Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging platforms, allowing users to easily connect with friends and family. Over time, your Messenger chats can contain a lot of meaningful conversations and memories that you may want to save and look back on.
Luckily, Facebook provides a way for you to download your full Messenger chat history. Downloading your chat history allows you to save conversations before they are deleted, look back on past messages and memories, or have a backup if you delete your Facebook account.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to download your full chat history on Facebook Messenger.
Prerequisites
Before downloading your Messenger chat history, make sure:
- You have the latest version of Messenger installed.
- Your Facebook account is updated with your current email address and password.
- You have enough storage space on your device to save your chat history.
Download Chat History on Mobile
If you primarily use Messenger on your mobile device, here are the steps to download your chat history:
- Open the Messenger app on your iOS or Android device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Scroll down and tap on “Settings”.
- Tap on “Your Facebook Information”.
- Tap on “Download Your Information”.
- Deselect all categories and only select “Messages”.
- Tap on “Create File”.
- Enter your Facebook password when prompted.
- You will get a notification once your chat history is ready to download. Tap on “View File” to download your Messenger chat history.
Your Messenger chat history will download as a JSON file which you can open on your computer. It will contain your entire message history including photos, videos and files shared on Messenger.
Download Desktop Chat History
If you mainly use Messenger on your computer, here are the steps to download your full chat history:
- Go to the Facebook website and log into your account.
- Click on the down arrow in the top right and select “Settings”.
- On the left sidebar, click on “Your Facebook Information”.
- Under “Download Your Information”, click on “View”.
- Deselect all categories and only select “Messages”.
- Click on “Create File”.
- Enter your password when prompted and click “Submit”.
- You will get a notification once your archive is ready to download. Click on “Download” and save the file to your computer.
This will download a copy of your Messenger chats in HTML format which you can open and view on your computer. It contains your full chat history including files and photos.
What Data is Included
When you download your Messenger chat history, it will include:
- All your 1-on-1 chats with friends and family.
- Group conversations you have participated in.
- Every message, emoji, GIFs, and reactions sent and received.
- All photos, videos and files exchanged on Messenger.
- Voice messages.
- Chatbot interactions.
Your downloaded chat history goes back to the beginning of your Messenger usage. You get your full account history right from the first message.
How Far Back Does Chat History Go
Typically, you can download your entire Messenger chat history since the time you started using the app. There is no limit on how far back your Messenger chat history goes.
Even if you have been using Messenger for 5+ years, your full chat history from day one will be included in the download.
Does It Include Deleted Messages
Your downloaded Messenger chat history does not include messages that you have deleted. When you intentionally delete a message or conversation thread on Messenger, it is permanently deleted from Facebook’s servers and cannot be recovered in your downloaded history.
However, messages deleted by the sender will still show up in your chat history download. But your own deleted messages do not get included.
Does History Transfer Across Devices
Yes, when you download your Messenger chat history, you get all your conversations across any device you have used Messenger on.
It combines chat history across your mobile, computer and any other device Messenger is configured on. You get your full account chat history regardless of device.
Can You Select What to Download
Unfortunately, you cannot select specific conversations or date ranges to download. The only option is to download your full Messenger chat history.
Facebook does not allow choosing which messages or date ranges to include. It’s all or nothing when downloading your chat history.
Does It Download Other User’s History
No, you can only download your own Messenger chat history. The downloaded transcript will only contain messages you have sent and received.
It does not include the other user’s side of the conversation from their account transcript. You only get your portion of the chats.
Is Group Chat Included
Yes, when you download your Messenger history, it includes all your group chats and conversations.
All messages you have sent or received in any Messenger group chat will be included in the downloaded transcript.
Does It Include Messenger Kids History
For privacy reasons, your Messenger Kids chat history is not included in your main Messenger account download.
Messenger Kids has separate chat transcripts that cannot be accessed from the parent’s main Messenger history.
Does It Download Future Messages
No, downloading your Messenger chat history only saves your past conversations up to that point. It does not continue saving new messages going forward.
To get your new Messenger chats, you will have to request another download which will include your latest conversations.
How to Find Specific Conversations
Since the downloaded Messenger chat history is one long transcript, it can be difficult finding specific conversations.
Here are some tips for navigating your Messenger chat download:
- Use the search function (CTRL + F on Windows or CMD + F on Mac) to search for keywords, names, or phrases to jump to relevant chats.
- Go through your Messenger contacts list and CTRL/CMD + F their names to jump directly to your chats with them.
- Facebook timestamps every message which you can use to scroll up and down through your history.
- Open the HTML file in your browser and use their search capability to find relevant conversations.
How to Save Individual Chats
Since your Messenger history downloads as one long file, you may want to save specific conversations as separate files.
To save individual chats from your Messenger history:
- Open the downloaded chat history HTML file in your browser.
- Find the conversation you want to save using CTRL/CMD + F.
- Highlight and copy the entire conversation.
- Paste it into a new HTML file and save it with an appropriate name.
This lets you archive particular conversations that are important to you while keeping your full Messenger chat history intact.
Who Can See Your Downloaded History
Your downloaded Messenger chat history is only available to you after requesting the download from Facebook.
However, anyone who gains access to the downloaded files will be able to see your full conversation history. So be sure to keep the files private and secure.
Is Downloaded Chat History Encrypted
No, your downloaded Messenger chat history is not encrypted. It is saved as plain text HTML and JSON files.
So if you want to securely store your chat history, you should encrypt the downloaded files using a separate encryption software.
Does Facebook Use Downloaded History
Facebook claims they do not access or parse your downloaded Messenger chat history files.
The data is only meant to be provided to you upon request. However, many security experts warn that it’s safest to assume Facebook analyzes downloaded data.
Can You Import History into Messenger
There is no option to directly import your downloaded Messenger history back into the app. The download is meant for your personal archives.
You cannot load your chat history into a new Messenger account or device. It is only available in the downloaded files.
Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you have issues downloading your Messenger chat history:
- Make sure you have enough storage space for large Messenger history files.
- Check your internet connection is stable when requesting the download.
- The download link expires after a few days, so re-request if needed.
- If the file is corrupted, request another download.
- If service is slow, try downloading at off-peak times.
Downloaded History FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about downloading your Messenger chat history:
Does the other person get notified?
No, downloading your own Messenger chat history does not send any notification or alert to your contacts.
What file format is the history in?
It’s downloaded as a HTML file which can be viewed in any internet browser.
Can I export chats from an old account?
Yes, download your chat history before deactivating your old Facebook account.
Are group admin messages included?
Yes, all group admin messages are part of your downloaded chat history.
Does it require logging into Facebook?
You have to be logged into your Facebook account to be able to download Messenger history.
Conclusion
Downloading your complete Messenger chat history is an easy way to backup your conversations or look back on previous messages.
Simply go to your Facebook account settings to request a download of your Messenger data. You will get your full account history across all devices and conversations in one HTML file.
Be sure to save important chats and keep the downloaded history private for your eyes only. With your Messenger transcripts saved, you have a record of your conversations that you can access even without your Facebook account.