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How to delete Alexa recordings and stop saving them

You can delete past Alexa recordings in the Alexa app and choose not to save new ones. Transcripts are kept on a separate clock, and deleting doesn't remove every record.1, 4

Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources. Steps are from Amazon's US help pages.

Delete and stop saving

Everything here is under More › Alexa Privacy in the Alexa app, or at amazon.com/alexaprivacysettings.4

Past recordings

Alexa PrivacyReview Voice History

Checked against Amazon Customer Service.1

  1. Open the Alexa app, then More › Alexa Privacy.1
  2. Select Review Voice History. Use the drop-down to pick a date range, or filter by device or profile.1
  3. Select the chats you want to delete, or delete all for that date range, device or profile.1

New recordings

Manage Your Alexa DataVoice and Typed Requests

Checked against Amazon Customer Service and Amazon's Alexa privacy FAQ.2, 4

  1. In the Alexa app, open More › Alexa Privacy › Manage Your Alexa Data.2
  2. Select Voice and Typed Requests.2
  3. Choose to delete automatically after 3 or 18 months, or not to save voice recordings.4

With no recordings saved, Amazon deletes your voice IDs and voice ID stops working.1, 4 Amazon says deleting recordings may degrade your experience over time.1 On an Echo, you can also say "Update my privacy settings."3

The microphones

On the EchoMicrophone button

From Amazon's Alexa privacy FAQ.4

  1. Press the microphone button on the Echo.Amazon says this disconnects power to the microphones and lights a red light. Alexa can't hear its wake word until you press it again.4
  2. Optional: in the Alexa app's device settings, turn on the short tone that plays whenever audio is sent to the cloud.4

What each choice keeps

From Amazon's Alexa privacy FAQ.4

3 or 18 months

Recordings, transcripts and typed requests in a chat are deleted once that period has passed since your last request in that chat.4

Everything goes on the same schedule.

Don't save recordings

Recordings are deleted after Amazon processes each request, and existing recordings on the account are deleted. Transcripts and typed requests are kept for 30 days after your last interaction in a chat.4

Transcripts can be deleted sooner by hand.4

Questions people ask

Is Alexa recording all my conversations?

Amazon says no: by default the device only listens for the wake word, and no audio is stored or sent to the cloud until it hears it or you press a button. Features such as Follow Up Mode let you talk without repeating the wake word, and Amazon says Follow Up Mode is turned on when you join Alexa+.4

What does deleting not remove?

Amazon says it may keep other records, such as attachments you shared, records of actions Alexa took and products you searched for, so reminders, timers and shopping lists keep working. It keeps transcripts linked to feedback you give, including a thumbs down in the app. A skill developer's own data isn't deleted.4

Can I delete recordings by voice?

Yes, once you turn on deletion by voice under Manage Your Alexa Data. Say "Delete what I just said", "Delete everything I said today" or "Delete my entire voice history". Amazon says this doesn't work for voice history with Alexa+, or on Amazon Kids-enabled devices.2

Do people listen to Alexa recordings?

Amazon says humans review an extremely small sample of interactions, and that you can manage whether your recordings are used to improve its services under More › Alexa Privacy.4

Sources 4
  1. Delete Alexa Voice Recordings and Transcripts Automatically, Amazon Customer Service, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  2. Ask Alexa to Delete Your Voice History, Amazon Customer Service, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  3. Change Your Alexa Privacy Settings, Amazon Customer Service, undated. Read 28 October 2026.
  4. Alexa, Echo Devices, and Your Privacy, Amazon Customer Service, questions 1 to 9, undated. Read 28 October 2026.

Every step comes from Amazon's own help pages. How we check