Viewing past Facebook Messenger notifications can be useful for recalling conversations or checking if you missed any messages. Facebook’s Messenger app doesn’t have a built-in feature to revisit notifications, but there are a few workarounds to see your notification history.
Checking Notification History on iPhone
If you have an iPhone, you can view a log of your past notifications through the Apple Screen Time feature. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select Screen Time.
- Tap See All Activity.
- Select the Notifications tab at the top.
This will display a list of all notifications you’ve received on your iPhone, organized by app. You can tap the Messenger link to see your past notifications from the app.
Keep in mind the Screen Time notification history only goes back up to 10 days maximum. So this method won’t show older Messenger notifications beyond that time frame.
Using Third-Party Apps on iPhone
If you need to retrieve Messenger notifications older than 10 days on an iPhone, you’ll need a third-party app. Some options include:
- Notification History Log: Saves a complete history of all notifications from any app. You can search and filter the notifications.
- NotiSave: Lets you export chat notifications to CSV or TXT files which can be viewed in other apps.
- Memo: Acts as an inbox for notifications with history search and unlimited backups.
Checking Notification History on Android
Unlike iPhone, Android natively allows access to your full notification archive. To view past Messenger notifications on Android:
- Open the Settings app.
- Select Apps & notifications.
- Tap Notifications.
- Tap Notification history.
You’ll then see a list of all apps that have sent notifications. Tapping Messenger will display all of your past notifications from the app.
By default, Android stores up to 7 days of notification history. But you can expand this by enabling the “Never delete notification history” option in Notification history settings.
Using Third-Party Apps on Android
Here are some third-party apps that provide additional ways to save and access old Messenger notifications on Android:
- Notification History: Saves a log of notifications including chat messages, with full text search.
- Notification Saver: Lets you export notifications as text files.
- Notify Buddy: Functions as a notification inbox with easy filtering tools.
Viewing Archived Conversations
Another option for checking older Messenger history is to look at your archived conversations:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Select Archived threads.
This will display any conversations you’ve archived within Messenger. The full chat history will be available, providing a way to see old messages and notifications.
Searching Messenger Data on Desktop
The Messenger website interface (www.messenger.com) provides more robust search tools and often has deeper historical data than the mobile apps.
From a desktop browser, you can search for keywords or filter by date ranges to uncover old messages and notifications. Just use the search bar at the top of your Messenger window.
One limitation is that Messenger only syncs the last few months of mobile data to the desktop view by default. But you can expand this history by enabling Extended Chat History in Settings.
Using Facebook Data Download
If you need to retrieve Messenger notifications older than what’s available in the app interfaces and history logs, you can request an archive of your Facebook data.
Here’s how to do a Facebook data download:
- Go to the Facebook Settings page while logged into your account.
- Click on Your Facebook Information in the left menu.
- Select Download Your Information.
- Choose JSON as the format.
- Select the date range you want data for.
- Make sure Messages is checked in the categories to download.
- Click Create File to start the data download process.
Facebook can take up to a few days to compile your archive and notify you when it’s ready to download. It will include your full message history from the selected time period as JSON files.
You can then search the JSON files for any old Messenger notifications. Just keep in mind the download only includes data that hasn’t been deleted from your account.
Using a Messenger Backup File
If you previously made a manual backup of your Messenger data on mobile or desktop, you may have an archive file containing your notification history.
On iOS, you can backup Messenger by going to Settings > Chat > Chat Backup > Back Up Now. This creates a file on iCloud Drive.
On Android, enable Chat backups in Messenger settings, then locate the backup files in internal storage > Android > media > com.facebook.orca > chat_backups.
On desktop, you can export a backup zip file from the More menu. Recovering notifications requires restoring one of these archives to the app and searching through your chat history.
Asking the Sender to Resend
If you need to retrieve the content of an old Messenger notification that’s no longer accessible through any of the methods above, your last option is to ask the sender to resend the message.
Let them know the approximate date the notification occurred, and any context about what it contained or what you were discussing at the time. Hopefully this jogs their memory so they can summarize or copy the old message content into a new one.
This isn’t ideal, but can work if the notification you need was very recent and the sender recalls the details. Just explain why you need them to resend it.
Turning On Notification History
To avoid running into this problem in the future, you can start saving your Messenger notifications automatically with notification history:
- iOS: Use a third-party app like NotiSave or Memo to continuously log notifications.
- Android: Enable Never delete notification history in Settings.
- Messenger Desktop: Turn on Chat History Backup in Settings to store all notifications.
With ongoing notification logs, you’ll always be able to look back on past Messenger alerts and messages when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Messenger have a notifications archive?
No, Messenger itself does not have a built-in archive or log of past notifications. However, iOS and Android provide some ability to retrieve notification history natively. And third-party apps can save an unlimited history of Messenger notifications.
Why can’t I see old Messenger notifications on iPhone?
The iPhone’s native Screen Time notification history only goes back 10 days maximum. To see older Messenger alerts, you’ll need a third-party app or to restore a backup file containing chat history.
How far back does Messenger sync history on desktop?
Messenger desktop apps sync up to the last few months of notification data by default. You can extend the synced history by enabling Extended Chat History in Messenger Settings.
Can I export Messenger notifications to view later?
On Android, you can export your Messenger notifications to a file using apps like Notification Saver. On iOS and desktop Messenger, third-party utilities allow saving notifications as exportable archives or plain text logs.
What if I deleted the notification I need to check?
If you’ve already deleted the notification from your Messenger history, your only option is to ask the sender to manually send it to you again if possible. Enabling ongoing notification logging can prevent this issue in the future.
The Takeaway
Reviewing old Messenger notifications requires using notification history built into your smartphone OS, third-party logging apps, searching Messenger archives, or data downloads.
Activating notification logging is recommended so you always have access to past Messenger alerts when needed. With an archive in place, you get peace of mind that important notifications won’t be lost forever.