Remove Facebook messages on both sides
If you send a risky message on Facebook, you can easily unsend it so it deletes on your end and the recipient's end. However, keep in mind that the deleted text may still be seen if they request a copy of their Facebook data. Here's how to permanently delete Facebook messages on your iPhone, iPad, Android, or computer.
Quick Steps
- Tap Chats .
- Tap a chat message.
- Tap and hold the message or photo.
- Tap Unsend .
- Tap Unsend for everyone .
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
Using the Messenger App
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Tap Chats . This is the tab at the bottom.
- If you aren't already logged into your Facebook account , do so now to use Messenger .
- You can delete messages you received or unsend messages you sent. [1] X Research source
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Tap a chat. You'll see your chats from most recent to least recent.Advertisement
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Tap Unsend . This is in red.
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, tap Remove .
- If you don’t see the Unsend or Remove option, you may need to tap More in the popup menu to see it.
- Depending on your version of the Messenger app, you may see Delete instead of Unsend . However, Messenger is still in the process of rolling out this change as of February 2025. [2] X Research source
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Tap Unsend for everyone . If you only want to unsend it for yourself, tap Unsend for you .
- If you blocked the person , you won’t see the Unsend for everyone option. Delete any sensitive messages before blocking the recipient.
- Depending on your version of Messenger, this option may say Delete for everyone or Delete for you instead.
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, tap Remove for you to confirm.
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Delete an entire conversation (optional). If you'd rather get rid of the entire chat conversation with someone, do the following:
- Open the Chats tab.
- Tap and hold the chat.
- Tap Delete .
- Tap Delete again.
- Note that deleting a whole chat will delete it from your Chats list, but anyone else in the conversation will still be able to see it in their own Chats. [3] X Research source
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Section 2 of 5:
Using the Facebook App
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Tap the Messenger icon. This is the speech bubble with a lightning bolt in the top-right corner.
- You can delete messages you received or unsend messages you sent. Keep in mind that unsent messages can still be seen if the recipient requests a copy of their Facebook data .
- This process is nearly identical to deleting messages directly from the Messenger app . The only difference is that you are accessing the chat from the Facebook app instead.
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Tap a chat. You'll see your chats from most recent to least recent.
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3Tap and hold the message or photo you want to delete. More options will appear in a pop-up window.
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4Tap Unsend . You should see this option in the menu that pops up. If you don’t see it, tap More .
- You might see Delete instead, depending on your version of Facebook and/or Messenger.
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, tap Remove .
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Tap Unsend for everyone . If you only want to unsend it for yourself, tap Unsend for you .
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, tap Remove for you to confirm.
- In some versions of the Facebook app, you might see Delete for everyone/you instead of Unsend for everyone/you .
- The Unsend for everyone option won’t be available if you blocked the person. Delete any messages you don’t want the recipient to see before blocking them.
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Delete an entire conversation (optional). If you'd rather get rid of the entire chat conversation with someone, do the following:
- Tap the Messenger icon.
- Swipe left on the chat.
- Tap More .
- Tap Delete twice.
- Note that doing this will delete the chat from your inbox, but anyone else in the conversation will still see it in their own Chats list.
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Section 3 of 5:
Using the Facebook Website
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Click the Messenger icon. This is the speech bubble with a lightning bolt in the top-right corner.
- While you can unsend messages, keep in mind the recipient may have already seen them.
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Click a chat. You'll see your chats from most recent to least recent.
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Hover over the message or photo you want to delete. More options will appear on the left.
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Click â‹® . A pop-up menu will open.
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5Click Unsend . This is the first option.
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, click Remove .
- You might see Delete instead of Unsend in some cases. However, Facebook is still rolling out this change as of February 2025.
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Select Unsend for everyone . If you only want to unsend it for yourself, select Unsend for you instead.
- If you're deleting a message sent by another person, select Remove for you to confirm.
- You might see Delete for everyone/you instead.
- You won’t see the Unsend for everyone option if you blocked the other person in the conversation. Delete sensitive messages first before blocking the recipient.
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Click Remove . This will unsend the message.
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Delete an entire conversation (optional). To get rid of an entire chat conversation with another user, do the following:
- Click the Messenger icon.
- Hover over a chat.
- Click ••• .
- Click Delete chat
twice.
- You might need to scroll down in the menu to see the Delete chat option.
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Section 4 of 5:
Enabling Disappearing Messages in Encrypted Chats
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1Start an end-to-end encrypted chat. Encrypted chats have an extra level of security and privacy, so that only you and the other participant(s) in the chat can read the messages you send. These chats also offer a “disappearing messages” feature that automatically deletes any messages in the chat after a set period of time. One-on-one Messenger chats between Facebook friends are currently encrypted by default, so you should be able to just start a chat as you normally would. [4] X Research source
- To check the encryption status of a chat, tap or click the name(s) of the other participant(s) at the top of the chat. You should see the text End-to-end encrypted next to a padlock symbol near the top of the menu.
- As of February 2025, the disappearing messages feature does not seem to be available in encrypted group chats. We were also unable to turn on encryption in one-on-one chats with people who were not Facebook friends.
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2Open the chat settings menu. From inside the chat, tap or click the name of the other chat participant at the top of the chat window. A new menu will open.
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3Tap or click Disappearing messages . You may need to scroll down to find this option.
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4Select 24 hours . When this setting is enabled, messages will disappear within 24 hours after being seen by the other person in the chat. If the other person doesn’t look at the chat, messages will be automatically deleted after 14 days even if they have not been read. [5] X Research source
- In the mobile app, tap the < button to save your selection and return to the menu. On a computer, click Done .
- While other duration options may have been available in the past or may become available in the future, as of February 2025, only the “24 hours” option is available.
- Setting messages to disappear won’t prevent the other person in the chat from taking screenshots or copying the content of the messages.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionIs it possible to delete the message to prevent the recipient from reading it?Community AnswerNo. Once you send a message, you can only delete it from your end. The other person will still be able to open and read your message.
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QuestionHow do I delete unsolicited group messages from people I do not know?Community AnswerThese can sometimes come from a mutual friend. If it really bothers you, look at these people's accounts to see their friends, and un-friend your mutual friend.
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QuestionIs it possible to recover a deleted message?Community AnswerYou cannot recover a deleted message once you have confirmed you want it to be deleted. If the recipient has not yet deleted the conversation on their computer, they are able to read the message and copy/paste it to you manually.
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Tips
- Want to delete a group chat from your personal Messenger inbox (and keep it from coming back)? Check out our article to learn how.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/194400311449172?cms_platform=ipad-app&helpref=platform_switcher
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/194400311449172
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/194400311449172
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/786613221989782
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/1039542879410863
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/828555045048196
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