There are several reasons why you may want to delete individual messages or even entire conversations from Facebook. I’m not going to ask! We all make mistakes.
I’ll explain how to delete messages and conversations in Facebook Messenger properly. It is easy enough but there are a few things you need to be aware of that could trip you up.
I’ll cover instructions for doing this on your PC or laptop, on your cell phone and directly on Messenger.com.
In just a few steps, you can delete any unwanted message from your chat history.
How to Delete Conversations on Facebook Messenger
If you want to delete conversation messages from FB Messenger, then you can delete the chats from the Messenger app, from the Messenger website or the Facebook website itself.
On Your Smartphone (Android or iPhone)
The steps described below not only deletes the entire chat but also your chat history.
- Go to the FB Messenger app.
- Go to the conversation you want to delete and long press it.
- You will get a pop-up menu, from which select the option “Delete Conversation.”
- Finally, confirm your selection.
On Your Computer
You can delete conversations and their history using your computer:
- First, open Facebook and log into your account.
- On the top right-hand corner of the screen click on the “Messages” option.
- Open all the chat threads by selecting “See All in Messenger.”
- Go to the chat you want to delete.
- You will see a gear icon next to the contact’s name.
- Click the “Delete” option and confirm it.
Archiving vs Deleting a Conversation
When you are using the above steps to delete a conversation, you will see a pop-up when long pressing a conversation, which gives you the option of deleting the conversation and also archiving it.
So, what is the difference between the two?
Archiving a conversation essentially hides it from your inbox until it becomes active again, whereas, deleting the messages means removing it along with the history from your inbox completely.
Have you checked out my article explaining what the symbols and icons in Messenger mean? You should find it useful. I also have a useful guide about Gifs on Messenger worth checking out if Gifs are your thing!
Deleting Conversations on Messenger.com
If you usually use Messenger.com to chat with your friends and don’t use the Facebook platform and you want to delete any conversation on Messenger.com, then here are a few easy steps in which you can do it:
- Go onto Messenger.com and log in to your account.
- Go to the conversation you wish to delete and highlight it.
- Near the contact’s name, you will see a gear icon.
- Choose “Delete” from the pop-up menu and confirm the action.
That covers deleting whole conversations or Chats on Messenger. Now for individual messages.
How to Delete Specific Messages on FB Messenger
If you want to remove a particular message from a conversation thread, here are simple steps to do it:
On Android or iPhone
Click on the message that you want to remove and select the option “Remove for Everyone” and you will get a message saying that the message was deleted.
However, it is important to remember that if you want to remove a message permanently so that your recipient or anyone else does not see it, you should delete it within 10 minutes of sending the message.
After 10 minutes the unilateral destruction option is not valid and you can remove the message only from your phone or computer using the “Remove for You” option and your recipients will still be able to view the messages.
On Messenger.com & Facebook
- Open Facebook and log in to your account.
- Click on “Messages” that you see at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
- Open all the active conversation threads by clicking on the option “See All in Messenger” at the bottom of the menu.
- Locate the conversation you wish to delete the message from.
- When you hover the mouse on the message, you will see a small menu. Click on the 3 horizontal dots on the menu (if you’re deleting your message, then the menu will appear on the left of the message and if it’s the other person’s message, the menu will appear on the right-hand side of the menu).
- Click the dots and select “Delete” and finally, confirm your selection.
Looking for some more useful tips on using Facebook and Messenger?
I have a huge guide on How Messenger Works plus some detailed articles such as how to hide your last active status on Messenger and how to delete your search history on FB Messenger. You’ll learn some cool tricks!
How to Delete a Single Message on FB
On Your Android Phone
To delete a single message thread on an Android phone, simply find the conversation you want to delete and long press it and select the “Delete” option.
On Your iPhone
To delete a single message thread on your iPhone, find the message you want to delete and swipe from the right of the screen to the left. Then, click the “Delete” button to erase it.
On Your Computer
Just open the message you want to delete and click the “Settings” icon and then choose the “Delete” option.
An important thing to remember is that you cannot delete individual messages on your mobile Facebook page and you also can’t look at the message from the mobile Messenger website.
You need to use the mobile FB Messenger app and follow the steps described above to delete individual messages and conversations.
How to Delete a Hacked Message in Messenger?
I was contacted recently by someone who had a problem with what looked like hacked messages in their Facebook Messenger. They had no idea where the messages came from and didn’t remember responding to the sender.
After deleting the whole conversation and blocking the sender they didn’t have any more issues.
Security on Facebook and Messenger can be an issue. People think they are safe on there all the time. Trust me they are NOT.
I write a lot about legal use of hacking apps to protect children online but these apps can also be used against anyone with access to your phone or computer.
To see what is out there see my Facebook Hacking Tutorial and my run down on the best Messenger spy apps – you’ll be shocked how powerful these apps are. And how easy they are to use.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, while the FB Messenger app is extremely simple to use, if you don’t clear up your messages frequently, your inbox can get completely cluttered and sifting through the inbox of Messenger can be quite an overwhelming task.
However, as you have read in this article, there are many ways you can manage the clutter by deleting entire conversations or individual messages so that you can find the ones that are most important to you.
And, you can delete Facebook conversations and messages by following the simple steps I have described in our guide whether you’re using Messenger on your computer, or your smartphone.
But you must remember that once you delete a message or conversation from Facebook Messenger, it’s gone forever.
So, think hard before you press “Delete”.
