There are a few common reasons why you may be having issues sending or receiving private messages on Facebook:
You have messaging turned off
The most obvious reason your private messages aren’t working is because you have messaging disabled. To check if messaging is enabled:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
- Click on “Settings”
- Go to the “Messaging” section
- Ensure “Who can send you Facebook messages?” is not set to “No One”
If “No One” is selected, simply change it to “Everyone” or “Friends” to re-enable messaging.
Your account is restricted
If your account has been restricted by Facebook for violating their policies, your ability to send private messages may be temporarily limited. This is often accompanied by a notification explaining the restriction when you try to access messaging.
To restore full access, you’ll need to resolve whatever issue caused the restriction on your account. This may involve removing content that violated Facebook’s rules, confirming your identity if they suspect your account is fake, or taking other requested actions.
The person you’re messaging has messaging turned off
If the specific person you’re trying to message isn’t receiving your messages, they may have messaging turned off on their end. There’s unfortunately nothing you can do to fix this – you’ll need to contact them outside of Facebook messaging to let them know they need to re-enable it.
You aren’t connected to the person on Facebook
On Facebook, you can only send private messages to friends who you are connected with on the platform. If you aren’t friends with someone, Facebook won’t allow you to privately message them.
To fix this, you’ll need to send a friend request and have them accept it before messaging is enabled between your accounts.
You’ve been blocked
If a Facebook friend has blocked you, it will also prevent you from being able to message them. Like having messaging disabled, there’s nothing you can do on your end to resolve this – the other person will need to unblock you for messaging to be reinstated.
The message includes prohibited content
Facebook filters private messages for content that violates their policies, such as spam, hate speech, nudity etc. If your message contains prohibited content, Facebook may block it from being delivered.
Review the message you’re attempting to send and ensure it complies with Facebook’s rules. You may need to remove any problematic content before the message can be properly sent.
There’s a temporary technical issue
Like any website or platform, Facebook can occasionally experience technical glitches on their end that cause issues with messaging. Problems sending or receiving messages may indicate an outage or bug that Facebook needs to resolve.
Check Facebook’s Help Center and Downdetector to see if others are reporting problems with Facebook messaging. If it appears to be a wider technical problem, the best option is to wait it out until Facebook fixes it on their end.
Your account is temporarily locked
If you’ve entered your Facebook password incorrectly several times, your account may become temporarily locked as a security precaution. This will prevent access to messaging until you successfully unlock it.
To unlock your account, you need to correctly enter the confirmation code or password reset link sent to your email on file. Once your account is unlocked, messaging capabilities will be restored.
The message was flagged as spam
Facebook employs filters to try and automatically detect spam messages. In some cases, legitimate messages may get accidentally flagged.
This is more likely if you’re sending a similar message to a lot of users at once. Try changing up the message content and only sending to a few people at a time to see if it goes through.
You can also report the issue to Facebook so they can tweak their spam detection algorithms.
You’ve exceeded your daily or monthly message limit
To limit spam and abuse, Facebook limits the number of messages you can send per day or per month, especially if you aren’t connected to the recipients. If you go over this limit, your ability to message will be temporarily blocked.
Give it some time for the limit to reset (24 hours for the daily limit, and a month for the monthly limit). You may be able to increase your limit by adding more friends on Facebook.
Your message contains a blocked link
Facebook blocks certain links from being shared in private messages, including links to malware, phishing sites, or other dangerous content. If your message includes a prohibited link, it won’t be sent.
Try removing any links and just including text in your message. If you need to share a specific blocked link, you’ll have to find an alternative method outside of Facebook messaging.
You’re using a restricted word or phrase
Facebook maintains a list of words and phrases that are prohibited from being sent in messages. This includes offensive language, racist terms, and other abusive content.
If your message includes any restricted words or phrases, Facebook will block it from being delivered. Review your message and remove any potentially problematic terms or language.
You’re messaging someone under 18 and you’re an adult
Facebook restricts adults from privately messaging minors who they aren’t connected with in real life. So if you try to message a Facebook friend who is under 18 and you aren’t friends/family outside the platform, it will fail.
This is a protective measure for minors on Facebook. To message minors you aren’t directly connected with, you need to have a legitimate reason and get consent from their parents.
You’ve been restricted from messaging
In some cases, Facebook may apply restrictions that prevent you from messaging any users for a period of time. This is typically done if you’ve severely or repeatedly violated their messaging policies.
You should receive a notification explaining the details of the restriction. Once the set time period passes, your ability to message others will be restored.
Conclusion
There are a variety of potential reasons why Facebook private messaging may stop functioning correctly. The most common problems can be traced to disabled messaging, blocked users, restrictions on your account, or temporary technical issues.
Try the troubleshooting tips outlined above to identify and resolve the specific problem you’re experiencing. This will get Facebook messaging working again so you can stay connected.
If the issues persist for more than a few days, you may need to report the problem to Facebook support so they can further investigate on their end. Be sure to provide details on exactly when the messaging problems started and any error messages you may see.
With some detective work and patience, Facebook messaging can be restored so you don’t miss important conversations and connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I send Facebook messages to my friends?
There are several possible reasons why you may not be able to send Facebook messages to your friends:
- Your messaging privileges have been suspended or restricted due to violating Facebook policies
- Your friend has messaging turned off in their Facebook settings
- Your friend has blocked you from sending them messages
- You’ve exceeded your daily or monthly message send limit
- Your message contains blocked or prohibited content
- There is a temporary technical issue or outage with Facebook messaging
Why am I not receiving Facebook messages?
If you aren’t receiving Facebook messages, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Check that you have messaging enabled in your Facebook settings
- Make sure you haven’t blocked the sender
- See if the messages are going to your Message Requests folder
- Look for Facebook notifications indicating your account is restricted
- Try messaging yourself from another account to test if messaging is working
- Report the issue to Facebook if the problem persists
How do I re-enable Facebook messaging?
If your Facebook messaging become disabled, follow these steps to re-enable:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on the Messaging tab
- Under “Who can send you Facebook messages?”, choose “Everyone” or “Friends”
- Save your settings
Messaging should now be turned back on. Check by sending a test message to a friend.
Why can’t I see my Facebook messages?
If you can’t view your Facebook messages, try these steps:
- Refresh your Facebook page
- Check your internet connection
- Make sure you’re logged into the correct Facebook account
- Clear your Facebook history and cookies
- Try accessing messages from both desktop and mobile
- Restart your device or browser
If the issue persists across devices, report the problem to Facebook for further troubleshooting.
How do I fix Facebook Messenger not working?
To fix issues with Facebook Messenger:
- Force close and restart the Messenger app
- Check for Android or iOS updates and update if available
- Toggle cellular data or WiFi connection
- Clear the Messenger app cache and data
- Uninstall and reinstall the Messenger app
- Log out then log back into Messenger
If still not working, the issue may be on Facebook’s end. Check their status page or contact support.
Why are my Facebook messages going to Message Requests?
Facebook messages may go to Message Requests rather than your main inbox if:
- You aren’t friends with the sender
- You only recently became friends
- The sender has restricted privacy settings
- The message contains suspicious links or content
- The sender has a history of messaging violations
Review your Message Requests folder and accept any messages you want to move to your regular inbox.
How do I delete Facebook messages?
To delete Facebook messages:
- Open the conversation containing the message
- Hover over the message and click the “X” icon
- Click Delete to confirm
To delete full conversations, click the More Options menu at the top and select Delete Conversation.
Why can’t I find my Facebook messages?
If you can’t find a Facebook message, try:
- Searching your inboxes and Message Requests
- Filtering conversations by sender
- Checking your archived messages
- Viewing messages on desktop if on mobile, or vice versa
- Contacting the sender to resend the message
Make sure to also check your email spam folder in case message notifications were directed there.
| Error Message | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Can’t send message right now. Please try again later. | Temporary technical issue | Wait and try sending again later |
| Couldn’t send message. Recipient is not accepting messages right now. | Recipient has messaging turned off | Contact recipient outside Facebook |
| Message could not be sent because you have hit your daily or monthly limit. | Exceeded send limit | Wait for reset or add friends |
| Your message couldn’t be sent because it includes content that other people on Facebook have reported as abusive. | Prohibited content | Remove prohibited content |
Still need help?
If you’ve tried the steps outlined here but are still having issues sending or receiving Facebook messages, your best bet is to directly contact Facebook support. Describe your problem in detail and they should be able to further troubleshoot and resolve the situation.