Microsoft Teams will finally let you delete private chats, but you'll probably have to wait

Microsoft Teams Note20 On Keyboard
Microsoft Teams Note20 On Keyboard (Image credit: Dan Thorp-Lancaster / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Teams will have an option to delete a private chat thread in the future.
  • Right now, you can delete individual messages or hide or archive private chat threads.
  • The option has almost 20,000 upvotes on a UserVoice thread.

Microsoft has finally agreed to roll out a highly-requested feature to Microsoft Teams, the ability to delete private chat threads. At the moment, you can delete individual messages or hide or archive threads, but there's no option to completely delete a thread of private messages. That's going to change, according to a Microsoft engineer's response to a UserVoice post.

Alex from the Microsoft Teams engineering team responded to the request:

Thank you for your feedback! The team has finalized the designs for this feature request, and work is planned to begin shortly. We will share an update as soon as one is available.

The ability to delete private chat threads has received a shocking amount of upvotes. At the time of publication, almost 20,000 people have expressed their desire to delete private chat threads.

Microsoft hasn't committed to any timeframe for the feature, so it could be some time before we see it roll out to Teams. People seem to be quite passionate about the feature, as many comments complain that it isn't already available and express doubt regarding Microsoft releasing it in a timely manner.

Several people in the UserVoice thread cite legal reasons as the driving factor behind wanting to delete messages.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.