Being blocked on Facebook Messenger can be frustrating, especially if you don’t know why you were blocked or if important messages were sent to you right before you were blocked. While there is no direct way to retrieve messages sent to you on Messenger before you were blocked, there are a few steps you can try to potentially access those messages again.
Check if you’re actually blocked
Before trying to recover blocked messages, first confirm that you have actually been blocked on Messenger. There are a couple ways to check if you’ve been blocked:
- Search for the person who you think blocked you in Messenger. If you aren’t able to find their profile at all, that likely means you’ve been blocked.
- In Messenger, try starting a new message to the person who you think blocked you. If you aren’t able to select them as a recipient, that indicates you have probably been blocked.
- Ask a mutual friend to check if they can still see the profile of the person who blocked you. If the mutual friend can see the profile but you can’t, you have been blocked.
If you confirm through one of these steps that you have been blocked by someone on Messenger, you can then move on to trying to recover any messages from before you were blocked.
Log in on a different device
One way you may be able to retrieve your blocked messages is by logging into your Facebook account on a device that hasn’t been blocked. For example:
- If you were blocked on your phone, try logging into Facebook on a computer.
- If you were blocked on your home computer, try accessing your Facebook account from a phone or other device.
The block is usually implemented on a specific device, so accessing your account on a new device gives you a chance of being able to view the messages that were sent before you were blocked.
Use an alternate account
If logging in from another device doesn’t work, another option is to access Messenger using an alternate Facebook account that hasn’t been blocked. You can either:
- Create a new Facebook account entirely.
- Use another existing Facebook account you have that was not blocked.
Keep in mind that creating fake or duplicate accounts goes against Facebook’s terms of service. Use this method at your own risk.
Email the person who blocked you
If you aren’t able to view your blocked messages by accessing your account from a different device or account, another option is to email the person who blocked you directly asking them to forward the messages they sent before blocking you. This isn’t ideal, but it’s one last ditch effort if you absolutely need to retrieve those messages.
Use a mutual connection
Reach out to any mutual friends you share with the person who blocked you, and ask if they would be willing to access the messages sent to you before you were blocked. Our mutual friends may be uncomfortable getting in the middle of the situation, so only use this method if absolutely necessary.
Check your email notifications
If you have email notifications enabled for Messenger, check your email inbox for any notifications about messages sent to you right before you were blocked. While you won’t be able to access the full message content, having the email notification can at least give you insight into who messaged you and when.
Use an online messaging records service
There are a few paid services available online that claim they can retrieve blocked messages and other messaging records for you. These services work by essentially hacking into Facebook’s servers and pulling message data. While you may be able to view blocked messages this way, it is not condoned by Facebook and comes with significant privacy and security risks.
Accept that you may not retrieve the blocked messages
At the end of the day, there is unfortunately no guaranteed way to access messages that were sent to you before you were blocked on Messenger. If none of the above methods end up working, you may simply have to accept that those messages are inaccessible to you now.
Take it as a lesson learned to screenshot or otherwise save important messages as they come in, before you end up blocked and locked out from them. While not ideal, consider moving on knowing that at least now you are aware of the limitations of accessing previous Messenger messages after being blocked.
Prevent being blocked in the future
To avoid finding yourself in this situation again, be mindful of Messenger etiquette so you don’t end up blocked again in the future. Some tips include:
- Respect other users’ privacy and boundaries.
- Don’t send excessive messages if someone hasn’t replied to you.
- Don’t initiate unwanted contact with people you don’t know well.
- Avoid aggressive or inappropriate behavior that makes others uncomfortable.
You can also adjust your Messenger settings to control who can message you directly vs. who has to send a request first before messaging you.
Being thoughtful about how you interact with others on Messenger can go a long way in preventing issues that lead to being blocked.
Conclusion
Being blocked on Messenger can make it very difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve messages that were sent to you before you were blocked. There are methods you can try like logging in from other devices, using alternate accounts, or contacting the person who blocked you, but none are guaranteed to work.
Your best bet is being proactive about saving important messages as they come in before there is an issue. You should also reflect on what behavior may have led to being blocked, and aim to prevent it in the future by being respectful to others on Messenger.
While irretrievable blocked messages are frustrating, do your best to take it as a learning experience and move forward in a positive way.