How to Delete a Group in Signal

There’s been a massive influx of new users on Signal in the past couple of months. Levels of privacy on other more popular messenger apps are open to dispute. But Signal has proven to be a safe haven for users who want to keep their messages to themselves, third-party-free.

In this article, we’re going to cover some of the basic questions when it comes to deleting, leaving, or navigating a group across devices in Signal.

How to Delete a Group in Signal

Did you create a group you no longer need? You can delete it in a few simple steps:

1. Open the group you want to delete.
   
2. Tap on the group’s name.
   
3. Go to the members’ list.
   
4. Remove each of the group members. (Take a look below on how to remove someone from a group in Signal).
   
5. Once you are the only one left in the group, tap on the group’s name again and scroll down to tap “Block group” or “Leave group.”
6. Select “Block and leave” or “Leave group.”
   
7. You have now deleted a group in Signal.

Note that you can only delete a group if there is an admin tag next to your name. Otherwise, if you don’t want to be in the group, you can simply leave it. You can find the steps on how to leave a Signal group later in this article.

How to Remove Someone From a Group in Signal

You should know that removing members from a group in Signal is only available on mobile devices. You can do so by following these steps:

1. Open a group chat you want to remove a person from.
   
2. Tap on the group name.
   
3. Open the group members list.
   
4. Make sure you are the admin of the group. You can’t remove people from groups without the admin tag.
5. Tap on the name of the person you want to remove.
   
6. Scroll and select “Remove from group.”
   
7. Select “Remove.”
   

How to Delete a Conversation in Signal

You might want to delete a conversation that contains some sensitive information. That way, you’re safe if someone gets their hands on your phone. Deleting a conversation in Signal will only take a few seconds of your time. Here’s how to do it:

For Android Users

1. Open Signal. You can now see your chat list.
   
2. Find the chat you want to delete and hold it.
3. In the options menu at the top, click on the trash bin icon.
   
4. Signal will ask you if you want to delete the selected conversation. Tap on “delete.”
   
5. You have now deleted a Signal chat.

For iOS Users

1. Run Signal on iPhone.
   
2. Find the chat you want to delete.
   
3. Swipe left on the chat.
   
4. Select “Delete.”
   
5. You have now deleted a chat in Signal.

On Desktop

1. Launch Signal on desktop.
   
2. Find the chat you want to delete and open it.
   
3. Click the three-dots in the upper-right corner of the options menu.
   
4. Select “Delete.”
   
5. Signal will ask if you want to delete the conversation permanently. Click “OK.”
   
6. You have now deleted a Signal chat.

How to Add a New Contact to a Group

1. Adding new contacts to a Signal group is pretty easy. Just follow these steps:
2. Find and open the group you want to add a new contact to.
   
3. Tap on the group’s name at the top of the screen.
   
4. Scroll down until you see your group’s members list.
5. Click on “Add members. (+)”
   
6. Select a contact you want to add to the contact list.
   
7. Click “Update.”
   
8. You have now added a new contact to your Signal group.
   

Additional FAQs

How Do You Manage a Group in Signal?

Below, you’ll find instructions on how to view group members, edit the group name or photo, view admin, and more.

View Chat Settings

Once you’re in chat settings, you can do pretty much anything with it. Here’s how to access your group chat settings:

For Android and iPhone Users

Below, you’ll find instructions on how to view group members, edit the group name or photo, view admin, and more.

View Chat Settings

Once you’re in chat settings, you can do pretty much anything with it. Here’s how to access your group chat settings:

For Android and iPhone Users

1. Open your group chat.

2. Tap on the group name at the top of the screen.

3. You can now see the chat settings menu where you can:

• Manage disappearing messages

• Add members

• Set notifications

• Edit group info

• See member requests

• Mute notifications

• View group members

• Block group

• Leave group

On Desktop

1. Open your group chat.

2. Click on the three horizontal dots on the upper right corner of the group window.

3. Now, you can see the chat settings menu with the following options:

• Disappearing messages

• Mute notifications

• Show members

• View recent media

• Mark as unread

• Archive

• Delete

• Pin Conversation

View Group Admin

• Open your group chat in Signal and click on the group name.

• Scroll down to the group member list.

• Look for contact(s) that have “Admin” by their name.

Edit the Group Name and Photo

Editing a group’s name or photo is only available on mobile devices. You can edit the photo and name for a New Group or Legacy Group.

• Open your group chat and click on the group name.

• Tap “Edit” on the top corner.

• Edit group name.

• Tap the photo to choose a new one.

• Tap “Save” or “Update.”

View Pending Member Requests

Note that you can only view pending member requests for a New Group.

• Open your group chat.

• Tap on the group name to open group settings.

• On the settings page, select “Member Requests & Invites.”

• You will see the pending member requests list.

How Do I Delete My Signal Account?

Despite its high levels of security, you might dislike the app for some other reason – or you no longer need to use it. If you want to unregister from Signal, follow these steps:

For Android Users

• Open Signal and tap on your profile. It’s the small, rounded picture in the top left corner of the screen.

• Scroll down and tap “Advanced.”

• Select “Delete Account.”

• It will ask you to enter the number you use Signal with. Enter it and tap “Delete Account.”

• Press “Delete Account.”

For iOS Users

• Tap on your profile. It’s the small, rounded picture in the top left corner of the screen.

• Scroll down and tap “Advanced.”

• Tap “Delete Account.”

• Select “Proceed.”

• You have now deleted your Signal account.

On Desktop

• Launch Signal.

• Go to Preferences (either Signal > Preferences for Mac, or File > Preferences for Windows and Linux).

• Click on “Clear Data.”

• Select “Delete All Data.”

To uninstall Signal so that the app’s icon and data are no longer stored in your Program Files, follow these steps:

For Windows

• Click on “Uninstall Signal.exe.” You can find it in C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Programs\signal-desktop.

• Delete C: \Users\\AppData\Roaming\Signal

For macOS

• Remove the Signal.app file from the /Application or ~/Application directory.

• Remove all local data from ~/Library/Application Support/Signal

This will delete all your data from your desktop. Your account will still be registered on your mobile device. To delete it completely, follow the steps above to delete your Signal account from your smartphone (Android or iOS).

How Can I Leave a Group?

There are three types of groups you can join on Signal: New groups, Legacy groups, and Insecure MMS groups.

You can leave a Signal New Group by following these steps on Android or iPhone:

• Open the chat of the group you want to leave.

• Tap on the group’s name at the top of the screen.

• Scroll down until you see a “Leave group” button.

• Tap on it and choose “Leave.”

• If you are the group’s admin, you will have to choose a new admin for the group before leaving it. In that case, click “Choose admin.”

• Select a contact you want to make group admin.

• Click “Done.”

• You have now left a Signal group.

To leave a Legacy group, do the following:

• Open the group chat on Signal.

• Tap the group name to open chat settings.

• Select “Leave group.”

• Tap “Yes” to confirm.

Leaving Insecure MMS groups is not supported. You can ask a group member to make a new group without you.

Mastering Signal Group Chat Navigation

Group chats are great places to exchange ideas with your friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, their lifespan is often not too long. After reading this article, you should be able to delete, leave, block or manage a group in Signal.

Did you struggle to delete a group in Signal before? Are you administrating some of the groups there? Let us know in the comments section below.