WhatsApp It has become one of the most essential apps on millions of people's phones. Every day, we send and receive hundreds of messages, images, videos, and documents, which inevitably fill up the phone's storage. Many people look for a tool within the app itself to manage these files and free up space, and that's where the famous – but confusing – comes into play WhatsApp trash.
The reality is that WhatsApp does not have a traditional trash can like computers do, but there are several methods to access deleted or unnecessary files and safely dispose of them. These steps vary slightly depending on whether you're using an Android or iPhone, but in both cases, it's possible to significantly reduce the amount of space the app takes up.
Is there really a trash can in WhatsApp?
The first thing to understand is that WhatsApp does not integrate a visible or accessible trash can directly within the app.You won't find a "Trash" button as such. However, the app has sections and features that function as a system for recovering or deleting files we no longer need, thanks to its storage management system or what we can find by accessing the device's internal folders.
How to find the WhatsApp trash on Android
Si you have an Android phone, you have several ways to access those files that WhatsApp accumulates and that take up memory. The first is that you can use the system file managerEach phone model may have different names (such as “Files,” “My Files,” or similar), but they all allow you to access the phone’s internal storage.
To view WhatsApp files, you must follow this path:
- Open the file manager or “My Files”.
- Go to internal storage.
- Enter the folder Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Media.
This last folder is where all the videos, photos, voice notes, and documents you've shared or received are located. From here you can delete entire folders or specific files that are no longer useful to you, and thus free up gigabytes quickly.
Managing storage from WhatsApp
Although there is no trash can as such, WhatsApp includes a feature called “Manage storage”, which is very useful for detecting which files are taking up the most space. To use it:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings (the three dots icon).
- Choose Storage and data.
- Sign in Manage storage.
Here you'll see a complete summary of what's using the most memory within WhatsApp. Some of the options you'll find to clear or delete files are:
Files forwarded many times
WhatsApp detects items (usually memes and videos) that have been forwarded many times and groups them together so you can mass delete.
Files larger than 5 MB
The largest files that take up a lot of storage are displayed in this section. You can mark and delete the ones you don't need.
Channel content
If you follow channels on WhatsApp, you may have downloaded videos, GIFs, or images that are still taking up space. From here you can clean that data channel by channel.
How to clear WhatsApp cache to free up space
Another trick to recover space on your mobile without losing important data is clear app cacheThis process deletes non-essential temporary files that may be regenerated when you reopen certain content.
To do it:
- Go to your mobile settings.
- Go to “Applications” and select WhatsApp.
- Press on Storage o Use, depending on your mobile.
- Choose the option Clear cache.
Esto does not affect your conversations nor does it delete saved photos or videos. It's a simple method to maintain performance.
How to empty the WhatsApp trash from the gallery on Android
In some Android phones, especially brands like Samsung, there is a Recycle bin integrated into the Gallery appIf you've received photos or videos via WhatsApp and deleted them from your gallery, you can still recover them from this section:
- Open the application Gallery.
- Tap on the menu (usually three dots or three lines).
- Sign in Trash or “Recently Deleted.”
From there you can restore or permanently delete those items.
And on iPhone, where is the WhatsApp trash?
On iPhone, there is no internal folder that we can access like on Android, but there are two main ways to manage deleted items: the Photos app and iCloud backups.
Recently deleted photos
iOS has a special section that saves deleted files for 30 days. To access it:
- Open the Photos app.
- Go to the tab Álbumes.
- Swipe down and enter Recently deleted.
From there you can see deleted photos or videos, some of which may have come from WhatsApp, and recover them if you need them.
Recover chats from backup
If you have deleted conversations or entire chats and want to recover them on iPhone, you need to have activated iCloud backup previously. To restore it, follow these steps:
- Uninstall WhatsApp.
- Reinstall the app from the App Store.
- Verify your phone number.
- When asked, choose Restore chat history.
Note, this will only work if you had a recent backup and the deleted messages were still in it.
What if I want to delete the entire conversation at once?
If your intention is delete entire chatsWhatsApp also makes it easy for you, both on iPhone and Android. Just swipe the chat to the left (on iPhone) or long press (on Android) and select DeleteYou can also go to Settings > Chats and use the “Delete all chats” option.
There is also a section called “Recently Deleted” In some newer versions of the app, it functions as a sort of temporary trash can where deleted messages are stored. From there, you can review them or permanently delete them, although this feature isn't yet available on all devices.
Although WhatsApp doesn't exactly have a trash can as such, between the storage management tools, direct access to internal folders on Android and recovery functions on iPhone, it is possible clean, recover, or permanently delete files that you no longer want to keep.
Applying these methods regularly can prevent performance issues on your device and give you greater control over what you really want to keep on your phone. Share the guide and more people will know about these tricks..