There is no official Facebook extension that allows you to delete messages. However, there are a few third-party browser extensions that claim to provide this functionality.
Can you delete Facebook messages?
Yes, it is possible to delete Facebook messages, but with some limitations. When you delete a message you sent, it will be removed from your inbox and the recipient’s inbox. However, if the recipient already saw the message, they will still have access to it in their message history. There is no way to fully delete a message from someone else’s inbox once they have already seen it.
Why would you want to delete Facebook messages?
There are a few reasons why someone may want to delete their Facebook messages:
- To remove messages containing sensitive or private information
- To clear old conversations and declutter your inbox
- If you accidentally sent an embarrassing or inappropriate message
- To cover your tracks if you are worried about someone seeing your conversations
While you can’t fully delete messages others have already seen, deleting your copy of the messages can give you some peace of mind and allow you to start fresh.
Browser extensions for deleting Facebook messages
Here are some third-party browser extensions that claim to allow deleting Facebook messages:
Delete Message for Facebook
This Chrome extension is designed to let you delete your messages from both your inbox and the recipient’s inbox, even if they already saw it. It does this by deleting the message and then sending a “message recalled” notice to replace it.
Remove Message for Facebook
Another Chrome extension that claims to permanently delete Facebook messages from yours and other people’s inboxes. It deletes the message itself and removes it from the conversation thread.
Social Book Post Manager
A Facebook post manager for Chrome that says it allows you to delete messages you’ve sent, even after they have been seen. It works by deleting the message and sending a fake “unavailable” message in its place.
FB Message Remover
This Firefox add-on is designed to find and delete unwanted Facebook messages, both from your inbox and your contacts’ inboxes. You can filter which messages to delete by keyword, date, or contact name.
Do these Facebook delete extensions actually work?
The ability of these third-party extensions to delete Facebook messages, especially from other people’s inboxes, is dubious and most likely exaggerated. Here are some reasons to be skeptical:
- Once a message is seen, it is stored in Facebook’s database and cannot be fully deleted by third-party tools.
- These extensions likely only delete the message from your view, not the recipient’s inbox.
- Facebook does not allow direct access to delete messages due to privacy and security concerns.
- User reports indicate these message delete extensions fail to work as advertised.
So in summary, while these extensions may be able to remove messages from your view, they cannot force deletion from other people’s inboxes once read. The best they can do is delete your copy and send some kind of fake recall notice.
Can you get banned from Facebook for using these extensions?
Possibly, although the risk seems low. Here are some potential ways these extensions could get you banned:
- Violating Facebook’s terms of service, which prohibit accessing accounts without permission.
- Spamming inboxes with fake recall notices or unavailable messages.
- Deleting messages involved in harassment, bullying, or other policy violations.
- Automated bot-like behavior that raises spam/abuse flags.
That said, there are not many reports of actual bans resulting from these browser extensions. But be aware that you are using them at your own risk.
Ethical considerations of using message delete extensions
Before using these tools, think carefully about the ethics of deleting messages from conversations:
- It removes context and a record of what was said from the other person’s view.
- The other person did not consent to having messages secretly deleted.
- It may be morally questionable depending on your motivations and the conversation topic.
- These tools could be misused by bad actors to hide inappropriate behavior.
While you may want to remove an embarrassing or regretful message from your own view, deleting it without the recipient’s knowledge raises some ethical red flags. Use good judgment.
What does Facebook say about deleting messages?
According to Facebook’s Help Center:
- You can only delete messages you have sent, not ones received.
- Deleting a message removes it from your inbox and the recipient’s inbox.
- If the recipient has already seen the message, deleting it will not remove it from their message history.
- There is no way to delete Facebook messages from another person’s message history.
So officially, Facebook does not acknowledge the existence of any third-party message deletion tools and says there is no way to remove messages viewed by the recipient.
What are some alternatives to message deletion extensions?
If you want to maintain control over your Facebook messaging without using questionable browser extensions, here are some options:
- Be more careful and thoughtful before sending any message.
- Edit or delete a message quickly before the recipient has seen it.
- Archive conversations to clear past messages from your inbox view.
- In request, ask recipient to delete certain messages from a conversation.
- Delete and reinstall the Facebook app to wipe your message history.
While not as convenient, these alternatives help selective remove messages without ethically dubious automated deletion.
Conclusion
In summary, while third-party Facebook message delete extensions do exist, they likely exaggerate their claims and cannot fully purge conversations from other people’s inboxes. Use them at your own risk, both technically and ethically. Instead, be more thoughtful about the messages you send and utilize Facebook’s built-in delete features appropriately. Maintaining positive relationships and trust should take priority over trying to cover your digital tracks.