How-To

How to delete a WhatsApp account

Here’s everything to know about deleting a WhatsApp account.

by
Joy Okumoko
November 5, 2022

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Should you delete your WhatsApp account? Billions of people use WhatsApp to connect and interact via chats, voice messages, and video calls. It’s one of the most popular networks out there.

However, a day may come when you decide to call it quits and delete your WhatsApp account for good. While that may seem extreme, it may be the best course of action in certain scenarios.

In this article, we’ll explain what it means to delete your WhatsApp account, highlight why people delete their WhatsApp accounts, and key things to know before deleting yours.

We’ll also show you how to delete your WhatsApp account and what happens after you delete it.

Reasons to delete your account

Deleting your WhatsApp account is not the same thing as uninstalling WhatsApp.

Whereas uninstalling WhatsApp doesn’t remove your account, when you delete your WhatsApp account, it is permanently and irreversibly gone.

Seeing that billions of people use WhatsApp, one may wonder why people would want to delete their accounts. People do this for different reasons ranging from the germane to the mundane, including:

Persistent cyberbullying.
Meta’s notoriously poor privacy policies.
Account security concerns.

What to know before deleting your account

Image: KnowTechie

Before you press delete, bear in mind that deleting your WhatsApp account will:

Remove your account from WhatsApp
Remove you from all WhatsApp groups
Wipe out your message history
Delete your Google Drive backup

If you’ve already backed up your WhatsApp data in Google Drive, you can easily restore your WhatsApp backup from Google Drive to your iPhone.

If you haven’t, you can request a copy of your account info/report.

To do so, go to WhatsApp > Three dots button > Settings > Account > Request account info. Review the information on your screen and tap Read more to learn more.

Otherwise, simply tap on Request report. Unlike a backup, the account report only contains details about your WhatsApp account information and settings. It doesn’t include messages, and you can export it.

After this, WhatsApp may take up to three days to process your data request. Once ready, a link will be sent to you, which you can access following the same steps outlined above.

That said, let’s now see how you can delete your WhatsApp account.

Deleting your WhatsApp account

You can delete your WhatsApp account on your mobile phone, WhatsApp Web, WhatsApp Desktop, and on WhatsApp for Windows.

However, before you do so, it is important that you try to back up your data because the process is irreversible.

To delete your WhatsApp account on your smartphone:

Launch WhatsApp

image of iPhone home screen with arrow pointing to the WhatsApp icon in purple background

Tap on Settings

WhatsApp opened with arrow pointing to settings gear on purple background

Tap on Account

WhatsApp opened in settings with arrow pointing to account in purple background

Go down the list and tap on Delete my account

WhatsApp opened in accounts with arrow pointing to delete account with purple background

Now, confirm your country code and enter your phone number

WhatsApp opened in delete my account with arrow pointing to phone number in purple background

When done, tap on Delete My Account

WhatsApp opened in delete account with arrow pointing to delete account in purple background

Select a reason why you want to delete your account and tap on Next

WhatsApp opened with arrows pointing to reason why leaving and next in purple background

Lastly, tap on Delete My Account

WhatsApp opened with arrow pointing to delete account in purple background

What happens after you delete WhatsApp?

After you delete your WhatsApp Account, look out for the following:

You’ll lose all access to your account
Your WhatsApp info may not be deleted until 90 days after starting the deletion process
Copies of messages you sent to others, and your group interactions, will be unaffected
WhatsApp may retain certain log data about you in its database
Your info shared with other Meta properties will also be deleted
WhatsApp may also retain your info in case of legal issues, terms violations, and to protect itself from harm

If you would like to learn more about retained data, the company’s privacy policy sheds more light on this.

It’s okay to say goodbye

Goodbyes aren’t always easy, especially if you’ve invested your time, energy, and resources into building relationships and contacts across WhatsApp.

However, sometimes you just have to let go. If you’re at that point in your life where you must part ways with WhatsApp. Meanwhile, you can try other alternatives like Signal or Telegram.

And if, for any reason, you decide to use WhatsApp again in the future, you can rest assured knowing you can always start afresh any day, any time.

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