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How do i view deleted messages on facebook


How to Recover Deleted Facebook Messages

You've probably deleted a Facebook message at least once in your life. Maybe you were annoyed at that person, or perhaps you wanted to organize your inbox.

But whatever the reason, the chat is gone from your app and computer forever once you delete it. So, what happens if you need that information back?

You can try various methods to retrieve these messages, or at least what was said in them. This article explains how to recover deleted Facebook messages.

Check if You Archived the Message Instead of Deleting

If you're looking for a whole missing chat, and not just one message missing within the conversation, your first place to go is the archived messages. Since the buttons for Delete and Archive on the app are one below the other, you may have thought you deleted something, when in fact, it's archived.

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Follow these steps to find archived messages on your computer:

  1. Navigate to the Facebook site and click on the Messenger icon in the top right.
  2. Pick See all in Messenger.
  3. Click the … icon next to Chats.
  4. Pick Archived chats from the dropdown menu.
  5. Scroll down to see if you can find the message you need.
  6. To return the chat to the inbox, click the three dots icon next to it, and pick Unarchive.

There are two ways to find archived messages in the Messenger app. The first is to search for the names of the other people in the chat. Follow the steps below to do this:

  1. Launch the Messenger app on your phone.
  2. In the search bar, type the name of the person in the missing chat.
  3. If you archived the message, it’ll show below. Tap to view it.

    2 Images

The second way is to go directly to the Archived chats:

  1. Launch the Messenger app.
  2. Tap your profile picture on the top left side.
  3. Scroll down to Preferences and tap Archived chats.
  4. If you find the chat and want to return it to the inbox, long tap and press Unarchive.

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If you can’t find the messages you're looking for using this method, you probably deleted them. But don't lose hope—you can still try a few other things.

Recover Deleted Facebook Messages on Android

Android devices store cache data from almost every app you use. So, if you use Messenger on your Android phone, there's a good chance you'll be able to dig deep enough to find the deleted chats:

  1. If you don't already have a file manager installed, download one from the Google Play Store.
  2. Launch it and navigate to Main Storage > Android > data > com.facebook.ocra > cache > fb_temp.
  3. Inside that folder, you can find messages from recent history. Hopefully, you'd be able to locate the deleted message.

    3 Images

Unfortunately, if you use an iPhone, it's much harder to access the phone's backup for Messenger correspondence. In that situation, you may need to try a third-party iPhone data recovery tool.

Get Deleted Facebook Messages From the Other Recipients

If you still can't find the deleted messages, another way to go is to contact the other side of the conversation. When you delete a Facebook chat, it’s gone forever on your end. However, the person you were talking to probably still has a copy.

The same goes for individual messages. As long as you pressed Remove for You, instead of Unsend, the other person will still have a copy. The easiest thing to do is to ask them for a screenshot of the conversation or to resend it to you by copying and pasting.

If you need the information for official purposes, such as proving that you were talking to someone at a certain time, you can ask them to download a copy of their Facebook data.

Remember, though, that they don’t have to share all the information with you, and can pick and choose what to download and send over.

Recover Deleted Facebook Messages from Your Backup

Unlike what some sources may report, Facebook doesn't keep your deleted messages for 90 days in the backup. Once deleted, they're gone. But if, by a stroke of luck, you created a backup before you deleted what you're looking for, it'll still be there.

Here's where you can find all of your backup files:

  1. Open Facebook on your desktop and click your profile picture at the top right-hand corner of the page.
  2. Pick Settings & privacy from the menu, and then pick Settings again.
  3. Click Privacy in the left-hand menu.
  4. Then click Your Facebook information on the menu.
  5. Click View, next to Download Profile information.
  6. On this screen, you'd be able to see your most recent backups, which might include your deleted messages.Screenshot Tal Imagor, no attribution required

It's important to note that Facebook only saves these files for a few days after your request. So if your backup is more than a week old, you won't be able to download it.

As a final Hail Mary, you can search your computer to see if you saved the backup somewhere there. The file name will usually be facebook-[your username in one word].zip.

Avoid Losing Your Messages in the Future

To stop this situation from happening again, you can save a backup every few months, so you can have a file to go back to.

  1. Follow stages 1-5 from the previous section to get to Download Your Information screen.
  2. Click Request a download.
  3. Select the profiles you want to back up. You can do this for Instagram messages as well.
  4. Click Select Types of Information.
  5. Put a checkmark next to Messages, and click Next.
  6. In Date Range, pick how long back you want to go.Screenshot Tal Imagor, no attribution required
  7. Click Submit Request.

This will take a few minutes or longer, depending on the amount of data. Once the backup is finished, you'll receive an email, and you can download the file from the same location.

Now You Know How to Retrieve Deleted Facebook Messages

So, can you recover deleted Facebook messages? On some occasions, yes. But only in a limited number of cases.

Even if you like everything to be completely organized and easy to access, it doesn’t mean you need to delete old messages. This goes for any messaging software—not just Facebook Messenger.

Most places offer an archive option, which keeps your main inbox neat, but still allows you access to that information in the future if you need it. Utilize these to ensure that your messages are available.

5 Ways to Recover Deleted Messages on Facebook Messenger

  • 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.

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:

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.

Tap on the name of the recipient in the search results. Devon Delfino

Quick tip: If you don't want to see certain chats in your inbox on Messenger, but you're not sure if you should delete them, consider archiving the messages instead of deleting them.

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. 

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.

Quick tip: If you're using an iOS device, you can't recover your deleted Facebook messages using any file app — however, you can download your messages by backing them up beforehand.

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.

You can download your information from the "Facebook Information" settings page. Stefan Ionescu

3. Under the Select file options heading, make sure you've selected a date range in the last dropdown.

Don't forget to select a date range, as this is required. Stefan Ionescu

4. To only get your messages, click Deselect All under the Select information to download heading and recheck the box next to Messages.

You have to deselect everything and then reselect Messages. Stefan Ionescu

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.

Click on the "Request a download." Stefan Ionescu

Devon Delfino

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.

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Retrieve and read deleted messages on Facebook

You can chat on Facebook through the Messenger service. All correspondence data is stored not on the device itself, but on the platform servers. This allows you to ensure the safety of your contacts and the contents of the messages.

But what if you can't find important correspondence? How to recover deleted messages in Messenger? To find out the answers to these questions, read this article.

Contents:

  • Process
    • Archives
    • View worn data
  • The best ways to restore messages
    • Seek the help of the interlocutor
    • Check mail
    • Create an archival copy

    Process

    The developers of the site insist that messages deleted by the user themselves cannot be restored.

    But do not despair. There are several ways to fix this. It all depends on how you did the cleaning.

    Archiving

    The easiest way, but not suitable for all cases.

    If you interrupted communication with the user and do not know whether you will continue it, then there is an option to send all correspondence to the archive. This option is very convenient. The chat will not be overloaded with irrelevant correspondence. However, if you decide to resume communication again, or your interlocutor sends you a message, then the entire message chain will be automatically restored.

    If you have important correspondence (for example, business correspondence), be sure to use archiving so that you don't rack your brains later on how to recover lost data.

    The archiving process from the computer is started as follows:

    1. Click on the Lightning icon at the top right.
    2. Click on the "Open Messenger" button.

    1. Select the name of the contact.
    2. Click on the "Gear" icon, which is located next to his name in the upper right.
    3. Click "Hide".

    Warning : This feature may no longer work.

    Viewing deleted data

    If you want to read deleted messages in Messenger that have been archived, then it is not at all necessary to wait until the interlocutor writes you a message. There is also an easier way:

    1. Sign in to Messenger.
    2. Click on the gear icon at the top left of the screen.
    3. Select the line "Hidden chats" in the drop-down menu.

    This should be done first if you cannot find an important message. The archive contains only chains, single messages can only be deleted.

    The best ways to restore messages

    If you are convinced that the necessary correspondence is not observed in the archive, then you will have to resort to other available methods.

    Ask a friend for help

    If you deleted a conversation from your inbox, this action does not delete it from your friend. You may be lucky and the interlocutor does not regularly delete the chat. Then he will be able to send you the desired message.

    Check email

    By default, Facebook is configured to receive reports of messages that end up in email. If you have not made any changes to the settings, then all messages are located there.

    It's pretty easy to check:

    1. Click on the menu.
    2. Select "Settings and privacy".

    1. Click on "Settings".

    1. Go to the "Notifications" section.

    1. If there is a check mark next to Messages in the Facebook app, you can check your email. It is possible that such notifications can be found in the Social Networks or Spam folder. Also, letters could end up in the "Basket", it would be useful to check it too.

    Create an archive copy

    This will allow you to see all deleted messages on Facebook.

    Procedure:

    1. Enter the Settings menu
    2. Select "Your information on Facebook".

    1. Click on the line "Download information".

    1. Uncheck all items except "Message".

    1. Click the "Create File" button at the top of the list.

    1. Wait for the download process to complete. After that, a notification will be sent to your email.
    2. Open the letter and download the attached file. To do this, you will need to enter your Facebook password.
    3. Download the zip-archive by clicking the "Submit" button.
    4. Unpack the archive. It will contain folders with the names of your interlocutors, and inside them are HTML files that can be opened in a computer browser.

    Check the memory of a mobile phone

    If earlier it was easy to restore the history of correspondence from the memory of a smartphone, now the process has become somewhat more complicated.

    For Android:

    1. Go to File Manager. If your smartphone does not have it, then you need to download a file exchanger from the Play Market, any one will do.
    2. Perform the following actions in sequence: Internal storage - Android - data - com. facebook.orca-cache.
    3. If there are files in the last folder, then they should be copied and moved to the fb_temp folder.

    For iOS:

    1. Install Dr.Fone on your computer.

    1. Connect iPhone to computer.
    2. Select the "Restore" option.
    3. Click on "Start Scan".
    4. Click on the "Messenger" button and select the messages you want to restore.

    Additional information about deleting

    Chats in Messenger can be cleared in different ways: deleting all correspondence with a person or deleting messages selectively.

    In the Messenger window, there is a “…” icon next to each message. If you click on it, the "Delete" option will appear. There are two options for deleting: only for yourself or for everyone.

    If you deleted the message only "at home", then your interlocutor will not even guess about it. If you select "delete from everyone", then your friend will notice this action and will be able to leave a complaint.

    To clear the entire message chain, do the following:

    1. Open Messenger.
    2. Select a username from your contact list.
    3. Click on the gear icon at the top right.
    4. Select "Delete conversation".

    It is important to remember that all messages will also appear in the Inbox. It should also be cleaned. To do this:

    1. Sign in to Messenger.
    2. Select the desired correspondence and click on the “…” icon next to it.
    3. Click "Delete".

    Procedure for the mobile Messenger app:

    1. Go to Chats and tap on the username until the Three Horizontal Bars, Bell, and Delete icons appear.
    2. Select "Delete". This completely deletes all correspondence, and you will not be able to restore it.
    3. If you click on the "Three Stripes", then "Archive" and "Delete" will be available among the list of options.
    4. By clicking on the "Bell" you turn off the receipt of notifications by selecting a specific period of time.
    5. If you open a conversation, you can selectively delete individual messages. A long press will cause the buttons to appear at the bottom of the screen, from which you need to select the right one - “Delete”.

    Recover deleted correspondence (messages) in Facebook on Android

    Useful applications » Facebook

    Updated: 07/14/2019, author - Ilya

    Ilya is the editor-in-chief of the site softdroid.net. He is the author of several hundred guides and articles on Android setup. For about 15 years he has been repairing equipment and solving technical problems for iOS and Android. I dealt with almost all more or less popular brands of mobile smartphones and tablets Samsung, HTC, Xiaomi, etc. I use iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S21 with the latest firmware version for testing.

    Information about the author

    Facebook conversations are not the best place to store information: it is easy to lose it. At the same time, we often delete chats without thinking that information from the correspondence may be urgently needed.

    Contents of instructions:

    1. Using the Archive to restore correspondence
    2. Will Facebook recovery programs help?
    3. Restoring messages via FB user
    4. Restoring access to Messenger 9 data0012
    5. Backing up Facebook conversations
    6. How to prevent deletion of chats and correspondence

    It should be noted right away that there are no trouble-free ways to restore correspondence from Facebook. Let's quote the official response from Facebook:

    In other words, Facebook will not help if the correspondence is deleted: the user is to blame, he should have used the archiving function. Let's first understand what this function is, and then we'll see what else can be done with the deleted information.

    Archiving and restoring correspondence from the archive

    Facebook, like Instagram, has an Archive function. Thanks to her, irrelevant / inactive correspondence can be hidden from the general list without actually deleting them.

    Accordingly, if the correspondence on Facebook was really moved to the archive, it will not be difficult to restore it. To do this:

    1. Open the Messenger application or the section of the same name on your phone (if you do it in a browser).

    2. In the sidebar, click on the gear icon and select "Archived chains".

    3. The archive contains all the hidden correspondence. You can choose any of them, find the desired fragment.

    4. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to restore the correspondence to the general chat list, but it will be available in the Archive section all the time until you delete it permanently (Delete command).

    If you did not find the correspondence in the archive, you do not need to give up on the deleted information. We offer several “workaround” recovery methods that, although not always, sometimes work (we hope you are lucky).

    Recovery software won't recover messages

    There are various ways to recover Facebook text messages on the Internet. Especially Chinese developers of data recovery programs have succeeded in this. Fake manuals cannot be trusted: neither shareware nor free programs are capable of performing miracles. All of them are designed to search for files on physical media - HDD, sd cards, usb flash drives, etc.

    Ask your Facebook contact for a copy of the chat archive

    It is obvious that any correspondence in FB is conducted by two interlocutors. If one of them deleted the chat, the text of the correspondence remains with the interlocutor.

    If your interlocutor has archived messages, it is easy to restore them from there using the method described above.

    To return the correspondence, contact the right person with a request.

    • Ask if the text of the correspondence is archived,
    • If necessary, tell me how to find archived messages,
    • Ask to copy the entire text from the correspondence or the desired fragment,
    • To simplify the task, indicate the time frame when the message was sent,
    • Try to be polite.

    Recovering messages in the desktop version of Messenger

    There is a desktop version of Facebook Messenger - it runs on a PC, allowing you to communicate with other users without using the browser version.

    Let's try to restore the correspondence from the Messenger application.

    However, the difficulty is that you can only return a thread in a chat if it has not been updated or if you have not moved to the next page.

    However, if you simply cannot log in with the messenger, this method will help you access your account (and, accordingly, correspondence, chats and dialogs) if you have forgotten your registration data.

    Instructions for restoring access to Messenger:

    1. User files must be found in the folder C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Messenger for Desktop. If they are deleted, any data recovery program will help, for example, Recuva - https://softdroid.net/recuva.
    2. We need exactly the "Cookies" file, which we want to find in the specified folder and replace it with the one restored via Recuva.
    3. If everything is done correctly, access to Messenger will be restored, and you will be able to read the correspondence and continue to use the application.

    For the future: back up your messages regularly

    Through your FB account settings, you can back up all your data, including your correspondence with other users.

    1. Go to Settings - Your Facebook Information - Download Information,

    2. Specify the date range, export file format and media quality,

    3. Click the Create File button and download the data to your computer.

    Tips for users of the social network Facebook

    Tip N1 . It is better to delete all secret and confidential data from correspondence. Store important correspondence (with passwords, account data) on your computer or in the cloud. Set a password for the archive with a text file.

    If the file does not contain confidential information, etc. - You don't need to set a password.

    Tip N2 . Do not delete correspondence - transfer everything you don't need to the Facebook archive. As already mentioned, this is what the Archive function is intended for.

    Tip N3 . For storing passwords, logins and other confidential information, 1Password is the best program, start with it.

    Please rate the article:

    Ilya is the editor-in-chief of the site softdroid.net. He is the author of several hundred guides and articles on Android setup.

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