How To Recover Deleted Facebook Messages? [5 Methods]

You probably know how maddening it could be when you try to delete a message on Facebook, only to find it’s actually an important one. So, you can ask if it’s possible to recover the deleted messages from Facebook. Yes, there are several methods that can be employed for recovering your messages. We shall look at some useful means by which you can recover deleted messages of Facebook; step by step, in this article.

Can You Recover Deleted Facebook Messages?

First, a little primer about Facebook’s message system: when you “delete” a message from your chat, well, it really doesn’t disappear always. Most of the time, the messages disappear from your side but may be present elsewhere, like in some archive of Facebook or backups. So, how to recover deleted Facebook messages? Let’s dive into some easy-to-follow methods.

1. Check Your Archived Conversations

Sometimes, when you think you have deleted a message, it may just be archived. The archival feature merely conceals your conversations and doesn’t delete them. Here is how you can check whether messages are archived:

• Open Facebook Messenger.
• Tap the icon of your profile in the top left corner.
• Select “Archived Chats.”
• Scroll down the archived messages to see if the conversation you’re looking for is there.
• But if you find the message in the archive, you can easily restore it. All you have to do is send a reply, and it will be moved back into your main list of chats.

2. Download Your Facebook Data

Another approach involves downloading your Facebook data, which is where messages are included. Everything you’ve done on Facebook is recorded in one downloadable file, even all of your deleted interactions. Here’s how you can get your hands on it:

• Sign into your Facebook account.
• Go to “Settings & Privacy” and then click on “Settings.”
• Scroll down to “Your Facebook Information,” then click “Download your information.”
• Choose the date range, file format-HTML or JSON-and make sure “Messages” is selected.
• Click on “Create File,” and it sends a notification when the file is ready to download.

Now, after downloading the file, open it and proceed to “Messages”. You should find the messages therein, even those which you thought were deleted.

3. Other Devices

It does not end there because Facebook syncs on many devices, so if you have other devices, such as a tablet, another phone, or even a desktop, it may still be there. This means that should there be an accident wherein a message got deleted on your phone, it could be present on your tablet or some other device.

4. Ask the Other Person

If all else fails, you could always ask the person you chatted with to screenshot and send to you or forward the conversation back to you. Messages are stored on both sides, so most likely they still have the chat.

5. Use Third-Party Recovery Software-with Caution

There are certain applications and software promising to recover deleted messages from Facebook, but one should be very careful using them. Many of such tools are unreliable and could pose a high level of security threat to your personal data. Recovery tools that belong to other vendors are not supported by Facebook, so this is all at your own risk. Of course, read the reviews well before trying any of them.

Can Deleted Messages on Facebook Be Completely Recovered?

Though these steps are much valuable, it is equally important to note that any message, deleted permanently from the Facebook servers, is more or less irretrievable. The key takeaway here is: the moment one finds the message missing, they need to act quickly and try doing the above ways.

Conclusion

Recovering deleted Facebook messages may sound like a catch, but it’s pretty easy to follow through with these simple steps in order to retrieve them. You will try different ways: from checking your archived chats down to downloading your Facebook data. Always remember to double-check before deleting something permanently and give a backup when necessary. And if you ever doubt anything, don’t hesitate to ask the person you were chatting with for help in recovering the conversation.