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Have you ever mistakenly deleted any of your important Facebook chats and regretted that later? This has happened with most of us, but thankfully there are a lot of options to recover permanently deleted FB messages on messenger. This guide talks about some workarounds that you can use to retrieve a deleted Facebook Messenger message. Before you begin with the quest to recover the deleted messages, it should be kept in mind that recovering deleted messages from Messenger is not a simple task and also there is no assurance of getting success. Still, it is better to give a try to the methods explained further as for some users they have helped in recovering deleted Facebook messages. Make sure to go through it till the end as you will also find some important tips and tricks that are going to enhance your experience with Facebook Messenger in the future. Note- Facebook stores all your deleted data for a maximum period of 90 days and if you are trying to recover your deleted messages after this duration is over, the chances of restoring messages are quite less. Steps you Need to Take to Recover Permanently Deleted Messages of Facebook MessengerStep-1 Check if the Message is Actually DeletedThe first step towards recovering deleted Facebook messages is to ensure that you have actually deleted them. It is possible that you have unknowingly archived the message instead of deleting it (that happens with emails as well). An archived message in Facebook Messenger is not permanently deleted but is only hidden. It mostly happens when you are going to press delete but accidentally hit the archive button. When you long-press a chat to delete it, the first option says ‘Archive’ while the second option is ‘Delete’; hence pressing the former instead of the latter is a common mistake (have a look at the screenshot below). How to Check Archived Messages?On a ComputerFollow the step-by-step instructions to restore the Facebook messages that are not deleted but have got archived:
On AndroidFollow these steps on your Android device to find deleted Facebook messages:
Here is a step-by-step video:
On iPhoneHere’s how to recover deleted messages on Messenger iPhone by unarchiving messages:
That’s how you can find and recover deleted chats via unarchiving messages on different devices. Step-2 Download your Facebook DataWhen you delete a Facebook conversation, the messages get permanently deleted, but thankfully, the messages stay there for some time in the Facebook servers; you might be able to find or see deleted messages of Facebook Messenger by downloading your Facebook data. How to Download Facebook Data?On a ComputerFollow the step-by-step instructions to restore the deleted Facebook messages by downloading your data:
On AndroidFollow these steps on your Android device to find deleted Facebook messages:
When the file will be ready, Facebook will notify you that it is ready to download; you might need to wait for some hours for the download to get complete and once it is over, you can check for the deleted messages in the downloaded report. On iPhoneHere’s how to recover deleted messages on Messenger iPhone:
When the file will be ready, Facebook will notify you that it is ready to download; you might need to wait for some hours for the download to get complete and once it is over, you can check for the deleted messages in the downloaded report. For a better understanding, you can also watch this video-
Step-3 Explore File Manager to Restore Deleted Facebook Messenger MessagesIf you had hard luck after trying the above two steps, you can also try this simple method to recover deleted Facebook Messenger messages, here is how:
Here you may find the backup files of Facebook messages if you haven’t formatted your device recently. So, there are chances to retrieve your deleted messages on Messenger through this method. Step-4 Ask for a Copy from the RecipientAnother option you have is to personally contact the person with whom you have exchanged messages on Facebook Messenger to restore the deleted messages. When you delete a message from your Facebook Messenger conversation, it only gets removed from your account and not from the person’s account to whom you had sent it. The receiver will still have the message in their Facebook Messenger unless they have not deleted it as well. You can ask them to download the messages and send them to you or you can just ask for the screenshot of the message you are looking for. Give them the date or the month or the year of the message you are looking for and using the information provided in the second step, they can download the messages for you. Step-5 Check Email NotificationsIf you have created a backup of your Facebook messages in the past, you can also look for the deleted message in your email account. You just have to search the sender’s name, and you will be able to see all his chats, but this option is only helpful when you are looking for the message you have received from someone. It is always advisable to keep the notifications enabled for your account as it also helps in preventing your Facebook account from getting hacked. So these were some of the possible solutions that talk about how you can recover permanently deleted messages on Facebook Messenger. Let’s get some more information about Facebook messages that get permanently deleted. Can You Retrieve Permanently Deleted Facebook Messages?Unfortunately, you cannot retrieve a message or conversation on Facebook once it has been permanently deleted unless it was archived. This has been clearly mentioned by Facebook on their website- https://www.facebook.com/help/120994304648896 Also, when you decide to delete a conversation on Facebook Messenger, Facebook prompts you to confirm and reminds you that you will lose this conversation forever as it will be permanently deleted. Here is the prompt that you see when you delete a chat on Facebook: Are There Any Third-Party Apps that can Restore Deleted Facebook Messages?You may find apps that claim to see messages that have been removed from Facebook Messenger, but the reality is they are a scam. The apps can only help you to get the deleted messages back only if you have already created a backup of your messages. If you are installing any such third-party app after deleting the messages, these apps are of no use to you. So if you have deleted the messages a year or two years ago before installing any backup app, there is no way you can recover your deleted Facebook messages. Also, if you want to have a backup of your Facebook messages or conversations, you can easily use the in-built option provided by Facebook to download your information; it’s better to stay away from untrusted apps. Disclaimer- It is never advisable to enter your Facebook login credentials on a third-party app or an untrusted website that is not related to official Facebook; this can get your FB account hacked. How to Create a Backup of your Facebook Messages or Conversations?This is something you can do to avoid getting into the same situation in the future. It is easy to create a back-up of your Facebook chats and messages and after doing that, you need not worry about losing your precious conversations on Facebook Messenger. Not only messages, but you can also include your posts, photos, videos & comments, friends and every single thing that is there in your Facebook account in your back-up. You can create a backup of your messages using your PC as well as your Android or iPhone device. Here is how:
Tip- You can download your Facebook data after every month or every three months to make the process hassle-free and less time-consuming.
Tip- For further issues with Facebook Messenger, you can always visit Facebook Messenger Help Page. |