What are hidden Facebook messages?
Hidden Facebook messages refer to private messages on Facebook that are archived or filtered out of the main inbox view. There are a few different places where hidden messages may be found:
- Filtered Message Requests – Messages from people who are not friends with the recipient are filtered into the Message Requests folder. This contains messages from potential friends, people you may know, or even strangers who have messaged you. These messages do not show up in the main inbox but can be found in the Message Requests folder. There are typically notifications when new message requests come in.
- Archived Messages – Facebook allows users to archive messages by swiping to archive on mobile or using the drop-down menu to archive on desktop. Archived messages can be accessed from the menu bar by selecting Menu -> Archive. Archived messages no longer show up in the main inbox.
- Deleted Messages – Deleted messages are moved to the Trash folder. These can be recovered from the Trash for up to 30 days after being deleted. After 30 days, deleted messages are permanently removed. The Trash folder shows all recently deleted messages from inbox threads.
- Spam Messages – Messages marked as spam are filtered out. They can be found in the Spam folder, which collects all messages flagged as unwanted spam.
So in summary, the main hidden message folders are Message Requests, Archive, Trash and Spam. Messages in these folders do not appear in the inbox, acting as a way to filter out unwanted or old messages while still keeping them accessible if needed.
Why do hidden Facebook messages exist?
There are a few key reasons why Facebook has implemented hidden messages folders:
- Reduce Inbox Clutter – The inbox can easily get overflowing with old messages. Archiving and deleting messages helps keep the inbox focused on recent conversations.
- Control Spam – The Spam folder captures unwanted messages from strangers and bots to prevent the inbox from getting filled up.
- Review Message Requests – Message requests allow users to privately review messages from non-friends before accepting them as inbox messages.
- Recover Deleted Messages – The Trash folder enables users to recover accidentally deleted messages within 30 days.
Overall, the categories for hidden messages give users more control over managing their inbox while also providing a safety net to retrieve old, spam or deleted messages if needed. It separates out less important messages from the main inbox.
How can you access the hidden messages folders?
Accessing hidden Facebook messages is easy to do from both desktop and mobile:
On Mobile:
- Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Tap “See All”
- This will open the full message folder list including: Inbox, Requests, Archived, Trash, Spam
- Tap any folder to view messages
On Desktop:
- Click the Messenger icon (speech bubble) on the shortcuts bar
- On the left sidebar, choose from Inbox, Archived, Trash or Spam
- Message requests have a separate “Message Requests” shortcut on desktop
So on both mobile and desktop, the full list of message folders is readily available through the menu/sidebar.
How to recover and restore hidden Facebook messages
If you need to rescue a hidden message that has been archived, deleted or marked as spam, here is how to recover it:
Recover Archived messages
- Go to Archived folder
- Long press the message you want to recover
- Choose “Move to Inbox” to send it back
Restore Deleted messages
- Go to Trash folder
- Long press the message you want to restore
- Choose “Move to Inbox” to recover it
Retrieve Spam messages
- Go to Spam folder
- Long press the message you want to move back
- Choose “Move to Inbox” to return it
Messages can be recovered from the Archive, Trash and Spam folders using this technique. However, remember that permanently deleted messages can only be restored within 30 days, after which they are gone forever.
So be sure to rescue any important messages from the hidden folders within a month if you want to recover them.
How to enable Facebook message requests
Message requests contain messages from people who are not friends with you on Facebook. By default, message requests are filtered so you can privately choose who to accept messages from.
If you want all message requests to go directly to your inbox, you can enable this:
On Mobile:
- Go to Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Tap “Messages”
- Tap “Message Requests”
- Toggle “Message Requests” to off/gray.
On Desktop:
- Click down arrow at top right
- Choose “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Messages” on left sidebar
- Turn off “Filter Message Requests”
This will make all message requests go directly to the main inbox. Keep in mind you may get more unwanted messages this way.
How to filter Facebook messages into different folders
In addition to the default folders, you can create custom filters to automatically sort incoming Facebook messages:
On Mobile:
- Go to Menu > Filters
- Tap “Create New Filter”
- Name the filter
- Set rules, like specific people or keywords
- Pick folder to move rule-matching messages to
On Desktop:
- Click down arrow at top right
- Choose “Filters”
- Click “Create New Filter”
- Name the filter
- Set up rules for messages to filter
- Select folder to move filtered messages to
Custom filters are great for automatically organizing messages into folders. For example, you could filter family messages into a “Family” folder.
How to delete and restore hidden Facebook messages
If you want to permanently delete hidden messages from the Trash, Archive or Spam folders, here is how to delete them:
Delete on mobile:
- Press and hold the message thread
- Tap “Delete” to delete that message
- Tap delete again in the pop-up to confirm
Delete on desktop:
- Hover over the message thread
- Click the “X” icon to delete
- Click “Move to Trash” to confirm
These messages will be permanently deleted right away rather than moved to Trash.
However, you can still restore recently deleted messages:
- On mobile, shake your phone to undo the delete
- On desktop, click “Undo” immediately after deleting
But this undo option goes away after some time. So be careful when permanently deleting hidden messages!
Conclusion
Hidden Facebook messages exist in folders like Message Requests, Archive, Spam and Trash to help organize your inbox while retaining access to old or unwanted messages if needed. Make sure to check these folders on mobile and desktop regularly for any important messages. You can also customize filters to automatically sort incoming messages into folders. Just be aware that permanently deleted messages can only be recovered for up to 30 days. Understanding these hidden message folders gives you back more control over your Facebook messaging experience.
| Folder Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Message Requests | Messages from non-friends |
| Archive | Old messages removed from inbox |
| Trash | Deleted messages |
| Spam | Messages marked as spam |