How to delete messages in phone link

b h 40

For some reason even though I delete the messages on my phone they remain on my PC. I was told to click the X by the side of them but there is no X. I have reset my PC and tried to repair or rest link to windows but it says it cant do this

b h 40 Reputation points

2026-03-31T04:04:13.15+00:00

I have reset mu phone to factory settings and reinstalled windows link. However the same thing happened, when I delete the messages from the phone they remain on my PC.
Michael Trealoff 15 Reputation points

2026-04-22T15:53:36.8133333+00:00

The phone link worked about two months ago. I believe that one of your updates changed the feature. When I would delete a message from my phone, it would be deleted from the phone link on my PC. Now when I receive a message, I can delete it from my phone, but it stays on my PC in the phone link PC application. It is much different than it was before. Instead of a delete feature in my phone, it now shows move to thrash. Is Microsoft planning to send out an update to correct this feature? I believe your update is the cause and you should be able to correct this with another update to the application. Please let me know as the way the application worked in the past was much better than it is now. Thank you, a concerned user.
Michael Trealoff 15 Reputation points

2026-04-22T15:59:04.7133333+00:00

I've done the reset and factory settings, reinstalled the Windows link. Again I believe Microsoft needs to send out an update to correct the problem. I have not seen an update for quite some time.
John Petro 15 Reputation points

2026-05-06T10:05:52.6266667+00:00

It's exactly as Michael Trealoff described. Could you please put out an update that will fix the previous update that caused this issue? It's getting crowed in my phone link. Thank you. Jp
Wally Bear 10 Reputation points

2026-05-18T22:06:39.4033333+00:00

Microsoft won't acknowledge their buggy software. If they did, they'd fix it. Any chance to drop back a couple of updates to when the software worked last?
Jeff Olig 0 Reputation points

2026-05-24T14:17:25.8666667+00:00

I am experiencing the exact same issue. I have even deleted Phone link and still the same issue. How do I go back? Or do I need to just use a different app?
Bob Williams 50 Reputation points

2026-05-27T17:58:26.8+00:00

I agree with you. I use android and was using Samsung messaging. When messages were deleted from my phone and I closed the app they use top be deleted phone phone link. Now Samsung has discontinued its messaging app and am now using Google messages. Since using Google the messages on Phone Link go back for months and I cannot get rid of them.
Jeff Olig 0 Reputation points

2026-05-28T11:57:43.87+00:00

Look at the Answer. IT IS AI! Does not understand the problem and is giving a very bad answer. Convenient way to not have to fix a problem. Phone Link needs to get real software people back and service the customer. Trash AI.
Bob Williams 50 Reputation points

2026-06-28T11:31:09.77+00:00

MS probably waiting for AI to fix it!!!!!!!!
Mama Joan 5 Reputation points

2026-07-14T10:36:17.4466667+00:00

Since Google took over Samsung messaging, we will never have the "deleted messages" feature again. The only options are to either "hide" the messages on your computer; or switch to another similar app. I will do that eventually but have not done so yet. I'm too busy constantly fixing OTHER TECH issues every dang week. The day has come (that I feared it would way back in the 70's) when I started my career in computer technology. We have outteched ourselves. At age 74 now, I am so over it -- but I am so tied up and dependant upon it that I, along with everyone else, am no longer its associate -- I am its hostage.
Bob Williams 50 Reputation points

2026-07-14T10:53:39.4966667+00:00

I love Mama Joan's statements. I also grew up in the late 70's with DEC and UNIX and ALC. Today there are too many fingers on the keyboard's at MS and others. Once their done coding it's on to another project leaving the many problems with the last project to linger for ever.
Richard McWolff 5 Reputation points

2026-07-23T22:55:45.85+00:00

I agree with all you folks. Back when Phone Link went kablooey I got Pulse and that worked pretty well for a while but I really loved the Phone Link UI so I asked Claude AI what was up with Phone Link and it told me it had been updated and was back. So I got a link and installed it and went back to Phone Link and disabled Pulse. Well now I regret it. At least with Pulse there IS a check box on the Windows UI side as well as the Browser add on that's available and I'm tempted to go back to that since I don't want to end up like John Petro above with overcrowding on my Windows side. I mean I can hide the unwanted messages but come on, this is an official Windows app. I guess it's right up there with the black screens that Windows code monkey's introduced that everyone I know experiences when the system gets slightly stressed, got tired of that too, so halted all the current updates until MS gets off their butts and fixes their messes. 😡 PS, the AI answer below is NOT acceptable. This is on MS to fix and they shouldn't hide behind AI saying it's not their fault when before it all worked and now it doesn't! 😡

Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

Messages shown in Phone Link cannot be deleted from the PC side.

Phone Link only mirrors recent messages from the phone and provides no option to manage or delete them on the PC. Deleting a message on the phone does not remove it from the Phone Link view; the app explicitly does not support message deletion from the PC interface.

Key points:

Messages visible in Phone Link are read-only on the PC.
There is no X or other control to delete conversations or messages in Phone Link.
The app shows only a limited history (for example, recent messages or those from the last 30 days, depending on device/connection), and older ones disappear automatically over time or when Bluetooth connection is ended (for iPhone scenarios).
Resetting or repairing the app will not add a delete feature; it only helps with connectivity issues.

To remove messages completely, they must be deleted on the phone itself; Phone Link does not provide a way to delete or manage them from Windows.

References:

Send and receive text messages from your PC

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

5 additional answers

Richard McWolff 5 Reputation points

2026-07-28T14:13:07.6933333+00:00

Yes, going into the Settings>Trash and emptying the 🗑️ Trash 🗑️ does delete the unwanted messages on the Windows side of Phone Link but why would you expect us to use the "long way round" to get rid of trashed messages?

The fix, in my opinion, is once a message is trashed on the phone app side it should automatically be trashed on the Windows side of Phone Link. It's nice to have an option that does work but it's a "long way around" sort of fix that should be more simplified. Thanks
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Mama Joan 5 Reputation points

2026-07-28T15:28:49.2633333+00:00

I did exactly as you did, Richard. But NO JOY! I still have to go and "hide: everything on my computer side. I have a Samsung A36. Perhaps it has something to do with one's type of phone. I keep hoping the method of Trash and Delete the Trash will eventually "take." Dream on ... little lady.

Joel Sheffield 0 Reputation points

2026-07-28T15:48:23.0033333+00:00

I see that texts that were archived also appear on the pc. If you go to the archive section of the phone app and trash them, you can then delete them from trash. There is something similar for the spam-blocked folder. Ugh!

Richard McWolff 5 Reputation points

2026-07-28T23:26:34.8466667+00:00

Yea, they really should add a trash can to the app and on the Windows side too. Pulse offers that just don't care for the UI.. .I'm picky that way! LOL
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How to delete messages in phone link

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