “Chats and media” section and go to “Chat backups.”

• Turn on chat backups.

• You’ll see a 30-digit code that you should copy or write down. You’ll need to enter this code when you perform a backup later on.

• Confirm that you have copied the code.

• Tap on 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 in its name.

For iOS Users

Unfortunately, Signal doesn’t allow storing your messages on any other device other than your current one. For that reason, you can only do a transfer between your old and new device if you register 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 on your previous device.

• You’ll see a “Transfer from iOS Device” option you should tap on.

• Now you’ll see a QR code. Leave your new iPhone for a second and take your old one.

• Select “Next” on your old iPhone and scan the QR from the previous step.

• Once the transfer is over, send a text message from your new iPhone.

Note that this action will delete your chat history on the old phone. With iOS, you can only have your messages stored on one device. You can’t use iCloud or other services to backup your messages.

Clearing Up Your Signal Message History

Signal has proven to be one of the safest messaging apps around. However, at times you just want to go the extra mile and ensure higher levels of privacy. That’s when deleting your messages comes in handy. In this article, you’ve learned how to delete all your messages on Signal from a single chat, group chat, or your entire message history.

Do you feel safer when deleting your messages on Signal? Do you do regular chat backups in the app? Share your experience in the comments section below.