Facebook Messenger allows you to delete individual messages or entire conversations that you no longer want to keep. However, deleting messages on Facebook doesn’t permanently erase them – it only removes them from your view. The messages still exist on Facebook’s servers.
If you want to completely remove messages from Facebook so that they are no longer accessible or stored by Facebook at all, you need to take a few extra steps. Here’s what you need to know about permanently deleting Facebook messages and conversations.
Delete Individual Facebook Messages
To delete a single message you’ve sent or received on Facebook Messenger:
- Open the Facebook Messenger app on your mobile device or navigate to www.messenger.com on your desktop.
- Open the conversation containing the message you want to delete.
- Tap and hold the message you want to delete.
- Tap the trash icon that appears to delete the message.
The message will be removed from the conversation on your end, but the recipient will still be able to see it unless they also delete it themselves. So deleting individual messages doesn’t fully erase them from Facebook’s records.
Delete a Facebook Messenger Conversation
To delete an entire conversation from Facebook Messenger:
- Open the Facebook Messenger app or navigate to www.messenger.com.
- Open the conversation you want to delete.
- Tap on the conversation name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Delete Conversation.
- Tap Delete to confirm.
This will remove the conversation from your message inbox. However, it will still be visible for the recipient and exist in Facebook’s database. So it’s not truly gone forever yet.
How to Permanently Delete Facebook Messages
Since simply deleting messages or conversations through the Facebook Messenger interface doesn’t fully purge them, what can you do to permanently erase messages?
Here are a few methods that allow you to completely wipe Facebook messages from their records:
Delete Your Facebook Account
Deleting your entire Facebook account is the only way to guarantee all your Facebook messages are erased from their servers. When you delete your account, Facebook says it removes all your data from their systems within 90 days.
To delete your Facebook account:
- Click on the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Select Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click on Your Facebook Information in the left menu.
- Click on Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Permanently Delete Account and follow the instructions.
Once your account is deleted, all your Facebook messages should be purged from their database within a few months. However, this also means losing access to your account and profile information.
Request Data Deletion
Instead of deleting your entire account, you can submit a request to Facebook asking them to delete specific data, like your Messenger history. Here’s how:
- Go to Facebook Settings.
- Click on Your Facebook Information.
- Select View next to Download Your Information.
- Click on Create File.
- Once the download is ready, click on Available Copies.
- Click on the Permanent Delete option.
This will give you the option to permanently delete specific types of data, including your messages on Facebook Messenger. However, there is no guarantee Facebook will comply with deletion requests.
Report Conversations as Abusive
If you report an entire conversation as abusive, hate speech, or spam, Facebook will likely delete the full conversation. To do this:
- Open the conversation you want to report.
- Tap on the name of the conversation at the top.
- Select Report Conversation.
- Choose Abusive, Hate Speech or Spam.
- Tap Submit to complete your report.
Facebook’s content moderators will review the report and likely delete the full conversation if it violates their rules. But again, this isn’t guaranteed to work.
Why Deleted Facebook Messages Aren’t Gone Forever
The reason deleting Facebook messages doesn’t permanently erase them is because of how Facebook’s systems are designed. Here’s why deleted messages continue to persist:
- Backups: Facebook makes backups of all data on their servers, including message logs, so it can be restored if needed.
- Recipient copies: When you delete a message, the recipient’s copy still exists in their own account history.
- Legal requirements: Facebook is required by law to retain data for a certain period for legal and regulatory purposes.
- Meta data: Even if message content is deleted, metadata like date, time, sender and recipient may still be retained.
- Cached copies: Deleted data can remain in cached copies on Facebook’s servers for some time.
- Third-party copies: Your messages may sync to third-party apps or devices which retain their own copies.
For these reasons, it’s challenging to guarantee complete deletion of Facebook messages. The only foolproof way is avoiding the platform altogether.
How to be More Proactive About Your Facebook Privacy
Since deleting Facebook messages doesn’t truly purge them, here are some tips to be more proactive about your privacy:
- Be cautious what you share in Facebook messages, as they may persist even after “deletion.”
- Frequently download and delete your Facebook data to purge cached copies.
- Avoid syncing Facebook messages to third-party apps that may retain message copies.
- Enable disappearing message features that automatically delete messages after a period of time.
- Restrict your privacy settings so only certain people can message you.
- Turn off chat history and disable message previews in notifications.
- Use encrypted messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp for more sensitive communications.
- Delete your Facebook account if you want to permanently leave their platform.
The Bottom Line
While Facebook gives you options to remove messages and conversations, these deletions are not permanent. Your messages continue to exist in Facebook’s backups and databases even after you delete them. The only way to truly purge Facebook messages is to delete your account entirely and leave their platform.
To maintain privacy, be cautious about the data you share on Facebook and utilize privacy settings when possible. For truly private communications, specialized encrypted messaging apps are a more secure choice than Facebook Messenger.
| Method | How to do it | Does it fully delete messages? |
|---|---|---|
| Delete individual messages | Tap and hold on a message, then choose delete | No, it only deletes your copy |
| Delete conversation | Open conversation, tap name, choose delete | No, it only deletes your view of the conversation |
| Delete Facebook account | Go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Delete Account | Yes, all data is deleted eventually |
| Request data deletion | Go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > View > Permanent Delete | Not guaranteed, but requests deletion |
| Report conversation as abusive | Open conversation > Report as Abusive | If it violates rules, Facebook will likely delete it |
Key Points
- Deleting Facebook messages or conversations through the interface doesn’t permanently erase them.
- Your messages continue to exist in backups, recipient copies, and cached data.
- Deleting your entire Facebook account is the only surefire way to purge messages.
- You can request deletion of data like messages, but it’s not guaranteed.
- Reporting conversations as abusive may lead to deletion if they violate Facebook’s rules.
In summary, regular message deletion doesn’t fully purge conversations from Facebook’s systems. For true deletion, you’ll have to take more extreme steps like deleting your account. For privacy, restrict who can see your data and be cautious about sharing sensitive information on Messenger in the first place.