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Can you delete multiple chats on WhatsApp Web? What works in 2026

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No, WhatsApp Web doesn't let you delete several chats at once: its help page only describes deleting one chat at a time, and the Delete all chats option is in the phone app. If you need a lot of chats gone, do it on your phone. If you want a tidier list on your computer, archiving or folders get you there without losing anything.

What WhatsApp Web offers

We read the Web version of WhatsApp's How to delete chats page on October 28, 2026. It has two sets of steps, both for a single chat:

  1. An individual chat. In the Chats tab, hover over the chat, click the down arrow, then Delete chat > Delete. You can also open the chat and use the three-dot menu > Delete chat > Delete.
  2. A group. You have to leave it first. Hover over the group, click the down arrow, then Exit group > Exit and delete for me > Delete group.

There's no "select several and delete" step and no Delete all chats section on the Web page. WhatsApp's separate How to clear chats article, which only empties the messages and keeps the chat in your list, has versions for Android, iPhone and Mac. Web isn't one of them.

Where bulk delete does exist: your phone

Android. Go to More (three dots) > Settings > Chats > Chat history > Delete all chats > Delete all, according to the Android version of the help page.

iPhone. Tap your profile picture, then Chats > Delete all chats, enter your phone number and confirm. The iPhone page also has a Select chats option in the More menu, but the action it lists for selected chats is Clear > Clear all messages, which empties them rather than removing them.

Read the fine print on both platforms before you tap. WhatsApp says Delete all chats removes individual chats and status updates from the Chats tab, but group chats stay listed and you stay in them until you exit each one. Deleting can't be undone, and WhatsApp can't recover deleted chats for you. The only way back is a backup made before you deleted, and you lose anything sent after that backup.

Delete or clear: which one you want

  • Delete removes the chat from your list.
  • Clear removes the messages inside it and leaves the chat in the list. On Android, Clear all chats is under Settings > Chats > Chat history, with checkboxes for deleting received media from the phone's gallery and for deleting starred messages.

If the goal is free space, clearing with the media box checked is usually what does it. Our guide to freeing up WhatsApp storage goes through the rest.

If you only want a shorter list

A lot of people asking how to delete many chats at once on WhatsApp Web want the list to stop being a wall of old groups. Deleting is a heavy way to get that. Two options keep everything:

  • Archive. Hover over a chat, click the down arrow and pick Archive chat. Archived chats move out of the main list but keep their messages. On the Web it's still one chat at a time. Our post on finding and unarchiving archived chats covers where they go and how to get them back.
  • Folders. Group chats into tabs so the ones you need sit together and the rest stay out of the way.

What we checked in WA Folders

We build WA Folders, a Chrome extension for WhatsApp Web, so we looked at whether it should be part of the answer here. We read the code of the current version, 1.3.10, on October 28, 2026.

  • It has no delete-chat feature. Nothing in the code opens WhatsApp's Delete chat menu, and it can't delete chats in bulk. The only things it deletes are its own items, such as a folder or a board stage, and the chats themselves stay in WhatsApp.
  • It adds folder tabs above the chat list. Clicking a tab shows the chats you put in that folder. The free plan has 5 folders.
  • It can export the chat you have open as HTML, CSV, Markdown or JSON, 3 times a day on the free plan. That's useful before you delete a chat you might want a record of. Our WhatsApp Web export guide shows how.
  • It runs only on web.whatsapp.com, keeps folders in Chrome on your computer and never sends a message for you.

If you came here to wipe dozens of chats, use your phone's Delete all chats and accept that groups need exiting one by one. If you came here for a list you can read, try folders before deleting anything.

FAQ

Can I select multiple chats on WhatsApp Web and delete them?

WhatsApp's help page for Web only describes deleting one chat at a time, from the chat's down arrow menu or the three-dot menu inside the chat. For many chats, use Delete all chats in the phone app.

How do I delete all chats on WhatsApp at once?

On Android, go to Settings > Chats > Chat history > Delete all chats. On iPhone, tap your profile picture > Chats > Delete all chats and enter your phone number. Group chats stay in the list until you exit them.

Does Delete all chats remove groups?

No. WhatsApp says individual chats and status updates are deleted, but group chats stay visible and you remain a member until you exit each group.

Can I get a deleted WhatsApp chat back?

Only from a backup made before you deleted it. WhatsApp says it can't recover deleted chats for you, and anything sent after that backup is lost.

Does WA Folders delete chats in bulk?

No. WA Folders has no chat-deleting feature. It sorts chats into folder tabs on WhatsApp Web, exports the open chat, and never deletes or sends anything in WhatsApp.

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