zulip/templates/zerver/help/edit-or-delete-a-message.md

# Edit or delete a message

!!! warn ""
    **Note:** Editing topic titles is discussed in a
    [separate guide](/help/change-the-topic-of-a-message).

By default, Zulip allows you to edit the content of your messages within 10
minutes of when you send them. Organization administrators can change the
time limit, remove the time limit, or remove the ability to edit messages
entirely.

{!message-actions.md!} pencil (<i class="icon-vector-pencil"></i>) icon
to reveal a message editing box.

2. After making the changes to your message in the message editing box, click
the **Save** button to save the changes you made to your message.

!!! warn ""
    **Note:** After you have edited a message, the message is publicly marked as
    `(EDITED)`. You can [view](/help/view-a-messages-edit-history) a message's
    edit history, assuming that feature has not been
    [disabled by an organization administrator](/help/disable-message-edit-history).

## Message editing time limit

Depending on your organization settings, Zulip may be configured with a time
limit within which you may edit a message (e.g. 10 minutes). As soon as that
limit has passed, the pencil (<i class="icon-vector-pencil"></i>) icon
changes to a file (<i class="icon-vector-file-text-alt"></i>) icon.

!!! tip ""
    Clicking on the file (<i class="icon-vector-file-text-alt"></i>) icon will allow you to
    view the [Markdown source](/help/view-the-markdown-source-of-a-message) or
    [change the topic](/help/change-the-topic-of-a-message) of your message.

## Deleting messages

If you wish you hadn't sent a message at all, deleting the content
of the message will cause the message to be
displayed as `(deleted)`.  The original sender and timestamp of the
message will still be displayed, and the original content of the
message is still accessible via Zulip's edit history feature.  This
can be the least confusing option for other users.

### Delete a message completely

For cases where someone accidentally shared secret information publicly
(e.g. you posted an employee's salary), it can make sense to delete a
message completely, so that the original content is not available in the
message's edit history.

Organization administrators can always delete any message. By default,
non-admins cannot delete messages (including their own), though this can be
changed by an organization administrator.

To delete a message:

{!message-actions.md!}
{!down-chevron.md!}

2. Select the **Delete message** option from the dropdown to delete that message.

If you don't see the **Delete message** option, it means you don't have
permissions to delete that message.

It's important to understand that anyone who received the message
before you deleted it could have made a copy of its content. So if you
accidentally shared secret information that you can change, like a
password, you may want to change that password regardless of whether
you also delete the message.