Quick answer
On your main phone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account > Delete my account. Enter your full phone number with country code, pick a reason, and confirm. You can't do this from a linked computer or tablet. WhatsApp says it can take up to 90 days to delete your information, and deletion can't be undone.
Step 1: Save what you want to keep
Deleting your account erases your message history and deletes your WhatsApp backup in Google Drive. If there are conversations, photos, or voice notes you want, save them first. Inside a chat, the Export chat option in the chat's menu sends a copy of the conversation to yourself.
Tell the people and groups you talk to where they can reach you instead. Once you delete, you're removed from every group and your contacts lose a way to reach you.
Step 2: Delete your account
- Open WhatsApp on your primary phone, not a linked device.
- Go to Settings > Account > Delete my account. On Android, Settings is under the three-dot menu.
- Enter your full phone number, including the country code.
- Choose a reason, then confirm.
What happens next
- Up to 90 days for WhatsApp to delete your information. Copies in backup storage can last longer.
- It's permanent. You can't get the account or its messages back.
- Your contacts keep their copies of messages you sent them, and groups you created stay up.
- Channels you created are deleted if no other admin is assigned.
- If people still see you in their contact list, restarting their app refreshes it.
Leaving Meta altogether? See how to leave Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads.
Your legal right to deletion
If you live in a state with a consumer privacy law, such as California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, or Oregon, WhatsApp generally has to honor your deletion request and respond within the deadline your state sets. See what your state's law requires.
WhatsApp is probably not the only one
Most people have dozens of companies holding their information, from old shopping accounts to apps they've forgotten. DataTrail scans your inbox (read-only) to find them all, flags the ones with data breaches, and writes the deletion requests for you.
Become a testerSources: WhatsApp Help Center: How to delete your account. DataTrail isn't affiliated with WhatsApp. Menus and policies change; if a step looks different, check WhatsApp's help center. This guide is general information, not legal advice.