We delete messages on Facebook quite often. Especially when we accidentally send a message we didn’t mean to send or make a typo. But sometimes we also delete entire conversations, mainly to keep order in the chatroom or because we just don’t want certain messages in our interface anymore. However, what do we do if we change our mind or accidentally delete an important conversation? Can we ever get it back?

Deleted messages are really deleted

Unfortunately, there’s a rule on Facebook that deleted messages are truly deleted forever. When you delete a message or conversation, Facebook removes it from your account and you can’t directly recover it. That’s why it’s always a good idea to think twice about whether you really want to delete a message.

Backup solutions

However, there are a few options you can try if you really need to get deleted messages back:

  1. Copies from email: If you have Facebook email notifications turned on, some messages or parts of messages may be stored in your inbox. Check your email to see if you can find relevant messages there.
  2. Contacting the recipient of the message: If you only deleted the message or conversation, but the recipient still has it, you can ask them to forward or copy the content of the conversation to you. This is the easiest way to get back important information that you have deleted.
  3. Message archiving: Sometimes people confuse archiving messages with deleting them. If you only archived a message, you can find it in the message archive in Messenger. Just go to Messenger, click on the three dots and select “Archived”.

Think ahead

Since direct recovery of deleted messages on Facebook is not possible, we recommend these 3 precautions:

  • Backup: Regularly download your data from Facebook so that you have backup copies of your messages. Or at least before you’re about to delete something. In your account settings, look for “Your Information” and then “Download Your Information.” Here you can choose the range of data and types of information you want to download, including messages. However, if messages have already been deleted once before creating this backup file, they will not be part of the downloaded data.
  • Save: If you have important messages that you don’t want to lose, save their contents to a text file on your computer or other safe place.
  • Consider: Before you delete a message or conversation, think carefully about whether you really need it.

Conclusion

Although recovering deleted Facebook messages is difficult and often impossible, there are some indirect recovery options you can try. The most important thing is to think ahead and back up your data regularly. If you follow these recommendations, you’ll minimize the risk of losing important messages and information.

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