How to edit WhatsApp messages after they are sent

WhatsApp is one of the most popular tools for communication. Be it school, college, office or simply friends and family members you don’t see in-person often, WhatsApp has become a necessity these days. Needless to say, with WhatsApp messages playing such a crucial role in our lives, it is imperative that they are sent the right way.

One accidental, wrong message may sometimes be all it takes to rub someone off the wrong way. This is why WhatsApp allows you to edit messages after they are sent. Here’s how to do that.

How to edit WhatsApp messages after sending them

WhatsApp allows you to edit both text and media messages, which means you can edit both regular text messages, as well as captions sent with pictures and videos. Here’s how to do this.

To edit text messages that are sent, simply long press on the message, to find the edit option. On Android phones, you can do this by long-pressing on a message, and tapping on the three-dot icon on the top to see the edit option. On iPhones, you can simply long-press on a message to see the edit option right there, next to the message. Tap on edit and you will see the keyboard pop up, allowing you to rewrite your message.

To edit photo and video captions, the process is similar. Simply long-press on the image or video message and choose the edit option to change the caption.

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Note that for both text and media messages, you have limited time to edit the message. This is currently 15 minutes, and cannot be changed. So, for any incorrect message you send, you will have only 15 minutes from the sending time to make any corrections. Also keep in mind that edited messages will have a small ‘Edited’ banner next to them, which means readers will be aware of a change, but they will not be able to see what the message was before the change was made.

That is how you can easily edit WhatsApp messages, in both personal and group chats. Feel free to use the feature to right any wrongs you make on WhatsApp, as long as you’re fast enough to do it before any readers have had a chance to see the message, or worse, take a screenshot. Now that’s something you cannot change so easily!