Searching for a specific conversation in Facebook Messenger can be useful if you need to find an old message or media that was sent. With billions of users, Messenger stores a lot of data, so being able to quickly search and filter is important. There are a few different ways to search for conversations on both desktop and mobile.
Why Search Messenger Conversations?
Here are some common reasons you may want to search through your Messenger conversations:
- Find an old photo or file you shared
- Look up details about a past conversation like date, time, names
- Retrieve an important link or details that were sent
- Review conversations from a certain time period or with a specific person
- Find conversations you need to delete or archive
Being able to search through your Messenger history allows you to quickly find what you’re looking for among the many stored conversations.
Search Messenger on Desktop
If you need to find a Messenger conversation on your computer, here are the steps:
- Go to www.messenger.com and log into your Facebook account
- Click on the search bar at the top of the left column
- Type in a keyword or phrase to search for
- Results will start populating below the search bar
- Click on a conversation from the results to open it
Some things to note about desktop Messenger search:
- You can use names, words, phrases, dates to search
- Conversations with your search term will appear organized by date
- Select a conversation to view the messages in that thread
- You can refine the search using the filters like date range, names, etc
Overall, searching Messenger conversations on desktop is very simple. Just use the search box to find keywords, names, dates, etc and click on a thread to open it.
Messenger Desktop Search Filters
In addition to keyword searching, you can use the filters in the left column to refine your Messenger desktop search:
- Date – Select a custom date range like “Last week” or “Last month”
- Names – Search by the name of a specific person
- Group Conversations – Filter just group chats
- Non-Group Conversations – Filter just 1-on-1 chats
- Photos – Only view threads with photo attachments
- Files – Only view threads with file attachments
- Links – Only view threads with link attachments
Using these filters allows you to really customize your search and drill down to the specific conversation thread you need.
Search Messenger on Mobile
If you need to find a conversation on your iPhone, Android or other smartphone, here is how to search Messenger:
- Open the Facebook Messenger app
- Tap on your profile photo in the top left
- Tap on “Search in Messenger”
- Type in your search keyword or phrase
- Result will populate below, tap to open a conversation
Some things to note about mobile Messenger search:
- You can search names, words, phrases, emojis, dates
- Conversations will be organized by most recent messages
- You can scroll through all results in chronological order
- Tap a conversation to view the messages
Overall the process is very quick and easy for finding any Messenger conversation on your mobile device. Just use the built-in search feature to find keywords, names, dates, etc.
Messenger Mobile Search Filters
The mobile Messenger app also provides some useful filters to refine your search:
- Contacts – Search by name of a contact
- Non-Contacts – Search conversations with non-contacts
- Groups – Filter just group conversations
- Media – Only view threads with media attachments
- Links – Only view threads with links
These filters give you added control to really customize and drill down your mobile search.
Searching the Very First Messenger Conversation
If you need to find the very first conversation you ever had on Messenger, here are some tips:
- Think back to when you first started using Facebook Messenger
- Who was the first person you recall chatting with?
- Search for their name in Messenger using the steps above
- Look for the oldest conversation thread with their name
- That is likely your first conversation on Messenger!
Some other steps that may help track down your first Messenger chat:
- Check your Facebook history for the date you likely started using Messenger
- Use the date filter in Messenger to search conversations from that time period
- Look for your oldest friends / contacts in the results
- Open conversations to identify the very first thread
Reconstructing your digital life that far back can be challenging! But with some effort you can use Messenger search to find those original conversations.
Why Look for Your First Messenger Chat?
Here are some reasons you may want to find your first ever Messenger conversation:
- Feeling nostalgic about old friends
- Want a glimpse into your digital history
- Looking for someone you have lost contact with
- Need evidence of a past conversation
- Just curious about your early social media use
Whatever the reason, it can be an interesting digital archaeology project to try uncovering your first Messenger chat!
Conclusion
In summary, here are some key points for searching your Messenger conversations:
- Use desktop search bar or mobile search option
- Keywords, names, phrases, emojis all work
- Filter by date, names, groups, etc
- Open a conversation thread to view messages
- Finding your very first chat takes some digital sleuthing
Messenger stores years of conversations, so being able to search and filter them efficiently is really useful. With billions of users, there is a lot of data to sort through! Hopefully these tips make it fast and simple to find any old Messenger conversation you need.
Let me know if you have any other questions!