Common reasons for Facebook chats deleting
There are a few common reasons why Facebook chats may be deleting:
You or the other person deleted the messages
The most obvious reason chats are disappearing is because you or the other person in the conversation deleted the messages. This can happen intentionally if someone wants to remove a conversation, or unintentionally if they cleared their message history.
On Facebook Messenger, you can delete a message just for yourself by selecting the message and choosing “Remove for You.” If you choose “Remove for Everyone,” it will delete the message for both you and the recipient. So if you notice messages missing, it’s possible the other person removed them.
Your message history and log settings
Facebook lets you control how long your messages are retained in your chat history. You can set messages to stay in your history forever, or have them delete after 24 hours or 1 hour.
If you have your chat history set to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time, this will cause your older chats to disappear as new ones come in.
To check your message log settings:
1. Open the Facebook Messenger app
2. Tap on your profile photo in the top left
3. Go to Preferences
4. Tap on Message Log Settings
Here you can update the length of time messages are stored before automatic deletion.
Facebook glitches
Sometimes Facebook chats can disappear due to random glitches or bugs in the app. The platform has billions of users, so errors are bound to occur from time to time that can cause message history to be lost.
If you notice entire conversations erased out of the blue, it may be the result of a Facebook glitch rather than intentional deleting. Try restarting the app and your device to see if that fixes it.
You were blocked by the other person
If you can no longer find a conversation with someone on Messenger, it could be because they blocked you. When someone blocks you on Facebook, it removes your entire chat history with that person.
You won’t get any notification if you’ve been blocked, the messages will just mysteriously vanish. Check if you can still view the person’s Facebook profile. If not, that indicates you’ve been blocked and it erased your messages.
The other person deactivated Facebook
Similarly, if the person you were chatting with deactivated their Facebook account, it will remove your conversation as their account no longer exists. All messages exchanged with someone are deleted when they deactivate.
Try checking their profile to confirm if they are still on Facebook or not. If their account is gone, that is why your chat history together has disappeared.
How to recover deleted Facebook messages
If important Facebook messages were mistakenly erased, you may be eager to retrieve them. Here are some methods to try recovering deleted Facebook chats:
Check Facebook message requests
If one of you deleted a conversation, the messages may be hidden rather than permanently erased. Go to the Message Requests folder and see if your missing chats are in there.
Messages can get directed to the Message Requests inbox rather than your primary inbox for various reasons. So it’s possible your conversation is still intact here.
Use a chat history recovery app
Third party apps like FoneLab Chat Recovery and DiskDigger can scour your device storage for residual traces of deleted Facebook conversations. They can retrieve messenger chats even if the person or Facebook itself deleted them.
However, this only works if the messages were initially saved to your device cache before deletion. The longer ago it was erased, the lower the odds of data recovery apps finding it.
Ask the sender to forward the conversation
If you believe the other person in the chat deleted the messages, politely ask them to send you the conversation again. Assuming they still have the chat history intact on their end, they can simply forward the messages back to you.
This allows you to recover the deleted Facebook conversation if it was accidentally or intentionally erased from your inbox.
Check Facebook data archive
You can download a copy of your Facebook data archive, which contains your full history on the platform. Facebook chat logs get saved in this archive, even for deleted messages.
To see your Facebook data archive:
1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
2. Click Your Facebook Information in the left column
3. View Download Your Information
4. Select Create New Download
5. When the download is ready, open the “messages” folder
This lets you look through your deleted and sent message history as long as it was still archived by Facebook.
How to prevent Facebook chats from deleting
To avoid your Facebook messages mysteriously disappearing again, here are some tips:
Turn off auto-delete settings
As mentioned earlier, ensure your Facebook message log settings are not configured to automatically delete older messages after a set timeframe. Set messages to save forever.
Frequently back up your chat history
Get in the routine of backing up your Facebook data archive regularly. This acts as a safeguard if messages get deleted for any reason.
Use a chat backup app
Apps like TeraCopy automatically back up new chats and media from Facebook Messenger, so you have separate archives being continually updated.
Avoid deleting conversations unless necessary
Be careful when using the “Remove for Everyone” option to erase Facebook messages. Only delete entire conversations if you have a specific reason to.
Watch for signs you were blocked
Pay attention if a chat partner suddenly becomes unsearchable or their profile vanishes. This signals you may have been blocked, resulting in erased message history.
Why Facebook might delete chats
In some cases, Facebook itself will proactively delete messages for reasons like:
Inactivity
Facebook may clear out inactive chats that have been untouched for many months or years, to declutter your inbox.
Suspicious content
If your chat contains content violating Facebook’s rules around spam, harassment, illegal activities, etc. they may remove those message threads.
Banned users
If a chat partner gets banned from Facebook for policy violations, it can result in your conversations with them getting erased.
Acquisitions
When Facebook acquires a messaging company like WhatsApp, old chats may get deleted when transitioning the accounts over to Facebook’s infrastructure.
Should I be concerned if my Facebook chats disappeared?
In most cases, you don’t need to be alarmed if some of your older Facebook conversations have vanished. As covered above, there are many logical reasons this can occur that are not catastrophic:
– You or a chat partner intentionally deleted messages
– Your auto-delete settings are pruning older chats
– The other person deactivated their account
– A glitch caused temporary message loss
– You were blocked by someone
However, if you notice entire conversations constantly going missing from your inbox without explanation, that could signal issues like:
– Suspicious deletions from a chat partner
– A hacker accessed your account and erased chats
– A system issue causing repeated message loss
Significant losses of Facebook messages without reason merit investigating further, in case it is due to a more serious underlying problem. But an occasional disappearing conversation here and there is not too concerning.
Conclusion
Facebook chat history disappearing is often just a minor annoyance rather than cause for alarm. Messages get deleted for many mundane reasons like spring cleaning your inbox or someone removing their account. With the right recovery tactics, you can usually resurrect accidentally erased conversations.
To minimize chat losses, be cautious when deleting messages permanently. Also back up your Facebook data regularly in case you ever need to restore deleted information. With the huge volume of messages sent daily, some hiccups are inevitable on a platform of this scale. But in most cases, deleted chats are recoverable or not worth worrying about.