The process of deleting chats on Teams isn’t as easy as you’d think.
In the past, Microsoft Teams wasn’t an application that was well-known in the corporate world. It was an Workstream Collaboration application was mostly an application used by companies to improve communication and collaboration between teams. It was an essential tool for companies with global and remote teams.
Then the pandemic hit and Teams became a household word. Users were using it to stay in touch with family and friends as well as to run small-scale business, attend classes, and so on. In the midst of this huge growth in popularity, Microsoft decided to make things simpler for small and personal users by creating a distinct Teams application.
However, regardless of the version of the application you’re using, the main goal is the same. This app facilitates communication. It is not just possible to join audio or video conferences however, you can also chat with other users. Let’s be real, many of us would rather do than other apps.
However, if you use an app to continuously communicate, it could become filled with messages. Here are the best ways to clear the Teams app by eliminating messages that aren’t needed.
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Deleting Chat in Teams for Work
Teams to Work and School offers more channels for communicating that Teams to Personal and small business use. Chat with your fellow members privately, as well as to the entire team through channels.
Deleting Team Chat in a Channel
Channels and Teams are distinct characteristics that are unique to Microsoft Teams that make it one of the most well-known collaboration applications available. Channels are a great method of communicating with your entire team.
Each channel has the default tab ‘Posts’ that are hotspots to communicate with teammates. This tab is not deleted, and you can’t erase any message that isn’t your own.
Actually, this is the case for all communications in Teams for Work and School. It is only possible to erase messages you have sent. This can cause problems when organizing your Teams. The only situation that the feature can handle is when you have to retract a message that you deleted before. Every message you delete will be deleted for all users.
If you decide to erase a message from the channel, keep in mind that you’re doing it for all. It is possible to delete messages from the past too. This means that there is no limit on the time beyond which you can erase messages.
Select ‘Teams’ in the navigation pane to the left. After that, you can open the channel of the team you wish to erase the message.
Click on the “Posts” tab on the channel.
Click on the message you wish to remove. A few options that include an emoji string would be displayed on your right. Select the icon ‘More options’ (three-dot menu).
After that, select Delete from the menu that pops up.
This message is deleted. In its place it would appear that “This message has been deleted” will appear and everybody else on the team will be able to see. There is also an option to undo the delete’ in front of it. If you click it, you can choose to reverse the delete process. The message will reappear to everyone.
Deleting a Message in Private Chat
You can also chat with any person in your company through private messages, one-on-one or in group chat. Teams also offers meeting chats that you can use before or during the meeting. These conversations are accessible within the chat section in the application. However, it doesn’t provide a very basic feature.
It is impossible to delete all chat threads within Microsoft Teams for Work. It’s rumored to be being considered by the team working on development however it’s not clear when or if they’ll add the feature.
The only way to delete chat messages is to delete your messages within the chat. Then, as with the team chat on channels the message will be deleted for all users.
Click on the “Chat” tab in the navigation pane to the left.
After that, you can open the chat in which you wish to remove your message. Then, delete the conversation from your list of chat threads. Select the message you wish to erase and hover over it. A few options will appear. Click the ‘More Options’ icon (three-dot option).
Choose Delete in the drop-down menu which pops up.
Like channel messages, this message is deleted, and all chat participants will be able to see “This message has been deleted”. To undo delete, click the ‘Undo’ option.
Since there isn’t an way to completely delete the chat, it is possible to block a chat if would like to eliminate the chat from your list. This may not be exactly what you want however it does work in a certain degree, especially when you want to clear your chat list.
Is There No Way to Delete Chat History in Teams for Work?
It’s normal to be concerned about old chats accumulating in your Teams application. Although there’s no way to remove chats at present, there’s an option to stop the accumulation of old chats. Only IT administrators can accomplish this. You may suggest to the IT administrator of your company to establish the retention policy to ensure that it doesn’t store chat information indefinitely.
Although storing data indefinitely is the default setting however, you can alter it to delete the chat and channel data after a set period of period of time has been passed.
Deleting Chat in Teams Personal
For personal use or for running small-scale businesses, Microsoft introduced Teams for Personal and Small Business Use that simplifies the complexity that are inherent in Teams for Work. The major difference is that there aren’t channels or teams. The only way to connect with other users is via private chats. Chats with private chats can be one-onone or group chats. meetings chats.
Within Teams Personal, you can remove whole chat threads and individual messages in one-on-one or group meeting chats.
Deleting a Message
Similar to Teams for Work, Teams Personal allows you to delete messages you’ve previously sent. The deletion of a message lets you to remove a message so that it will be deleted for all who is part of the conversation, and not only you. In this regard it is only possible to delete messages that you have sent but not messages that you have received.
Within the Teams Personal app, go to Chat from the navigation pane to the left.
Go to the chat in which you wish to erase the message. Move your cursor over the message until some options are displayed, then select the ‘More Options’ icon.
After that, select Delete in the menu. This message is erased for all users and you’ll have the option of reversing the action.
Deleting a Chat
To erase the entire chat session click on the ‘Chat tab in the navigation pane to the left.
Click on the chat thread of the conversation you wish to erase in the chat list in the left side of your window. A few choices will pop up. Click the icon ‘More options’ (three-dot option).
After that, choose ‘Delete’ in the drop-down menu which appears.
An acknowledgement message be displayed. Select “Yes, delete” to confirm your decision. This can’t be reversed.
What Happens When you Delete an Entire Chat Thread?
If you delete the chat thread of an online chat group or meeting and you leave the chat, you’ll be able to log out. The other chat participants will be able to tell that you have left the chat group or meeting however they won’t be aware that you have deleted the chat.
The chat will be available to the other participants, but. In the event that you are one who organized for the gathering (when you delete a chat from a meeting) the other participants can still chat, but they won’t be able to join in the call to the meeting.
If you remove the chat room or group the history of that chat is erased off your device. If someone adds you to the chat again the chat will reappear.
If you decide to delete a one-on-one chat, it is deleted only by you. It is still available to another person. They will not be aware that you deleted it. You can begin a conversation with them again anytime. You will be no history of chat. However, they will see the whole chat until they remove it.
If you delete a one-on-one or group chat, all documents, links, or messages that you share within the chat will be open to others. If you don’t want anyone to have access to the chat anymore, you’ll need to delete each message separately prior to deleting the whole chat.
Deleting Chat in Windows 11 Chat app
Windows 11 users have an alternative method to utilize Teams Personal. Microsoft has integrated a lighter version of Teams for Personal Use straight into the Windows 11 taskbar. The Chat application lets you chat with your most recent chats as well as hold meetings with audio or video without opening the application.
However, when it comes to the deletion of chats, it doesn’t provide the same flexibility. To erase the entire chat you must open Microsoft Teams Personal app and delete the chat as described above. In the ‘Chat’ window, select the “Open Microsoft Teams” option to launch the application.
You are able to delete individual messages without needing to launch the application. It’s similar to deletion of a message within the Teams Personal application. Start the chat in which you wish to remove your message in your Chat Flyout Window. Chat opens in a separate pop-up.
Go to the message and then hover over the message. Select the ‘More Options icon, and then select Delete from the menu that appears.
The process of deleting chats is simple for most applications. However, this isn’t always the case for Microsoft Teams. This guide can help you navigate the process regardless of the version of the application you’re using.