Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps, allowing billions of users to easily connect and communicate. However, over time, message threads can become cluttered with old or irrelevant messages that you may want to delete. Fortunately, Messenger provides a simple way to mass delete messages from both sides of the conversation at once.
Why Delete Old Messages on Messenger?
Here are some common reasons you may want to delete old Messenger messages:
- Clear out old, irrelevant conversations
- Save storage space on your device
- Remove sensitive/private information
- Start fresh with a contact
Deleting messages can give you a clean slate and make conversations easier to navigate. It also frees up storage space on your device over time.
What Gets Deleted When You Delete Messenger Messages?
When you delete Messenger messages:
- Messages are deleted from both sides of the conversation immediately
- Messages are removed from the Messenger app on all devices for both recipients
- Messages are deleted from the Messenger server
In essence, the messages disappear entirely as if they were never sent. The conversation thread will remain, but the message content will be erased.
How to Delete Messenger Messages from Both Sides
Follow these simple steps to easily mass delete Messenger messages from a conversation:
- Open the Messenger app and go to the conversation with messages you want to delete.
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen to open the conversation info.
- Scroll down and tap “Delete Conversation.”
- Confirm that you want to delete the conversation.
This will immediately wipe the entire conversation thread clean of any messages for both you and the recipient. The conversation itself will still be there, but all previous messages will be permanently erased.
Other Ways to Delete Messenger Messages
In addition to deleting full conversations, you also have a few other options for deleting Messenger messages:
- Delete single messages – Tap and hold on a specific message, then choose “Delete.” This only deletes that individual message.
- Delete messages for yourself – Open the conversation info and toggle “Delete Conversation For Me.” This deletes the entire thread only on your side.
- Report conversation to delete – Tap on the contact’s name, choose “Report Conversation,” then select “Delete Conversation” as the reason.
Tips for Deleting Messenger Messages
Keep these tips in mind when deleting Messenger conversations and messages:
- Deletion is permanent – there is no trash or recycle bin.
- Both sides must have the latest version of Messenger.
- It may take up to 10 minutes to sync across devices.
- If you only delete messages on your side, the other person can still see them.
- You can only delete full conversations on group chats.
How Long Do Deleted Messenger Messages Stay on Servers?
When you delete Messenger messages or conversations, the content is immediately removed from the Messenger servers. There is no period where deleted messages continue to live in server backups or storage.
This makes deletion very permanent. Once a Messenger message is deleted, it’s essentially wiped from existence across devices and servers.
Can Deleted Messenger Messages Be Recovered?
Unfortunately, once Messenger messages have been deleted, they are gone for good. There is currently no way to recover deleted messages in Messenger.
A few points on deleted message recovery:
- Messenger does not have a trash or archives folder where deleted content is stored.
- There are no native tools to undelete or retrieve deleted messages.
- Third-party apps also cannot recover deleted Messenger messages.
For these reasons, double check before deleting Messenger messages. Once they’re gone, they’re likely gone forever.
Does Deleting Messenger Messages Also Delete Photos?
Yes, deleting a Messenger conversation will also permanently delete any photos, videos, GIFs, audio, or other media content attached to messages within that thread.
This content will be removed from the conversation on all devices and Messenger servers. It will no longer be accessible in Messenger at all.
However, if the media files were saved or backed up outside of Messenger, deleting the messages will not delete those copies. For example:
- Photos saved to your phone’s storage will not be deleted.
- GIFs and videos saved to your camera roll will remain.
- Audio messages backed up to your computer will still be there.
So you can delete the Messenger messages containing them without losing your original media files. Only the copies embedded in the messages will disappear.
Consequences of Messenger Message Deletion
Before embarking on mass deleting Messenger messages, be aware of the potential consequences:
- Valuable memories or information will be lost if not backed up elsewhere.
- It may disrupt or permanently remove meaningful conversations.
- Others may be confused or upset if their messages mysteriously disappear.
- Evidence or records of conversations will be wiped out.
In many cases, these consequences are manageable or worth clearing out old message clutter. But consider the impacts carefully before deleting.
When Not to Delete Messenger Messages
Some situations where you likely want to avoid deleting Messenger messages include:
- Ongoing important conversations you want to keep.
- Messages needed for evidence or records.
- Historically meaningful or sentimental conversations.
- Where other people need access to the messages.
Deleting messages is not reversible, so preserve conversations if needed for the future.
How Do I Temporarily Archive Messenger Messages?
If you don’t want to permanently delete old Messenger messages but need them out of the way, archiving is a handy temporary solution.
Here are a couple options to archive Messenger conversations:
- Mute thread notifications – Open the conversation, tap the name, and mute notifications. This keeps messages out of your main inbox.
- Bookmarks – Tap the bookmark icon on a conversation to file it away in Bookmarks. This removes clutter without deleting.
- Manual archives – Create a Messenger group or folder to manually move conversations for archiving.
This achieves the benefit of cleaning up your inbox while still preserving the full conversation contents if ever needed again.
Conclusion
Deleting Messenger messages from both sides is straightforward – just delete the full conversation thread. This permanently erases the messages across devices and servers, removing clutter while freeing up space. Consider backing up sentimental conversations, and use archiving if you just need to clear out inactive message threads temporarily. With Messenger’s deletion feature, you can easily clean up your messaging interface while discarding outdated or unnecessary conversations.