You can delete your own messages, but Teams keeps a copy on the server

When you delete a message in Microsoft Teams, it disappears from your view and from the conversation thread for everyone else. But Teams stores a copy of what you wrote on its servers. You cannot permanently erase it from Microsoft's systems — only from the visible chat.

This matters because your organisation's IT department or a legal hold can still retrieve deleted messages. If you work for a company, school, or government agency, they may have policies that require them to keep all Teams data for a set number of years, even after you delete it. Before you delete something sensitive, understand that deletion is about removing it from the conversation, not destroying it entirely.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a message removes it from the chat for everyone, but Microsoft keeps a server copy that your organisation can still access.
  • You can only delete messages you sent yourself — you cannot delete someone else's message unless you are a channel owner or team owner.
  • Deleted messages leave a trace in the conversation showing that a message was removed, so people know something was there.
  • If your organisation has a legal hold or retention policy in place, deleted messages may be held indefinitely regardless of when you deleted them.

How to delete a message you sent

Find the message you want to delete in the chat. Hover your mouse over it (on desktop) or long-press it (on mobile). A menu will appear with options including a trash or delete icon.

Click or tap the delete option. Teams will ask you to confirm. Select "Delete" again. The message will vanish from the conversation thread when ready, and everyone in that chat will see that it is gone.

On the desktop app, the steps are the same whether you are in a direct message, a group chat, or a channel. On the mobile app (iOS or Android), the long-press gesture works the same way across all chat types.

What happens when you delete a message

The message disappears from the visible conversation, but a system message appears in its place saying something like "This message was deleted." This tells everyone that a message existed and was removed — it does not hide the fact that you sent something.

If the message contained a file or image, the attachment is also removed from the chat view. However, if someone downloaded the file before you deleted the message, they still have a copy on their device.

Reactions (emoji responses) that people added to your message are also deleted when you delete the message itself.

Deleting entire conversations or channels

You cannot delete an entire direct message conversation from Teams the way you can from text messaging apps. You can only delete individual messages within it. If you want to hide a conversation from your list, you can mute it or hide it, but the messages remain on the server.

If you are a channel owner, you can delete the entire channel, which removes it from everyone's view. But again, Microsoft retains the data on its servers. Deleting a channel does not erase the messages — it just removes the channel as a workspace.

For group chats (not channels), you can leave the conversation, which removes it from your chat list. The conversation continues for other members, and your messages remain visible to them.

What you cannot delete and why

You cannot delete messages sent by other people unless you are a channel owner or team owner. Channel owners can delete any message in their channel. Team owners can delete messages in any channel within their team. Regular members can only delete their own messages.

You also cannot delete messages if your organisation has placed a legal hold on your account or team. A legal hold freezes all data and prevents deletion, even for admins. This typically happens during litigation, investigations, or regulatory compliance situations. If a legal hold is in place, Teams will not allow the delete option to work.

Retention policies and what happens to deleted messages

Many organisations set retention policies that automatically delete Teams data after a certain period — often 30 days, 90 days, one year, or longer. These policies explore to all messages, whether you manually deleted them or not. If your organisation has a retention policy, deleted messages may be purged automatically after the policy period ends.

Some organisations set retention to "indefinite," meaning messages are kept forever unless a legal hold is lifted. You can ask your IT department or compliance team what your organisation's retention policy is. They can tell you how long messages are kept and whether deleted messages are treated differently from active ones.

If you are concerned about a message you sent, deleting it removes it from view but does not may provide it will not be recovered. The safest approach is to assume that anything you write in Teams could be accessed by your organisation's IT team or legal department.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I messaged still see a deleted message?

No. Once you delete a message, it disappears from their view too. They will see a note that says the message was deleted, but they cannot read what it said. If they took a screenshot before you deleted it, they have a copy, but Teams itself does not show the original text.

Does deleting a message delete it from Teams backups?

No. Microsoft maintains backups of Teams data separately from what you see in the app. Your organisation's IT team can restore deleted messages from backups if needed. Deletion only removes the message from the active chat view.

What if I delete a message by accident?

You cannot undo a deletion in Teams the way you can in some other apps. Once you confirm the deletion, the message is gone from the chat. If you need to restore it, contact your IT department — they may be able to recover it from backups, but this depends on your organisation's policies and how long ago the deletion happened.

Can my boss see messages I deleted?

If your boss is a team owner or channel owner, they can delete messages but cannot see messages you have already deleted from the chat view. However, your organisation's IT department or compliance team can retrieve deleted messages from server backups if they have a business reason to do so. This is not about your boss snooping — it is about your organisation's legal and compliance obligations.

Do deleted messages count toward storage limits?

No. Once a message is deleted, it no longer counts toward your Teams storage usage. However, if your organisation has a retention policy, the message may still be stored on Microsoft's servers in a separate archive until the retention period ends.