How to permanently delete your WhatsApp account without losing your precious chats

Completely uninstalling WhatsApp from your phone isn't enough to truly delete your account. Your contacts can still message you, though you won't receive them. To fully delete your WhatsApp account, follow these steps, but first, we strongly recommend saving your data.

Saving Your WhatsApp Data

WhatsApp allows you to back up your chat history and account information. Let's start with your chats:

Exporting and Saving Your Chat History:

1. Open the WhatsApp mobile app and navigate to Settings.

2. Go to Chats, then tap Chat Backup. Review your backup settings (Google Drive for Android, iCloud for iOS) and adjust the backup frequency.

3. Manually back up your data by tapping Back Up. This is crucial for restoring your chats later if needed. Allow the backup to complete fully.

4. To export chats as text files, open the individual or group chat you wish to save.
   • On Android: Tap the three-dot menu, select More, then Export chat.
   • On iOS: Tap the chat's name and choose Export chat.

5. Choose whether to include media (photos, videos, etc.). Including media limits the export to the last 10,000 messages; excluding it allows up to 40,000.

6. Select an app (email, cloud storage) to save the exported chat.

7. Repeat steps 4-6 for all desired chats.

Saving Your Account Information:

Saving your account information is for reference only; it won't restore your account after deletion.

1. In Settings, go to Account.

2. Tap Request account info and select Request report. Allow 48-72 hours for WhatsApp to process your request.

3. You'll receive a notification with a download link (valid for a few weeks).

4. Go to Request account info, tap Download report, and then Export report.

5. Choose an app (email, cloud storage) to save the ZIP file (containing HTML and JSON files).

6. (Optional) Delete the report from your phone using the Delete report option.

Permanently Deleting Your WhatsApp Account:

Once you've saved your data, navigate to Account, then Delete my account. Enter your phone number and tap DELETE MY ACCOUNT. This removes your chat history, group memberships, and Google Drive backup. Note that the deletion process may take up to 30 days. You will not be able to access your account during this time.

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