How to edit messages on your iPhone

In Messages with iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS Sequoia or later, you can edit a sent message up to 5 times within 15 minutes after you’ve sent it.

Edit a sent message in iOS 16 and later

  1. In Messages, tap a conversation.

  2. Touch and hold the message you want to edit.

  3. Tap Edit.

    An iPhone showing a text message in Messages with the Edit option visible

4. Make your edits, then tap the tick to finalise the message or tap the X to revert to the original message.

If you make edits, the word "Edited" will appear under the message. You can edit an iMessage up to five times within 15 minutes of sending it.

An iPhone showing an edited text message. “Edited” appears under the message

Find out how to edit a message on Mac

To edit messages, use iMessage with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia or later. If you edit a message to someone on an older version of iOS, iPadOS or macOS, the updated version will appear as a second message that begins with “Edited to”.

Reveal all edits made to a message

  1. In Messages, tap a conversation.

  2. Scroll to the message that you want to see the edit history for.

  3. Tap the word “Edited” under the current message to reveal the previous message(s).

    An iPhone showing all edits made to a message

After someone has edited a message, anyone in the conversation can tap the word “Edited” to see the edit history.

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