Facebook Messenger allows users to send messages, photos, videos, audio clips, and more to friends and connections. It’s a popular way for people to communicate and stay in touch. However, sometimes messages are deleted that the sender or recipient wishes they could get back. So an important question is: can you recover permanently deleted messages on Facebook Messenger?
The short answer
The short answer is: no, you cannot recover permanently deleted Facebook Messenger messages through the app itself. Once a message is deleted by both parties, it is gone for good.
Why recovering deleted messages is difficult
There are a few reasons why recovering deleted Facebook Messenger messages is difficult or impossible:
- Facebook does not store deleted messages – Once a message is deleted by both the sender and recipient, Facebook removes it from their servers. They don’t keep archives of deleted content.
- Messages are encrypted – Facebook Messenger uses end-to-end encryption for messages. This means the messages are encrypted before they leave the sender’s device. Only the recipient can decrypt them. So Facebook itself cannot access the content of messages.
- No backups are created – Facebook Messenger does not create backups of conversations that could be used to restore deleted messages. The chat history only lives on the users’ devices.
For these reasons, when a Facebook Messenger message is deleted, it’s essentially gone for good unless you have taken your own backups.
When are messages permanently deleted?
On Facebook Messenger, messages are deleted in two stages:
- A user can delete a message just on their end. This removes it from their view, but the recipient can still see it.
- Once both the sender and recipient have deleted the message, it’s permanently removed from Facebook’s servers.
So messages are only permanently deleted when both parties have actively removed it from the conversation. If just one person has deleted it, the other person can still retrieve it.
Is there any way to recover a deleted message?
Unfortunately, once a Facebook Messenger message is permanently deleted, there is no built-in way to recover it. Here are some potential options, but they are limited:
- If the message was deleted very recently, you may be able to find it in the Archived Chats folder. But Facebook only stores archived messages for up to 30 days.
- If you accidentally deleted a message, ask the sender to re-send it to you if they still have access.
- On Android devices, you may be able to use data recovery software to scan for and extract deleted message history. But this is not guaranteed to work.
The reality is if both parties actively deleted a message thread, it is very unlikely to be recoverable through any normal means.
How to prevent accidentally losing messages
Since deleted Facebook messages can’t be recovered, it’s smart to take precautions to prevent losing important conversations:
- Be careful when deleting messages. Double check which messages you are removing.
- Make backups of important conversations by taking screenshots or copying/pasting the text.
- Turn off chat history deletion. This will prevent old messages from being automatically deleted after a certain timeframe.
- Archive conversations you want to save instead of deleting them.
Does Facebook store deleted messages?
No, Facebook does not store or retain any copies of deleted messages on their servers. Their data policy says they only keep data until it is no longer necessary for providing their services. Once a Messenger message is deleted by both parties, Facebook removes it entirely from their systems.
Can Facebook staff see deleted messages?
No, Facebook employees are not able to see or recover deleted Messenger messages and conversations. Here’s why:
- End-to-end encryption prevents Facebook itself from accessing message content.
- Once messages are deleted, they are removed from servers and cannot be retrieved.
- Facebook’s data policy prevents them from storing deleted data.
The exception would be if a user reports an illegal message. Then Facebook could investigate if they still have access to the message on their end. But otherwise, Facebook cannot see or obtain deleted messages.
Third-party tools for recovering deleted Messenger messages
There are a few third-party apps and tools that claim they can recover deleted Facebook Messenger messages such as:
- FoneLab iOS Data Recovery
- iMyFone D-Back
- Dr.Fone – Data Recovery
However, these tools have significant limitations:
- They cannot recover messages deleted by both parties – only messages you personally deleted.
- They may only work for a limited time after deletion, not for older messages.
- Success is not guaranteed and results vary widely.
- To recover iOS messages, your device must be jailbroken.
While sometimes these tools can recover recently deleted messages, they cannot reliably recover content deleted by both you and the recipient. So don’t rely on them as a backup option.
Can law enforcement recover deleted Facebook messages?
In some cases, law enforcement may be able to recover deleted Facebook messages with a legal warrant. Methods could include:
- Requesting message data from Facebook if it still exists on their servers.
- Forensic examination of a suspect’s device if it was confiscated.
- Analyzing Facebook’s server logs to see message metadata.
However, significant challenges still exist for law enforcement:
- Facebook’s data policy means messages are deleted once both parties remove them.
- Encrypted data cannot be deciphered even with a warrant.
- No guarantee the full message content can be recovered post-deletion.
So while law enforcement has mechanisms to try recovering deleted messages, permanent deletion still generally removes messages from their view as well unless captured beforehand.
Should deleted messages be recoverable?
Some may argue Facebook Messenger should allow users to recover deleted messages in case they are accidentally removed. However, there are downsides to giving users access to deleted data:
- Allows exes, stalkers, or harassers to retrieve unwanted conversations.
- Communications may be taken out of context long after the fact.
- Negates the intent and privacy of deleting messages.
- Goes against Facebook’s limited data retention policies.
Enabling recoverability also creates security and technical challenges around data storage. So while some users may want access to deleted messages, the current approach is more in line with user expectations and privacy best practices.
Conclusion
While many wish it was possible to retrieve permanently deleted Facebook Messenger messages, the reality is that once a message is removed by both parties, it is highly unlikely to be recoverable by normal means.
The reasons include Facebook’s encryption and data retention policies, lack of backups, and the ephemeral nature of the chat history. Unless you have your own archived copy of the messages, they are generally gone for good once deleted by both users.
Going forward, be sure not to rely on being able to recover deleted Messenger conversations. Be careful when removing messages and make your own backups if you want to ensure the ability to look back on your chat history.