How to log out of WhatsApp Web remotely

Log out from your phone

1. Open WhatsApp on your phone.

   Android: three dots at the top right, then Linked devices.
   iPhone: Settings (or your profile picture), then Linked devices.

2. You see every linked device and when it was last used. Tap the one you want to remove.

3. Tap Log out, and confirm.

The computer cannot come back without a new scan or code from your phone.

Log out on the computer itself

1. In WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, open Settings.

2. Choose Log out, then Log out again to confirm.

Do this every time on a computer that is not yours. Better still, untick Stay logged in on this browser before you scan: the session then ends when the tab or browser closes.

What stays behind on that computer

• Downloaded files: photos and documents you saved to the computer's Downloads folder stay there. Delete them by hand on a shared machine.
• Browser data: WhatsApp Web keeps a local copy of recent chats in the browser while it is linked. WhatsApp does not document what is erased on logout, so on a computer that is not yours also clear the browser's site data for web.whatsapp.com, or use a private window from the start.
• Browser history: shows that web.whatsapp.com was visited, nothing more.

Your messages themselves are safe: they stay on your phone and your other linked devices.

You see a device you do not recognise

1. Log it out straight away, as above, and do the same for every other device you do not recognise.

2. Turn on Settings, Account, Two-step verification, so nobody can re-register your number with a stolen SMS code. Since August 2026 this is a password of at least eight characters rather than a six-digit PIN.

3. Think about how it got there: someone with a minute alone with your unlocked phone, or a QR code or eight-character code a website asked you to scan or type. Set a screen lock on the phone; WhatsApp then asks for it before any new link.

WhatsApp cannot tell you who used the session, or when and where. The list under Linked devices is the only record, which is a good reason to glance at it regularly. More in WhatsApp Web security.