- You can recover deleted messages from Facebook Messenger by downloading them or checking old email notifications.
- You can also recover them by looking in the cache of the Messenger app, if you use Android.
- You can also check your archived messages or ask the person you were messaging with for a copy.
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It happens to everyone: You've scoured your message history, but the one message you're looking for just isn't there. For one reason or another, you deleted it. But now you want it back.
Once you delete a Facebook message, it's gone for good — at least, from a strict Facebook Messenger perspective. But there are things you can do to get those messages back from other sources, like your app cache, archives, or previous Facebook messenger downloads.
Here are a few methods you can use to recover deleted Facebook messages, as well as back up your messages so you don't lose them in the future:
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How to recover deleted Facebook messages
Here are five methods that could help you retrieve those messages:
Check your archived conversations
If you archived the messages instead of deleting them, you can easily recover them, as Facebook always keeps your archived chats.
1. Open the Messenger desktop, web, or mobile app.
2. From the chats section of the app, type the name of the person you were talking to in the search bar.
3. Then simply click or tap their name to open the conversation and view everything.
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Ask the recipient for a copy, or screenshot, of the message or conversation
When you delete a message, it only happens on your end. The person you're talking to will still be able to see it, so they can help you fill in the gap if they didn't delete them on their end as well.
Check if your Facebook messages were sent to your email
This only works if you have all email notifications enabled for your account. But if it's enabled, you should be able to search for the conversation or message within your email account.
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Use Android file manager
If you're using an Android device and you have Messenger installed, your device could have those deleted messages in the app's cache. You can access it using any Android file manager, and if you don't have one installed, you can find plenty of them on the App Store.
1. Open the file manager app on your Android device.
2. Navigate to the Internal Storage > com.facebook.katana > fb_temp
3. Here you'll find messages from your recent history, and with any luck, your deleted ones will be among them.
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Download your Facebook information
Backing up your Facebook information, including your messages, is a good idea if you don't ever want to lose any of it.
1. Using the desktop app or browser version, go to your Facebook settings.You can also access these settings in the Messenger app on iOS.
2.Within the Your Facebook Information tab on the left sidebar, click Download your information.
3. Under the Select file options heading, make sure you've selected a date range in the last dropdown.
4. To only get your messages, click Deselect All under the Select information to download heading and recheck the box next to Messages.
5. Scroll all the way down to the Start your download heading and click Request a download. Facebook will email you the file once it's ready for viewing.
Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at@devondelfino.
