Maybe you sent a message you regret, want to clean up a cluttered chat list, or simply value your privacy. Whatever the reason, deleting chats on Reddit is possible, but it works differently from what most people expect. There is no single button that wipes an entire conversation for both people, and the rules are different for the newer Reddit Chat versus the old private message inbox. This guide walks through exactly what you can delete, what you cannot, and how to do it on both desktop and mobile.
First, know which system you are using
Reddit has two separate messaging systems, and this is the single most important thing to understand before you start deleting anything:
- Reddit Chat is the modern, real-time messaging feature, the chat bubble icon at the top of the site and app. Here you can delete individual messages you have sent, and you can leave or hide conversations.
- Legacy private messages (PMs) live in the old inbox at
reddit.com/message/inbox. These work more like email threads, and Reddit does not let users delete them at all. You can only mark them read or unread, or block the sender.
So if the "delete" option seems to be missing, you are almost certainly looking at a legacy PM rather than a Reddit Chat message. We cover both cases below.
How to delete a single chat message on desktop
On reddit.com, deleting a message you sent in Reddit Chat takes just a few seconds:
- Open Reddit and click the chat icon near the top-right of the page.
- Select the conversation that contains the message you want to remove.
- Hover over your own message until a small menu (three dots) appears beside it.
- Click the three-dot menu and choose Delete.
- Confirm if prompted. The message content disappears and is replaced by a note that it was deleted.
You can only delete messages you sent. There is no option to delete a message that the other person wrote.
How to delete a chat message in the mobile app
The steps on the Reddit app for Android and iOS are nearly identical, using a long-press instead of a hover:
- Open the Reddit app and tap the chat icon at the top of the screen.
- Open the conversation with the message you want to delete.
- Press and hold your own message until a menu pops up.
- Tap Delete and confirm.
As on desktop, the message is removed from the thread for both people and replaced with a "message deleted" placeholder.
How to leave or hide a whole conversation
Deleting messages one by one is tedious if your goal is to clear an entire thread from your chat list. Reddit does not let you erase a full conversation for everyone, but you can remove it from your own view:
- Leave the chat. Open the conversation, tap or click the chat name or the settings/info icon at the top, and select the option to leave. This removes you from the thread.
- Hide or archive it. Depending on your app version, you may see an option to hide the conversation so it no longer clutters your list, without formally leaving it.
Keep in mind that leaving a one-on-one chat does not delete the messages you already sent, the other person can still see the history on their side.
Deleting messages and leaving group chats
Group chats follow the same logic with one addition. You can still delete your own individual messages using the hover (desktop) or long-press (app) method described above. To exit the group entirely:
- Open the group chat.
- Tap or click the group name or settings icon at the top.
- Choose Leave chat (or the equivalent wording in your app version) and confirm.
Once you leave, you stop receiving the group's messages. Any messages you posted before leaving may remain visible to the members who are still in the chat.
Why you cannot delete legacy private messages
If your conversation lives in the old inbox at reddit.com/message/inbox, there is simply no delete
function, and this is by design rather than a bug. For legacy PMs your only real options are:
- Mark as read or unread to manage your inbox visually.
- Block the user, which stops further messages from that account and hides the existing thread from your inbox.
Blocking is the closest thing to "removing" a legacy conversation from your view, but it does not erase the message contents from Reddit's servers or from the other person's inbox.
Does the other person still see what you deleted?
For Reddit Chat, deleting your message removes its content from the thread on both sides and leaves a small "deleted" marker in its place. That said, deletion is not a time machine. If the recipient already read the message, saw a notification preview, or took a screenshot, that information is out of your hands. Treat delete as a way to tidy up and walk back a message going forward, not as a guarantee that no one ever saw it.
A few privacy tips while you are at it
- Check who can message you. In your account settings under chat and messaging preferences, you can limit who is allowed to start a chat with you, which cuts down on unwanted threads in the first place.
- Block persistent senders rather than repeatedly deleting their messages.
- Think before you send. Because full conversations cannot be wiped for everyone, the most reliable privacy tool is deciding what to share up front.
If you are tightening up your privacy more broadly, you may also want to read our guides on permanently deleting your Reddit account and what is actually possible with changing your username.
Final thoughts
Deleting chats on Reddit comes down to two facts: in modern Reddit Chat you can delete your own messages and leave conversations, while in the old private message inbox you cannot delete anything and can only block or mark messages. There is no button that erases an entire thread for both people, so the best approach is to remove individual messages when needed, leave conversations you no longer want, and be mindful about what you send in the first place.
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