How to edit sent messages on WhatsApp

Don’t stress out about embarrassing typos and mistakes in chats. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to edit a sent messages on WhatsApp.

Being able to fix a typo or correct an embarrassing mistake after sending a message is essential in business exchanges and everyday chats. WhatsApp has supported message editing since 2023, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

• You can edit a sent message as many times as you want, but all your edits must be made up to 15 minutes after sending the original text.
• You can edit regular and disappearing messages, but not photos, videos, animated GIFs, captions, and other attachments.
• After editing a message, an “Edited” label appears on the chat bubble next to timestamp. However, edit history is unsupported; the recipient cannot see the original message unless they already saw it in the notification.
• WhatsApp doesn’t send a notification every time you edit a message; the recipient will actually see your edits when they open the chat. To work around this, delete the old text instead of editing it, then send a new message.

Edit a sent message on WhatsApp

Message editing works in WhatsApp’s mobile, desktop, and web apps. Crucially, you can only edit a message from the device you sent it from. For instance, if you’ve sent a message from your computer using WhatsApp Desktop, you won’t be able to edit it using the iPhone app, and vice versa.

iPhone

1. Open the chat containing the message you’d like to edit.
2. Touch and hold the message and choose Edit from the menu.
3. Update the original text, then hit the green check.

Also see: How to set up and use WhatsApp on iPad the right way

Android

1. Touch and hold the message you want to edit, tap the three-dotted icon in the top-right corner, and choose Edit for the menu.
2. Update your sent text, then hit the green check mark.

WhatsApp Desktop and Web

1. Open WhatsApp Desktop or the web app and open the relevant conversation.
2. Hover the pointer over a message and click the downwardly-pointed arrow in the bottom-right corner of the chat bubble, then choose Edit from the menu.
3. Make changes to your message and click the Send button when finished.

Message editing can be exploited for nefarious purposes

Like everything you do on WhatsApp, edited messages are end-to-end encrypted so no one, not even WhatsApp, can see the changes. Because WhatsApp doesn’t store a history of revisions, however,  the feature has serious privacy implications.

As a result, neither you nor anyone else in the chat can view the original message or the edits, which makes WhatsApp texts unsuitable as evidence in litigation. People like your ex could exploit the feature by sending a hateful message only to edit it and claim it was a mistake. Until WhatsApp implements edit history, this feature will have the potential to increase misinformation. If you don’t use WhatsApp, Apple’s built-in Messages app lets you edit and unsend messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Check out next: How to know when your WhatsApp message has been seen