Facebook/Meta Messenger offers an excellent way to send free messages to individuals worldwide. No snail mail or long distance calls. Despite this great feature, you can accidentally send messages that aren’t quite right, and you’re forced to delete/unsend them. Other times, the conversation gets a little out of hand, and you want to remove it.
If you want to know how to delete or unsend messages on your Facebook Messenger, you’ve come to the right place. Note that there is a difference between deleting a message and unsending one. This article covers both.
please note: Sending a message must be fast, otherwise it will appear in the recipient’s notifications. However, Facebook removes the notification, so if they haven’t seen it yet, they can’t. Regardless, Facebook ALWAYS adds an unsent notification message in its place.
Delete/send a specific message in Messenger on an iPhone
It is relatively easy to delete/unsend specific Facebook messages on your iPhone.
- Start the “iPhone Facebook App“ or the Messenger app.
- Open the chat whose messages you want to delete/unsend.
- Press and hold the message.
- Tap up More in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Choose Unsent to continue.
The above steps demonstrate how to delete and unsend a single message within a chat using an iPhone. If you want to delete the entire conversation, follow the steps below.
Delete group messages and conversations in Messenger on an iPhone
Currently deleting “group messages” in Messenger is essentially the same as deleting “conversationswith one person. When you delete any one, the recipients still have the messages; it only removes on your end.
please note: You CANNOT unsend an entire conversation, nor can you do so in group messages that contain multiple recipients. However, you CAN individually delete/send messages from all of the above.
- Open your Facebook messages via “Facebook” or “Messengers.”
- Swipe left on top of a message to open the options.
- Type “More,” then choose “Wipe out.”
- In the confirmation window, tap the “Delete” button again.
The group conversation is now deleted on your end, but remains for all recipients.
please note: Facebook does not allow you to recover deleted messages. Therefore, you must be sure that you want to delete it before proceeding with the action.
Delete/send a specific message in Messenger on Android
Here’s how to delete/unsend individual messages on Facebook Messenger using your Android phone.
- Open the “AndroidFacebook“ app, then tap Messenger icon in the upper right corner of the screen. You can also start Messenger app directly.
- Open the specific chat whose messages you want to unsend/delete by tapping on it.
- Long press the specific message you want to delete to select it.
- If this is your friend’s message, select “Remove” just to delete it on your end. If this is your sent message, tap More and choose “Remove” to bring up the uninstall options.
- choose Unsent to remove the message for everyone or “Remove for you” just to delete it on your end.
Delete an entire conversation in Messenger on Android
Sometimes you may want to delete the entire chat and not individual messages. You can’t unsend an entire conversation, but you can delete sent messages individually or delete the entire conversation just on your end. Here’s how to do it if you’re using an Android phone:
- In your “Facebook” application, tap on the Messenger icon in the upper right corner of the screen to open your chats. You can also start Messenger instead directly.
- Press and hold the chat you want to delete and select it “Delete” of the options.
- Confirm the removal by selecting “Wipe out.”
Alternatively, you can delete an entire conversation by doing the following:
- Open the chat you want to delete.
- Tap on the “information” icon in the far right corner of the screen.
- Press the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Choose “Delete conversation” of the options.
- Tap up “Delete” to complete the action.
Keep in mind that you cannot delete multiple chats at once. The same goes for individual messages. Also, don’t forget that this action only deletes the conversation on your end.
How to delete messages with Facebook Lite
Facebook offers a lighter version of the application, which saves a lot in storage and the data needed to function. Although both apps offer the same functionality, the Lite version has some differences in the interface. For example, you cannot unsend messages facebook lite but can delete them on your side of the conversation. Here’s how to use Facebook Lite to delete individual messages.
- start”facebook lite.”
- Tap the “Messenger” icon on the navigation bar of the screen.
- Select the chat whose messages you want to delete.
- Press and hold the message you want to delete and select “Delete” from the options.
- Tap on the only option available, “Delete for me,“ and confirm the action by pressing “Forks.”
How to delete conversations in Messenger with Facebook Lite
Besides deleting individual messages in Facebook Lite, you can also delete conversations. Again, you can’t unsend any messages, but can delete individual messages or entire conversations. Here’s how to delete conversations in Facebook Lite Messenger.
- Start “Facebook Lite.”
- Tap on the Messenger icon at the top.
- Press and hold the conversation to bring up the options.
- choose “Wipe out.”
- Confirm your decision to delete the entire conversation by selecting “Delete” eleven more
Delete/send messages in Facebook Messenger using a desktop browser
If you use Facebook on your computer, you can delete or unsend your sent Facebook messages through your browser. Here’s how to do it.
- On your computer’s browser, go to Facebookthen click on the Messenger icon in the navigation bar menu. You can also start Messenger app directly if desired.
- Open the chat whose messages you want to delete.
- Hover over the message you want to delete and click on the “three dots.”
- Choose “Remove.”
- Click “Unfortunate for everyone” to unsend/delete your sent message. Choose otherwise “Remove for you” and the “Remove” button.
Like any other messaging app, Facebook Messenger allows you to delete messages you no longer need or delete the ones you compose incorrectly. When the feature was added in 2018, you only had 10 minutes to unsend a message. Now it stays for at least six months. Although clearing and unsending options are useful, caution is essential as the actions are permanent and cannot be undone. Also, don’t forget that unsending a message doesn’t mean the recipient couldn’t see it. They also get a takedown notice instead.
Delete/Unsend in Messenger FAQ
Can I schedule Facebook messages to automatically delete?
Forks. Facebook features disappearing messages, although it’s only available for secret conversations and must be on mobile devices. You cannot use the feature on your computer.
Can I delete my Facebook messages if I don’t have an active internet connection?
No, deleting Facebook messages requires an active Internet connection because the process involves sending requests to Facebook servers over the Internet.
Can I delete all the Facebook messages at once?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow you to delete all your messages at once. However, some third-party browser extensions allow you to do this.