Can Facebook messages be hidden?

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It allows people to communicate with friends, family, co-workers, businesses and more. While Messenger can be very useful for keeping in touch, sometimes there are messages you may want to keep private. So can Facebook messages be hidden?

The short answer is yes, Facebook messages can be hidden in a few different ways. You can archive conversations to get them out of your main inbox, delete messages so they are no longer visible to you or the recipient, limit who can see certain messages using the audience selector tool, or block people so they can no longer message you on Messenger.

In this article, we’ll explore the different options for hiding Facebook messages and when you may want to use each one.

Archiving Conversations

One easy way to hide Facebook messages is to archive conversations you no longer want showing up in your main message inbox. Archiving removes the conversation from your Chats tab without deleting it. Here’s how to archive conversations on desktop and mobile:

On Desktop:

1. Open Facebook Messenger and go to your Chats tab.
2. Hover over the conversation you want to archive.
3. Click the three dots icon next to the conversation name.
4. Select “Move to Archive” from the dropdown menu.

On Mobile:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app and go to your Chats tab.
2. Swipe left on the conversation you want to archive.
3. Tap “Archive” to confirm.

Archiving is useful for hiding conversations you don’t need cluttering up your inbox but still may want occasional access to. The other person will not be notified when you archive a chat.

To view your archived messages on desktop, click on “Archived” in the left sidebar. On mobile, go to your Chats tab and tap on your profile picture, then select “Archived Chats.”

Deleting Messages

Deleting messages on Messenger removes them completely so they are no longer visible to you or the other person in the conversation. Here’s how to delete messages:

On Desktop:

1. Open the conversation containing the message(s) you want to delete.
2. Hover over the message and click the “X” icon that appears.
3. Confirm you want to delete the message.

On Mobile:

1. Open the conversation with the message(s) you want to delete.
2. Long press the message.
3. Tap “Remove” to confirm deletion.

You can only delete messages you have sent. Once a message is deleted, there is no way to retrieve it. The other person in the conversation will see that a message has been removed.

Deleting is useful if you sent a message you regret and don’t want it to be seen. However, the other person may have already read the message before it was deleted.

Limiting Audience

You can use Messenger’s audience selector tool to limit who can see certain messages in a group conversation. When enabled, you can change the audience for each message you send to be:

• Everyone in the group chat
• Everyone except specific people
• Only specific people

Here’s how to limit your audience:

1. Open a group conversation.
2. Tap the audience selector tool (person icon) next to the message box.
3. Choose who you want to be able to see your message.
4. Type and send your message as normal.

Limiting your audience is useful if you want to say something privately to a subset of people in a group chat. Those you excluded will still see that a message was sent but not what it says.

Blocking Users

If there are certain people you want to prevent from contacting you on Messenger at all, you can block them. Blocking stops someone from:

• Starting new conversations with you
• Adding you to group conversations
• Seeing if you’ve read their messages

Here’s how to block someone:

On Desktop:

1. Open your Messages list in the Chats tab.
2. Hover over the person’s name and click the “…” icon.
3. Select Block Messages.

On Mobile:

1. Open your Messages list in the Chats tab.
2. Swipe left on the person’s name.
3. Tap Block Messages.

Blocking completely cuts off someone’s access to you on Messenger. They will not be notified that you’ve blocked them.

Blocking is useful in situations like ending a friendship, cutting contact with an ex after a breakup, or preventing harassment from someone. It’s a permanent way to prevent unwanted communication.

Should You Hide Facebook Messages?

Hiding Messenger conversations can be done for valid reasons, but there are also risks:

Potential Benefits of Hiding Messages:

• Prevent arguments or drama by deleting inflammatory messages
• Maintain privacy from parts of your social circles
• Keep your inbox clutter-free by archiving old chats
• Stop unwanted contact by blocking people

Risks of Hiding Messages:

• Appearing sneaky and untrustworthy if caught
• Missing important information shared in groups
• Permanently losing access to meaningful memories

In general, hiding messages is acceptable if done in moderation and not used to deceive others. Having open communication is healthiest for relationships whenever possible.

Conclusion

Facebook Messenger provides several options for hiding your conversations from yourself or other users:

• Archiving moves chats out of your inbox while maintaining access.
• Deleting removes messages completely.
• Limiting audience allows private messages within groups.
• Blocking stops someone from contacting you.

Hiding messages sparingly can be appropriate but extensive use risks seeming dishonest. Consider if total openness is feasible before hiding Messenger communications.