How to see my archived messages on facebook messenger


How to See Archived Messages on Facebook Messenger

  • You can archive a conversation on Facebook Messenger using the website or mobile app.
  • Archiving a Facebook Messenger chat removes it from your inbox, but doesn't delete it.
  • To see your archived Facebook messages, head to the "Archived chats" menu.

If you're active on Facebook, chances are you make use of the social media site's built-in Messenger app. And if you use it a lot, your inbox might be flooded with old conversations.

You can delete any Messenger conversation by right-clicking or tapping it. But you don't have to erase these conversations forever — instead you can archive them, which will remove the chat from your inbox and move it to a new folder. This is great for saving messages from old friends, or chats with valuable information in them.

Here's how to archive a Messenger chat and see it again later.

How to archive a conversation in Facebook Messenger 

You can archive your chats using the Facebook Messenger website or app.

On the website

1. Head to the Facebook Messenger homepage and log into your account, if you haven't already.

2. Find the conversation that you want to archive in the left sidebar.

3. When you hover your mouse over the conversation, you'll see a circle with three dots inside appear. Click this circle and select Archive chat.

Select "Archive chat." Meta; William Antonelli/Insider

The conversation will disappear from the list.

In the mobile app

These steps are the same on both iPhone and Android.

1. Open the Messenger app and log into your account, if you haven't already.

2. Find the conversation that you want to archive in the list, then tap and hold your finger on it.

3. When a menu appears, select Archive.

Select the "Archive" option. Meta; William Antonelli/Insider

How to see your archived messages in Facebook Messenger

Once again, you can do this using your computer or your phone.

Using the website

1. Head to the the Facebook Messenger homepage again and click the circle with three dots in the top-left.

2. Select Archived chats.

Open the "Archived chats" page. Meta; William Antonelli/Insider

3. The left sidebar will flip to show you all your archived chats. Click on any of them to see the conversation, but note that sending a message will move the chat back into your regular inbox.

You can also unarchive a chat by hovering your mouse over it in the left sidebar, clicking the three dots icon, and selecting Unarchive chat.

There are two ways to unarchive a chat. Meta; William Antonelli/Insider

Using the mobile app

This works for both iPhone and Android.

1. Open the Messenger app and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner.

2. In the list of options, select Archived chats.

You'll find "Archived chats" with the other app options. Meta; William Antonelli/Insider

3. You'll see a list of all your archived conversations. You can open them and even send messages, but sending a message will move the chat back to your regular inbox.

You can also unarchive a conversation by tapping and holding it, then selecting Unarchive from the list that appears.

Jennifer Still contributed to a previous version of this article.

William Antonelli

Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews

William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at [email protected].

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How to View Archived Messages in Messenger

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If you’re one of the 2.91 billion monthly active Facebook users in the world, then chances are you also use the built-in Messenger app. On average, 20 billion messages are sent monthly utilizing the app, making Messenger the second most popular app after Facebook itself.

With so many messages being exchanged, there may be times when you wish to remove a message from your inbox without entirely deleting it. For instance, you may be finished with a conversation, but the chat contains essential information you may need in the future.

With the archiving feature, you can avoid inbox clutter. But how do you access your archive?

In this article, we’ll show you how to access your archived messages, no matter which device you’re using.

How to View Archived Messages in the Messenger iPhone App

As of May 2021, Facebook introduced a new update for the Messenger app that simplifies accessing archived conversations from your smartphone. An “Archived Chats” folder was added to the app on both iPhone and Android phones.

To use this feature, first ensure that you are running the latest version of the app. If needed, head to the App Store and complete an update. Once this is done, here’s what you’ll need to do:

  1. Open the Facebook Messenger app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the icon on the top-left corner of the page with your profile on it.
  3. Select “Archived Chats.”
  4. From there, you’ll be able to access all conversations that have been saved in your archives.

If you’re using the older version of Messenger on your iPhone, here’s how to access your archived chats:

  1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
  2. In the search button at the top of the screen, type the archived messages’ recipient name.
  3. The archived chat will appear in the dropdown menu.
  4. Tap on it to view.

How to View Archived Messages in the Messenger Android App

As of June 2021, Android has maintained its position as the world’s number one mobile operating system. Like iPhones, Android’s are also prone to their fair share of updates. The 2021 Messenger app has made accessing archived conversations on an Android far easier.

Once the update is complete, accessing archived messages is a straightforward process:

  1. Open the Messenger app on your Android device.
  2. From the top of the screen, tap on your profile.
  3. Choose the option for “Archived Chats.
  4. All archived conversations will then appear.

If you’re using an older version of Android, then the “Archived Chats” folder may not appear even if you update the Messenger app. If this is the case, then follow these steps to access your archive:

  1. From your “Home” page, open Messenger.
  2. At the top of the screen, tap on the search bar.
  3. Look up the name of the archive recipient you wish to access.
  4. Tap on the person’s name to open the conversation.

How to View Archived Messages in Messenger on a PC

Facebook’s desktop version enables users to reach a wider audience. This is mainly because a majority of Facebook users use the desktop version despite the emerging mobile markets.

If you want to view your archived chats on a PC, simply follow these steps.

  1. Head to the Facebook website and log in using your credentials.
  2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, look for the Messenger icon.
  3. In the pop-up window, click “See All in Messenger.”
  4. Navigate to the “three horizontal dots” icon to reveal a dropdown menu.
  5. From the list of options, select “Archived Threads.”
  6. You will then be taken to your archived conversations.

How Can I Archive Chats on Messenger Using the Latest Version of the App

The latest Messenger update lets users archive their conversations quickly and efficiently from their mobile devices.

From an iPhone:

  1. Open the Messenger app.
  2. Choose the conversation you wish to archive and slide from right to left.
  3. From the options, choose the “Archive” option.

From an Android:

  1. Open Messenger on your Android.
  2. Press and hold the conversation you wish to archive.
  3. From the menu that appears, select the option to “Archive.”

How Do You Delete an Archived Conversation From Messenger

If you no longer wish to have access to a conversation, even in your archived folder, then you may want to consider deleting it for good. Doing so is an easy process, depending on your device.

From an iPhone:

  1. Open Messenger and head to your profile in the left-hand corner.
  2. Select the “Archived Chats” option that appears.
  3. Swipe from right to left on the conversation you wish to remove, then tap “More”.
  4. Tap “Delete.”
  5. The conversation will now be permanently deleted from your device.

From an Android:

  1. Head to Messenger, then tap your profile in the top left of the screen.
  2. Select “Archived Chats” from the list of available options.
  3. Press and hold the conversation to remove it.
  4. Choose the option to “Delete.”
  5. You will no longer be able to view the conversation.

From a PC:

  1. Log in to your Facebook account from your desktop.
  2. Head to your messages.
  3. In the sidebar on the left-hand side, select the three dots.
  4. Open “Archived Chats.
  5. Click the three-dot icon next to the chat you wish to delete.
  6. Select “Delete Chat.”
  7. The conversation will no longer appear in any of your files.

Additional FAQs

Can I Unarchive Messages?

Starting a conversation with the recipient of an archived discussion automatically unarchives the messages.

However, based on your device, if you don’t wish to start chatting but wish to unarchive a conversation, there are other ways of doing so.

From an iPhone:

1. Open the Messenger app and select your profile.

2. Tap “Archived Chats.”

3. Swipe to the right and choose the “Unarchive” option on the chat you wish to unarchive.

4. The conversation will now appear in your primary inbox on Messenger.

From an Android:

1. From your Home screen, open Messenger.

2. Select your profile at the top of the page and tap “Archived Chats.”

3. Press and hold down the conversation you want to unarchive.

4. From the options that appear, select “Unarchive.”

5. The conversation will now be found in the main Messenger inbox.

One for the Archives

Archiving conversations is helpful if you want to hide chats from your Messenger inbox while still having access to them later. Deleting messages, on the other hand, removes them completely. For this reason, it may be better to archive chats you don’t wish to interact with, but that may contain some important information.

Do you regularly archive conversations on Messenger? How do you find the process? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Facebook: find archived messages?

By Milena Anderson Reading 3 min. Views 5 Posted by

Short answer

  1. Yes, Facebook has a search function for archived posts.
  2. To access it, go to your Facebook profile and click on the three lines in the upper left corner of the screen.
  3. Then, in the "Settings" section, select "Messages".
  4. On the right side of the screen, you will see a list of options that includes “Archived Messages”.

How to archive and unarchive messages in Facebook Messenger

How to view archived chats in Facebook Messenger

What happens to archived messages in Messenger?

Messenger archives all messages sent and received in a conversation. If you delete a message from a conversation, it will also be deleted from the archive.

What happened to my archived Facebook posts?

If you have archived your posts on Facebook, they are still there. You can view them by going to your profile and selecting the "Archived messages" option.

How can I find my archived messages in Facebook Messenger 2021?

To find archived messages in Facebook Messenger 2021, open the Facebook app and go to the Messages tab. Click on a message to open it in the app. In the upper left corner of the message, you will see a button that says “Archive this message”. Click this button to archive the message.

Can I still receive messages from archived chats?

Yes, archived chats are still available through the Messages app. All you have to do is open the Messages app, select the chat you want to view and tap on the three lines in the top left corner.

How do you know if someone archived you on Messenger?

If you have archived messages in Messenger, you'll see a notification in the Messages app labeled "Archived messages." You can also see this notification if you open the Archived Messages section in the Messages app.

What happens if someone sends you a message in an archived chat?

If someone sends you a message in an archived chat, the message will be sent to your email address that was associated with the account at the time of the chat.

What's the difference between archive and ignore?

Archive is a keyword in a .gitignore file that tells Git to ignore files and folders when checking out a repository.

Can the other person see when you delete a message in the messenger?

No, the other person cannot see when you delete a message in Messenger.

Can archived chats see you online?

Yes, archived chats can be viewed online.

Does the other person know when you delete a Messenger conversation?

No, the other person doesn't know when you delete a Messenger conversation.

How can I find my archived messages?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, because the way you search for archived messages depends on the messaging service you are using. However, some ways to find archived messages include searching your account history or message archives, or contacting your messaging service provider.

How do I get archived messages?

There are several ways to retrieve archived messages. The easiest way is to use the web interface at https://webmail.domain.com/. You can also use the IMAP command line tool at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/IMAP/.

How do I get archived messages?

Archived messages are stored in the server database.

What is the purpose of archiving?

Archiving is the process of maintaining records of events, objects and data so that they can be accessed in the future. It can be used to protect information from destruction, to make it available for research, or to ensure its accuracy.

Is archiving the same as deleting?

Yes, archiving is the same as deleting.

How to View Archived Messages on Facebook Messenger

Facebook is the largest social network on the planet with 1.3 billion active users and 20 billion messages sent each month. Users can use the Messenger app to keep in touch with their friends, but both small businesses and international companies also use the platform.

If you regularly message a lot of people on Facebook, it's easy to get overwhelmed. That's why Facebook allows you to archive chats you want to pause so you can return to them any time in the future. Keep reading and learn all about the Facebook archive feature.

Archive your messages on Facebook

You can archive any Facebook message or chat with a few simple clicks or taps, depending on the device you're using. However, you can only archive messages through a computer, but you can view them from mobile devices at any time. Here's what you should do:

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  1. Open a browser and log in to your Facebook account.
  2. Open the Messenger application on your desktop by clicking the Message icon and selecting View All in Messenger.
  3. Find the conversation you want to archive in the left pane.
  4. Click the tiny gear icon next to the conversation you want to archive.
  5. Select the Archive option from the list.

The entire conversation history will disappear from the message feed and appear in the Archive folder.

  1. Open your browser and go to Facebook.com.
  2. Log in to your account.
  3. Select the message icon and choose View All in Messenger.
  4. Click the Gear icon in the top left corner and select Archived Chats.
  5. A folder with all your archived chats will appear. If you send a reply, the chat will reappear in messages.

People are usually embarrassed when this happens, but answering an archived chat makes the conversation active again. It is then automatically transferred to the message folder.

You can also use the Search Conversations feature to find a specific message by entering the keyword used in that conversation. Keep in mind that this only works on desktop computers.

Viewing archived messages on mobile devices

When viewing archived messages from your mobile device, you don't even need to open the Facebook app. Facebook Messenger has everything you need to access the archive. Here's what you need to do:

  1. Open the Messenger app on your phone.
  2. Click on the search bar and enter the name of the person whose archived messages you want to view.
  3. Select the desired contact and you will see the entire conversation.

Backing up your Facebook account

If you want to make sure your messages on Facebook are protected, you should back up your account. Repeat the process every two or three months to make sure nothing is lost. Here's what you need to do:

  1. Open your Facebook account and click on the "Gear" icon in the top right corner.
  2. Select "Account Settings" from the drop-down menu.
  3. When the settings page loads, select Download a copy of your Facebook data.
  4. Click "Start My Archive" in the next step and all data, including your conversations, will be downloaded to your computer.
  5. Loading takes some time.

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