What are the Differences between WhatsApp Clear Chat and Delete Chat?

Christina Wan
Wondershare Dr.Fone
7 min readApr 19, 2021

WhatsApp tolerates no ads on the platform to irritate users at all. While some features require little knowledge to implement, others require tech-savvy users to utilize them exhaustively. However, other traits of WhatsApp tend to restrict users from achieving desired tasks unless they use a third-party app.

For our case, the concern is deeply about WhatsApp clear chat and delete chat subject. The terms can be confusing, especially if you have not used the features on WhatsApp. Even though WhatsApp does not limit sending messages and media, the app may limit your chats if the inbox is exhausted. In this case, you will be required to clear or delete a couple of chat histories. This article will guide you to clear or delete WhatsApp chats to help you understand the difference.

Part 1: WhatsApp Clear Chat v/s Delete Chat

When you delete WhatsApp messages, you get rid of them entirely from the WhatsApp logbook, while the clear chat feature only removes the charts from the WhatsApp wall. If you delete messages, you will not restore them to a new device. Keep in mind that no data traces will be found in your backup once you delete WhatsApp chats. If you ought to restore your messages in the future, you need to clear them from WhatsApp instead of deleting them.

Part 2: How to clear WhatsApp chat

When you opt to clear chats on WhatsApp, you can carry out the task using the approaches described below. The process covers two sections on WhatsApp where you can apply the clear chat feature.

Clear an individual chat or a group WhatsApp chat

Step 1: Go to the clear chat option on your WhatsApp application.

Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap on the individual or group chat icon to access the clear chat option. Tap on the icon appearing as three vertical dots, which are used to provide more options. From this section, tap on the clear chat button.

Step 2: Clear WhatsApp chat

Here, you need to mark the checkbox against ‘delete media in this chat’ and confirm the action by tapping on the clear option.

Clear the entire WhatsApp chats

Step 1: Go to the chat history.

From the WhatsApp interface, click on the three-dotted icon on the top and choose settings from the options available. Visit chats and then hit the Chat history button.

Step 2: clear all your WhatsApp chats

Under the chat history window, a list of options will display. Select the ‘clear all chats’ option from the list. You will receive a pop-up prompt on the screen where you can check or uncheck the options provided, including delete media in chats and delete starred messages. In this way, you would have cleared all your WhatsApp chats.

Part 3: How to Delete WhatsApp Chat

When you opt to delete chats from your WhatsApp, you can do it in three sections, including, individually, in a group, or the entire WhatsApp chats at once. The following guide will help to carry out the task.

Delete a chat in a conversation

Step 1: tap on the individual WhatsApp chat

Go to your phone and launch the WhatsApp application. Click the chats tab and tap the icon of a particular individual to view the chats. Now tap and hold to select the chats you intend to delete.

Step 2: delete a WhatsApp chat.

Once you select the chats you need, tap on the delete icon located on the top. This will delete the chats entirely from the conversation.

Delete Group WhatsApp chat

Step 1: Exit the WhatsApp group

To delete a group of WhatsApp chats, you must exit first. So, tap the WhatsApp group icon and hold it to view available options. Tap on ‘exit group’ from the listed options. The action will successfully remove your contact from the group.

Step 2: Delete WhatsApp group chat

After you exit the WhatsApp group, proceed to tap and hold the group icon to display a few options on the top of the screen. Tap on the delete icon to eliminate the chat permanently.

Tip: Backup WhatsApp before Deleting or Clearing the chats

WhatsApp is an undeniably essential app for instant messaging and exchanging media, including videos, photos, audio, voice notes and other files. If you carry out most of your communication with friends and colleagues over WhatsApp, the data shared therein becomes very important. In the situation where you need to delete or clear chats, it is essential to transfer all these WhatsApp messages to pc. You can later restore the WhatsApp backup to an existing or a new phone.

You may be wondering how you can easily and conveniently transfer WhatsApp messages from an android/iOS device to a computer. Currently, many software is available to handle the task now that WhatsApp does not provide a native solution for the same. However, not every tool you find online will deliver to your expectation. Remember, security is essential here since your WhatsApp data is exceptionally private. Considering all these requirements, the Dr.Fone — WhatsApp Transfer tool appears to do the best job to back up your messages to pc.

Dr.Fone — WhatsApp Transfer tool

Dr.Fone — WhatsApp Transfer is software dedicated to handle or fix common smartphone problems, including WhatsApp Transfer, backup and restore easily and securely. The following are the main features of Dr.Fone –WhatsApp Transfer.

Transfer WhatsApp history: transfer your WhatsApp data from your device to other devices. The tool supports iOS and Android, and transfer is not restricted to messages but the included attachments.

Backup or export WhatsApp history: backup all your WhatsApp data from phone to pc. You can back up or export the data selectively to avoid junk. You can also choose to transfer it all. The software can back up the chat history of other messenger applications such as Line, Kik, WeChat, and Viber.

Restore WhatsApp backup: easily restore WhatsApp data from pc to iPhone or android with a one-click system.

The following are ways to back up your WhatsApp messages from Android/ iOS to pc with Dr.Fone — WhatsApp Transfer.

Transfer WhatsApp messages from iPhone to pc

Dr.Fone is a reliable option to back up your WhatsApp data from iPhone to a computer before you clear or delete messages on WhatsApp. Once you download the software to your computer, follow these steps to transfer WhatsApp messages from iPhone to pc.

  • Launch the app and click the ‘backup WhatsApp messages’ option. Connect your iPhone to the pc using a lightning USB cable. Once Dr.Fone detects the device, a window will appear indicating so.
  • Select the backup option, and your WhatsApp data will begin to transfer to the computer. The following window will indicate the transfer progress. Wait for the backup to automatically complete in this stage.
  • You can view and export WhatsApp backup from here. Click on the ‘next button to proceed.
  • You can selectively backup the data to the computer to back them all up. Click on the ‘recover to computer’ option to save them.

Transfer WhatsApp messages from android to pc

Android users can use this step-by-step guide to backup WhatsApp messages to a computer using Dr.Fone-WhatsApp Transfer.

  • Download and install the application on your windows or mac computer. Connect your android to the system using a USB cable.
  • Select ‘backup WhatsApp messages’ to initiate the backup process to your computer.
  • Once the android device is detected, the backup process will start. Follow the instructions as prompted on the program to back it up. Simply go to your android device, tap more options to access settings. Click chats>chat backup and choose ‘never.’ Continue by clicking backup. Click on the Next button on the Dr.Fone application.
  • Look at your android phone and install WhatsApp from the pop-up window appearing on the phone. Click the show again button on Dr.Fone if you don’t see the notification on your phone. Verify your number and restore WhatsApp messages to your android and then click next on Dr.Fone.
  • Keep your android phone connected as you wait for the backup to complete. When all the processes are marked 100%, the WhatsApp data is backed up successfully.
  • Click the ‘view it’ button and find your WhatsApp backup file on your computer.

Conclusion

If you have gone through all details explained in this article, you should be able to differentiate between WhatsApp clear chats and delete chats. The terms are easily confused, and people end up using a feature that is against their intentions. You also have a clue of where the features can be used on WhatsApp.

With that said, it is always crucial to backup WhatsApp data in advance before you clear or deletes messages. In this case, you will need a reliable tool like Dr.Fone — WhatsApp Transfer to back up your WhatsApp messages and attachments to a computer. Dr.Fone is designed to eliminate all limitations and achieve a perfect experience when transferring your WhatsApp data from phone to pc.

--

--