Recover Deleted Facebook Messages: 4 Ways to Get Them Back

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Options to try if you accidentally deleted a message

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: August 5, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Recover Archived Messages
|
• Ask the Other Person
|
• Check Your Downloaded Data
|
• Back Up Messages in the Future
|
• Video
|
• Q&A

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Did you delete a Facebook message that you meant to keep? Don't worry, there's hope! This wikiHow article will help you find ways to recover your deleted Facebook messages, as well as how to prevent message loss in the future.

Reading Erased Facebook Messages

If you accidentally erased a Facebook message, you may be able to restore it from the Messenger archive. To do so, go to ☰ > Archive, swipe left or long-press the chat, and tap Unarchive. If it's not in the archive, ask the person you were talking to for a screenshot, or find it in your exported Facebook data.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Recover Archived Conversations

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1. 
   1
   Open the Messenger app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. There's a good chance your missing messages were actually archived, not deleted. Deleting a conversation permanently in the mobile version of Messenger takes a few more steps than archiving, so people often choose the Archive option instead of proceeding to delete.

   • If you deleted the message permanently, you would have seen a warning message stating that deletion is permanent, and that there'd be no way to restore the message. So, if you don't remember seeing a message like that, check the archive!
2. 
   2
   Tap the menu icon ☰. This opens your Messenger menu.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Archive. A list of chats you've archived will appear.
4. 
   4
   Swipe left (iPhone/iPad) or tap and hold (Android) the deleted conversation. If you find the conversation in your archive, this action will bring up some options.
5. 
   5
   Tap Unarchive. This moves the archived conversation back to your inbox.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Ask the Other Person

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1. 
   1
   Scroll through your messages. Before you embark on a mission to find (or mourn) your lost messages, scroll through your Facebook Messenger inbox and look for the chat you think you deleted. There's always a chance your conversation got buried under newer ones.
2. 
   2
   Search for a name or keyword. If you don't see what you're looking for in your inbox, tap the Search bar at the top and search for anything you remember about the message. If you accidentally skipped over the message while scrolling, you may find it this way.
3. 
   3
   Ask the person (or people) you chatted with for a copy of the message. Luckily, deleting the message only deletes it from your inbox, not the inboxes of other participants. If you haven't found the message in your inbox (and it's not archived), contact the person or people you were chatting with and ask them to take a screenshot for you.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Check Your Downloaded Data

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1. 
   1
   Find your downloaded data on your computer. Have you ever used Facebook's "Download Your Information" feature to save your personal data to your computer? If so, you probably have copies of your messages in the archive. The downloaded ZIP file is called "facebook-yourusername.zip", but if you unzipped it, you'll have a folder called "facebook-yourusername."

   • It won't work to download your archive now, as the deleted message won't be included in a new archive. But if you downloaded your information before deleting the message, you'll at least have a record of the conversation up to the moment you deleted it.
   • If you created the archive before you sent or received the message you want to restore, the message won't be in the archive.
2. 
   2
   Unzip the archived file. If you haven't already, you can unzip the file easily. On a Mac, just double-click the file to unzip it. If you're using Windows, unzip it this way:

   • Double-click the file that begins with "facebook" and ends with ".zip."
   • Click Extract all at the top.
   • Make sure the "Show extracted files" checkbox is checked, then click Extract.
   • Double-click the file called your_messages.html to open the messages in your default web browser.
3. 
   3
   Double-click the Messages folder. It's inside the unzipped folder that starts with "Facebook" and ends with your username.

   • If there is no Messages folder in your archive, you didn't choose to add messages to your archive before downloading.
4. 
   4
   Double-click your_messages.html. This opens a list of all of your messages in your default web browser.
5. 
   5
   Click the conversation you're looking for. This displays all messages in the conversation as of the point at which you created the archive. Hopefully, this includes the message you're looking for!
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Back Up Messages in the Future

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1. 
   1
   Open the Messenger mobile app (or log in to Facebook.com). If you start backing up your Facebook data periodically, you'll always have copies of chats, posts, photos, and other data in case you accidentally delete something important.
2. 
   2
   Go to your Settings. Here's how:

   • If you're using the Messenger mobile app, tap ☰ and select Settings.
   • On a computer, click your profile picture at the top-right corner of Facebook, select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings.
3. 
   3
   Select Accounts Center. You'll see it at the top of the menu in the Messenger app, and at the top-left corner on a computer.
4. 
   4
   Select Your information and permissions. It's near the top of the list of options.
5. 
   5
   Select Export your information. It's the first option under "Your information and permissions."

   • If you're using the Messenger app on a phone or tablet, you may be prompted to log in to Facebook to continue.
6. 
   6
   Click or tap the Create export button. A list of your Facebook profiles and connected Meta accounts will appear.
7. 
   7
   Select the account with messages you want to back up. If you have multiple accounts, be sure to choose the one you use with Messenger.
8. 
   8
   Choose how to export your messages.

   • Because the exported file can be up to 2GB, you may want to select Export to external service, which lets you save your exported messages to cloud storage services. If you choose this option, choose the service to export to, such as Google Drive (if you have a Google account), then follow the on-screen instructions to connect that service to Facebook.
     • If prompted, you can also choose to create backups on a schedule if you'd like.
   • Alternatively, select Export to device, which will allow you to download a zipped version of your backed-up messages to a computer, phone, or tablet.
9. 
   9
   Select Customize information. This option allows you to choose what to back up. The default option will back up all your Facebook data, not just your messages.
10. 
    10
    Deselect everything except "Messages" and click Save. Unless you want to create a backup of other types of data, follow these steps to back up just your messages:

    • Click or tap Clear all at the top-right corner to deselect everything in the first list.
    • Scroll down a bit and click or tap the next Clear all to deselect the next group of options.
    • Repeat until you've cleared all the checkboxes.
    • Scroll back up and select "Messages" near the top.
    • Click or tap Save to continue.
11. 
    11
    Select a date range for the data you want to download. To do this:

    • Click or tap Date range.
    • Select All time to back up all your messages, or choose your preferred option.
    • Click or tap Save to save your changes.
12. 
    12
    Click or tap Start export. It's just below the date range. Facebook will now build your archive and alert you when it's ready to download.

    • It can take several hours for Facebook to create a backup of your messages, especially if you include other data in your backup.
    • When the backup is ready, you'll receive a confirmation email and/or notification from Facebook. When you do, click the link and follow the on-screen instructions to download your backup or access it in the cloud service you selected.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How do I view images from messages that I deleted?

  

  Community Answer

  You cannot retrieve deleted messages, so you cannot view images from deleted messages unless you saved them in another location.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  What should I do if I lose my phone and can't remember my Facebook password?

  

  Community Answer

  Click the "forgot password" option, and Facebook will send you a temporary password to the e-mail address you have on record with your account.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 26 Helpful 60

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wikiHow Video: How to Recover Deleted Facebook Messages

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