Let's go over how to delete messages on your iPhone; it's easier than you think. You can delete one, two, or as many messages as you want with just a few taps. So, if you're ready to clear out your old messages, read on to find out how to delete text messages on your iPhone.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Learn how to erase iPhone texts to quickly get rid of messages you don’t need anymore.
Save storage space on your iPhone by erasing messages you don't want to save anymore.
Learn how to delete individual text messages without deleting the whole conversation.

How to Delete Text Messages on Your iPhone & iPad

System Requirements

This tip works on iPhones running iOS 9 or later, and was tested on an iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 27.2. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.

If you find your messages getting too cluttered, the best thing you can do is delete messages you don’t need anymore. Let’s go over how to delete texts on your iPhone and iPad:

Open any text conversation in the Messages app. Then, touch and hold any message in that thread; it can be text, photos, videos, stickers, and more.
Tap More…
You’ll see circles slide in from the left edge of the screen for each message. The circle to the left of the message you tapped More on will turn blue with a checkmark in the middle. You can tap the blank circles to the left of other messages to check off as many messages as you want.
Tap the trash can icon in the lower left.
Tap Delete Message.

Keep in mind that this only deletes the message on your end. The messages will still exist on the other person's phone. If it has not been more than two minutes since you sent the message, you can always unsend the message instead. For more iPhone management tips, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.