Common reasons for undelivered Facebook messages
There are a few common reasons why a Facebook message you send may not be delivered:
Recipient’s message settings
The recipient may have their messaging settings adjusted so they do not receive all messages. They can adjust settings to only receive messages from friends, friends of friends, or smaller friend lists. If you are not in one of these allowed categories, your message will not be delivered.
Recipient has blocked you
If the recipient has blocked you, messages you send them will not be delivered. You will not get any failure notification that the person has blocked you. Your messages will simply not go through.
Recipient’s inbox is full
Facebook imposes a limit on how many unread messages a person can have in their inbox. This limit is currently 5,000 unread messages. If the recipient has hit that limit, new messages will bounce back and be undeliverable until they clear out some of those 5,000 conversations.
Temporary technical issues
Facebook’s servers may rarely experience temporary technical issues that prevent some messages from going through. These are usually resolved within a few hours. If the issue persists, it may be due to another cause on this list.
Recipient deactivated their account
If the recipient deactivated their Facebook account, your messages will not be delivered to them. You will not get a failure notification when this happens. The messages will simply fail to send.
You have been restricted
In some cases, Facebook itself may restrict your ability to message people. This can happen if you have sent excessive unsolicited messages in the past that were reported as spam. You will be notified with on-screen prompts if direct messaging abilities have been limited or revoked.
Less common reasons messages may fail
The situations below are less common reasons a Facebook message may not reach the intended recipient:
Incorrect profile URL
When trying to start a new conversation, make sure you have the exact, correct profile URL of the person you want to message. Even slight inaccuracies can lead to a non-delivery error. Double check the URL before hitting send.
Non-existent recipient account
On rare occasions, the profile you are trying to message may not exist. The account may have been deleted altogether. Sending messages to a non-existent account will result in delivery failures.
Network connection issues
A poor internet connection on your end or the recipient’s end can interfere with message sending. Check your network strength and try sending again when connections improve.
Temporary Facebook bug
Like any software, Facebook may have temporary bugs that affect messaging. Coders are constantly working to squash bugs. If an undelivered message issue lasts more than a few hours, it is likely not caused by a bug.
Facebook maintenance downtime
During Facebook’s scheduled maintenance periods, some features like messaging may be unavailable. This scheduled downtime is infrequent and typically occurs overnight. Messages will send as normal once maintenance is complete.
Ways to troubleshoot and fix undelivered Facebook messages
If your Facebook messages are not going through, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:
Refresh the page
Refresh your browser page and try sending the message again. A simple page refresh can resolve many temporary glitches.
Check for notifications
Open your notifications panel by clicking the globe icon in the top toolbar. You may see notifications about messages failing to send due to the recipient’s settings.
Use desktop messaging
Try sending the message from Facebook’s desktop site instead of mobile. Desktop messaging sometimes works when mobile fails.
Update your Facebook app
If you are trying to send messages from the Facebook mobile app, make sure you have the latest version. Older versions may be more prone to bugs.
Check your internet connection
Make sure you have a stable internet connection on both your device and the recipient’s device. Poor connections cause failed message deliveries.
Turn your device off and on
Power cycle your device by turning it fully off and back on. This resets components and can resolve temporary glitches preventing message sending.
Contact Facebook support
If no other troubleshooting works, you can contact Facebook’s customer support for additional help. Be prepared with any error message details.
Wait and try again later
In some cases, you may simply need to wait a while and attempt to resend the message later. Technical issues are often temporary.
Use Facebook’s delivery receipts feature
To prevent uncertainties about message deliveries in the future, make sure delivery receipts are enabled:
On desktop
1. Open Facebook in a desktop web browser and log into your account.
2. Click the down arrow at the top right and select “Settings & Privacy”
3. Click “Settings” in the left menu.
4. Select “Messaging” from the left menu.
5. Under the Message Delivery heading, click “Yes” for “Send Read Receipts”
On Android
1. Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line menu button.
2. Select “Settings & Privacy”
3. Tap “Settings”
4. Tap “Media and Contacts”
5. Enable “Send Read Receipts”
On iPhone
1. Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line menu button.
2. Scroll down and select “Settings & Privacy”
3. Select “Settings”
4. Tap “Media and Contacts”
5. Slide the switch for “Send Read Receipts” to the On position
With read receipts enabled, you will see notifications when your messages are opened by recipients. This confirms successful delivery.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting undelivered Facebook messages involves checking common issues like recipient settings, blocked accounts, and technical glitches. Enabling delivery receipts can also provide delivery confirmation in the future. With the above tips, you can isolate and resolve any messages that fail to send successfully. Consistent two-way communication with friends and family is a core part of the Facebook experience.
| Reason | Solution |
|---|---|
| Recipient’s message settings | No solution – you cannot override their settings |
| Recipient has blocked you | No solution – you cannot message someone who has blocked you |
| Recipient’s inbox is full | Wait for recipient to clear some messages |
| Temporary technical issues | Wait and try sending again later |
| Recipient deactivated account | No solution – cannot message deactivated accounts |
| You have been restricted by Facebook | Appeal the restriction with Facebook support |
| Incorrect profile URL | Double check and correct the profile URL |
| Non-existent recipient account | No solution – account does not exist to message |
| Network connection issues | Improve internet connection and try again |
| Temporary Facebook bug | Wait for bug fix and try again |
| Facebook maintenance downtime | Try again after scheduled maintenance completes |
Summary of troubleshooting tips
Here is a quick summary of tips to troubleshoot and fix undelivered Facebook messages:
– Refresh page and resend message
– Check notifications for delivery failure notices
– Try messaging from desktop instead of mobile
– Update to latest Facebook app version
– Check internet connections on both devices
– Power cycle your device
– Contact Facebook support if needed
– Wait and try again later
– Enable delivery receipts to confirm future deliveries
With a combination of technical fixes and allowing time for temporary issues to resolve, you can get your important Facebook messages to send successfully. Communication on the platform should not be disrupted.