Can you get a link to a Facebook Messenger chat?

Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging app used by billions of people around the world to communicate with friends and family. One of Messenger’s key features is the ability to have group chats with multiple people. This allows you to easily message a group of friends or family members at once.

Sometimes you may want to share a link to an ongoing Messenger group chat with someone who is not part of the chat. For example, you may want to invite a new friend to join the group chat or allow someone to view the conversation history. However, unlike other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger does not provide a simple way to get a link to a chat that you can share externally.

So can you actually get a link to a Facebook Messenger chat to share outside the app? Below I will explain if and how this can be done.

Ways To Get A Link To A Messenger Chat

Unfortunately, Facebook Messenger does not have a built-in feature to generate a shareable link for a chat. This means there is no direct way to get a link from within the app itself. However, there are a couple of workarounds and third-party tools that allow you to essentially get a link to a Messenger conversation. Here are the main options:

Use the Messenger Desktop App

The Messenger desktop app for computers has a slightly different interface than the mobile app. In the desktop app, each chat has a URL that you can copy and share with others. To find it:

Open the Messenger desktop app on your computer.

Go to the chat you want to get a link for.
At the top of the chat window, you will see the chat name followed by “messenger.com/t/…”
Copy the URL after the “t/” section – this is the link to that conversation.

The downside is that this link will only work for other people logged into the desktop Messenger app. It does not work on mobile or allow viewing the chat history outside of Messenger. But it does let you essentially invite someone to a chat using the link.

Use Third-Party Apps

Some third-party apps claim to allow you to generate shareable links for Messenger chats. Examples include ChatShare and MsgLink.

To use them:

Download and install the app.
Connect your Facebook account.
Select the chat you want a link for.

Generate the link through the app.
Copy the link to share.

These links allow anyone to view the selected chat history in the app without needing a Messenger account. However, there are privacy concerns around giving third-party apps access to your Facebook messages. Make sure to research the app and only use ones you trust.

Take Screenshots

If you just want to share part of a conversation and don’t need an interactive live link, you can simply take screenshots. To do this:

Open the Messenger chat you want to share.
Scroll to the part of the conversation you want to capture.

Take a screenshot on your phone or use your computer’s print screen key.
Crop the screenshot if needed.
Send the screenshot image to whoever you want to share that piece of the chat with.

While you won’t be able to share an ongoing live chat this way, it lets you easily show portions of the conversation history.

Use Third-Party Websites

Some websites claim they can retrieve Messenger chat history and generate shareable links to the conversations. You provide them your Facebook login credentials and they access your account to pull the chats.

However, this is very risky in terms of security and privacy. They require your Messenger login credentials, allowing full access to your account. It’s never advisable to give your login details to third-party sites. Use at your own risk.

Pros and Cons of Getting Messenger Chat Links

Here are some key pros and cons to keep in mind about getting shareable links for Messenger chats:

Pros

Let you invite new people to join an ongoing group chat.
Allow sharing a chat with someone not on Messenger.

Enable viewing chat history externally.

Cons

No built-in Messenger option for chat links.
Third-party apps may compromise privacy.

Links may only work in specific contexts.
Requires compromising security to fully retrieve chats.

Is It Possible to Get Full Messenger Chat History?

As covered above, the only way to get complete access to your full Messenger chat history outside of the app itself is by providing your Facebook login credentials to third-party websites. This gives them complete access to your Messenger account.

It is not recommended to take this security and privacy risk just to get chat history. While some sites may claim to securely retrieve your chats, there is no way to guarantee it.

If you need to access your chat history, it’s better to manually screenshot or export portions you need. Or consider deleting your Messenger account and creating a new one if you want a fresh start.

There are rumors that Facebook is working on allowing data portability and access to your information. But currently, there is no official solution for exporting your full Messenger data from their servers. Proceed cautiously with any third-party service claiming to do this.

What About WhatsApp and Other Messaging Apps?

Unlike Messenger, other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram make it much easier to get shareable invite links and export your chat history:

To get a WhatsApp group chat invite link:

Open the WhatsApp group chat.

Tap the Group name at the top.
Tap Invite via link.
Tap Send link or Share link to share the invite URL.

You can also export your full WhatsApp chat history by going to Settings > Chats > Chat History > Export Chat.

To get a Telegram group chat invite link:

Open the Telegram group chat.

Tap the Group name at the top.
Tap Add Members > Generate Invite Link.
Tap the link icon to copy the link.

You can also export your Telegram data including chats by going to Settings > Privacy and Security > Data and Storage > Export Telegram Data.

So while Messenger lags behind in terms of chat export and shareable links, other apps make it much easier.

Conclusion

In summary:

There is no direct way to get a shareable link to a Facebook Messenger chat.
Workarounds like the desktop app URLs or third-party tools can generate invite-style links but have limitations.
Taking screenshots lets you share portions of chats.

To get full chat history requires giving access to your Messenger account which is very risky.
Other chat apps like WhatsApp and Telegram offer better options for invite links and chat exports.

Facebook clearly prioritizes privacy and security over shareability in Messenger. Unless they add official support, there will be no perfect solution. Consider whether you truly need to get links to your chats or if screenshots might suffice instead.