How to delete messages on messenger without them knowing

Q: Can you delete a Messenger message without the sender knowing?

You can permanently unsend a message that youve sent or just hide a message from your view. If you select Unsend for You, other people in the chat will still see the messages in their chat screen. If you select Unsend for Everyone, people included in the chat wont be able to see the unsent message.

Q: How do you delete Messenger messages on both sides without them knowing?

Unfortunately, theres no way to hide that note. If you delete a message, the recipient will know you did that. You can always delete the You unsent a message note from your Messenger app. However, this does not mean the note will disappear from the recipients chat history.

You can't delete all your Facebook messages at once, but you can delete them one chat at a time.
To delete a chat on Facebook, go to the chat settings and click Delete chat.
To delete a chat on Messenger, swipe to the left, tap More and Delete.

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps in use today, in large part because it's available on nearly every platform.

Table of Contents Show

In a web browser:
In the mobile Messenger app:
Easily clean up your messages
What to Know
How to Delete Messages on Facebook.com
How to Delete Messages on the Messenger App
Can you delete a Messenger message without the sender knowing?
What does the other person see when you remove a message on Messenger?
How do you delete Messenger messages on both sides without them knowing?
How do I permanently delete Messenger messages?

But Facebook has never made it especially easy to manage your messages. For example, it took years for Facebook to give users the ability to delete an accidentally sent message from both the sender and receiver's app — and even then you only have 10 minutes to do so.

But what if you want to delete all your messages from Facebook Messenger? Here's what you need to know.

To delete all your Facebook messages, you need to delete them one chat at a time. If you've been a Facebook user for a long time and have a lot of chats, this can take a while.

Here's how to delete your chats on Facebook, via either an internet browser or the Messenger mobile app.

In a web browser:

1. Log into Facebook and click on the Messenger icon in the top right part of the top menu.

Click on the Messenger icon. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

2. Click the chat that you want to delete.

3. At the top of the chat window, click the arrow to the right of the person's name to open the chat settings.

4. In the menu that pops up to the left, click Delete conversation.

Click "Delete chat." Stefan Ionescu/Insider

5. In the pop-up window, confirm you want to do this by clicking Delete Chat.

6. Repeat this for every chat you want to remove.

In the mobile Messenger app:

1. Open the Messenger app on your phone.

2. Scroll to find the chat you want to delete.

3. Swipe the chat to the left, and then tap on More.

Tap on "More" after swiping the chat to the left. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

4. In the menu that pops up, tap Delete.

5. In the pop-up menu, tap Delete to confirm your decision.

6. Repeat this for every chat you want to remove.

Jennifer is a writer and editor from Brooklyn, New York, who spends her time traveling, drinking iced coffee, and watching way too much TV. She has bylines in Vanity Fair, Glamour, Decider, Mic, and many more. You can find her on Twitter at @jenniferlstill.

Easily clean up your messages

Updated on September 9, 2021

What to Know

Facebook.com: Select Messenger > See All in Messenger > any chat > hover the cursor over a message > three vertical dots > Remove.
Messenger app: Open any chat, tap and hold a message, then select Remove > Remove for You.
Delete a conversation: Hover over it > select the three horizontal dots > Delete Chat. The process is different on Android and iOS.

This article includes instructions on how to delete messages from Messenger using the Facebook website and from the Messenger app.

How to Delete Messages on Facebook.com

Messenger keeps all of your messages in your inbox until you decide to delete them yourself. You can delete individual chat messages and entire conversations to help clean up your inbox. The following instructions show you how to delete messages on Facebook.com.

Select the Messenger button in the top right corner.
Select See All in Messenger at the bottom of the Messenger window.
To delete an individual chat message, select a chat from the left column to open it in the center chat window. Then hover your cursor over the message you want to delete. Three options appear.
Select the three vertical dots (More) followed by Remove.
Select Remove from the popup box to confirm.
Note
The message only disappears from your account. Anyone else in the chat can still see the message.
To delete an entire conversation, hover your cursor over any chat in the left column and select the three horizontal dots that appear.
Select Delete Chat from the dropdown list.
Tip
Alternatively, select Archive Chat to remove it from your chats in the left column. To see chats you've hidden, select the three horizontal dots at the top of the column, followed by Archived Chats.
Select Delete Chat from the popup box to confirm.

How to Delete Messages on the Messenger App

The following steps show you how to delete messages on the Messenger app for iOS or Android. They apply to both versions of the app, but screenshots are from the iOS app.

To delete an individual chat message, tap the conversation to open the chat, then tap and hold your finger down on the individual message.
Tap Remove at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Remove for You to confirm.
Note
Any message you remove only disappears from your own Messenger account. (They're still be visible to others involved in the chat.) However, you can choose Unsend for any message you've sent, regardless of how long ago it was to remove it from others' inboxes.
To delete an entire conversation using Messenger for Android, tap and hold your finger down on a conversation, then tap Delete.
To delete an entire conversation using Messenger for iOS, swipe left on a conversation, tap More, then tap Delete.
Tip
If you're using Messenger for iOS or Android, you can also select Archive if you don't want to delete the conversation permanently.
Tap Delete to confirm.

Tip

Want to delete conversations in bulk? There's currently no way to select multiple conversations to delete them all at once on Facebook.com or in the app. However, you may be able to get around this limitation with a third-party Chrome extension called Fast Delete Messages.

FAQ

How do you deactivate Facebook Messenger?
First, you need to deactivate your Facebook account. Then, from the mobile app, go to Chats > profile picture > Legal & Policies > Deactivate Messenger > Deactivate.
How do you log out of Facebook Messenger?

On iPhone, open the menu, scroll to the bottom, and choose Log Out. If you're on a web browser or the Android mobile app, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Where You're Logged In. Find your device and select the three vertical dots, then select Log Out.
How do you unblock someone on Facebook Messenger?
On iOS and Android, go to your profile picture > Privacy > Blocked Accounts, select the person you want to unblock and choose Unblock Messages and Calls. From the Messenger.com website, select your photo > Preferences > Account Settings > Blocking > Block Messages > Unblock.
What is Facebook Messenger's Vanish Mode?
Vanish Mode is a Facebook Messenger feature that lets you send messages, photos, emoji, and more that disappear once the person you send them to views them and closes the chat window. It doesn't work on group chats, and you need to opt-in to it.

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Can you delete a Messenger message without the sender knowing?

You can permanently unsend a message that you've sent or just hide a message from your view. If you select Unsend for You, other people in the chat will still see the messages in their chat screen. If you select Unsend for Everyone, people included in the chat won't be able to see the unsent message.

What does the other person see when you remove a message on Messenger?

The removed message will be replaced by text alerting everyone in the conversation the message was removed. You will have up to 10 minutes to remove a message after it is sent. If you want to remove a message just for yourself, you can still do that anytime by selecting “Remove for You”.

How do you delete Messenger messages on both sides without them knowing?

Unfortunately, there's no way to hide that note. If you delete a message, the recipient will know you did that. You can always delete the 'You unsent a message' note from your Messenger app. However, this does not mean the note will disappear from the recipient's chat history.