How to Delete Text Messages Android Phone or Tablet

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

If you send and receive lots of text messages, those messages can accumulate and take up quite a significant amount of space on your device. Not only does your device store all the text messages that you send and receive, but it also hangs onto photo and video attachments as well. This guide will teach you how to free up space by removing messages.

Smartphone deleting text message. Illustration.

Be careful when deleting text messages from your device, as there is no practical way to retrieve them once they have been removed.

2. Delete a Message

  1. Open Messages.
Android Messages.
  1. Locate the conversation that has the message you want to delete then tap on it.
Conversation highlighted in Android Messages.
  1. Touch and hold the message you want to delete.
Message highlighted in conversation.
  1. Tap the trash can to delete the message.
Trash can highlighted for selected message.
  1. Tap Delete on the confirmation prompt.
Delete highlighted on confirmation prompt.

3. Delete a Conversation

  1. Open Messages.
Android Messages.
  1. Locate the conversation you want to delete. Tap and hold the conversation.
Conversation highlighted in Android Messages.
  1. Tap the trash can to delete the conversation.
Trash can highlighted for selected conversation.
  1. Tap Delete on the confirmation prompt.
Delete highlighted on confirmation prompt.