You can delete a message you sent, but the other person will see it was deleted

Facebook Messenger gives you two ways to remove a message: delete it from your own chat history, or delete it for everyone in the conversation. The difference matters because one is truly gone from the other person's phone, and one just shows them a blank space where your words were.

When you delete a message for everyone, Messenger replaces it with text saying "This message was deleted" on both sides. The other person knows you removed it — they just cannot read what it said. If you delete it only from your own view, the message stays on their screen unchanged, and they see no notification that you deleted anything.

Neither option erases the message from Facebook's servers. The company keeps copies of messages for its own records, even after you delete them from the app. This is true whether you delete for yourself or for everyone.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a message for everyone replaces it with "This message was deleted" on both your screen and the other person's screen.
  • Deleting a message only from your chat removes it from your view but leaves it visible and unchanged on the other person's phone.
  • You can only delete messages you sent yourself — you cannot delete messages other people sent to you.
  • Facebook stores deleted messages on its own servers regardless of which deletion method you choose.
  • The time window to delete a message varies by device: on mobile you have a longer window than on desktop.

How to delete a message for everyone on your phone

Open the Messenger app and find the conversation containing the message you want to remove. Press and hold on the message itself — not on the person's name, but on the actual text or image you sent. A menu will pop up with several options.

Tap "Remove" or "Delete" (the exact wording depends on your phone's operating system and your Messenger version). Choose "Remove for Everyone" from the submenu. The message will disappear from both your chat and the other person's chat, replaced by the "This message was deleted" notification.

This works on both iPhone and Android. The time limit to delete is usually around 10 minutes after you send the message, though Facebook does not publish an exact window. If the option does not appear when you press and hold, the message is likely too old to delete.

How to delete a message for everyone on desktop

Go to Messenger.com or open Messenger through Facebook.com. Find the conversation and hover your mouse over the message you want to delete. Three dots will appear to the right of the message.

Click the three dots and select "Remove" from the menu. Then choose "Remove for Everyone." The message will be replaced with "This message was deleted" on both screens.

Desktop deletion has a shorter time window than mobile — usually around 10 minutes, sometimes less. If you do not see the three-dot menu when you hover, the message is too old to delete.

Deleting a message only from your own view

If you want to remove a message from your chat history without the other person knowing, press and hold the message on mobile (or hover and click the three dots on desktop). Instead of "Remove for Everyone," select "Remove" or "Delete" without specifying who it is for.

This removes the message from your Messenger inbox only. The other person still sees it in their chat, and they receive no notification that you deleted it from your side. It is useful if you want to clean up your own chat history without alerting the other person.

This option has no time limit — you can delete old messages from your view at any point, even months or years later.

What you cannot delete and why

You can only delete messages you sent. If someone else sent you a message, you cannot delete it from their phone or from the conversation thread itself. You can delete it from your own view, but they will still see it on their end.

You also cannot delete messages in group chats the same way. In a group conversation, "Remove for Everyone" still works on your own messages, but the deletion is less reliable across all members — some people may still see the message depending on when they last refreshed the app.

Messenger does not let you delete messages after a certain period. On mobile, the window is roughly 10 minutes. On desktop, it is shorter. Once that window closes, the only option left is to delete the message from your own view.

Why Facebook keeps deleted messages anyway

When you delete a message, you are removing it from the Messenger app interface, but Facebook's systems retain a copy. The company uses these records for several reasons: to detect spam and abuse patterns, to comply with legal requests from law enforcement, and to maintain backups in case of technical failures.

This means that even if you delete a message for everyone and it disappears from both screens, Facebook can still retrieve it if needed. If you are concerned about a message being permanently gone, deletion through Messenger is not the way to make that happen. The only way to reduce what Facebook stores is to not send the message in the first place.

You can request a copy of all your Messenger data, including deleted messages, through Facebook's read Your Information tool. This shows you what the company has on file about your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the other person get notified when I delete a message for everyone?

They do not receive a notification, but they will see "This message was deleted" in the chat thread where your message was. So they know something was removed, even if they cannot read what it said.

Can I delete a message after more than 10 minutes?

No. Once the time window closes (usually around 10 minutes on mobile, sometimes less on desktop), the delete option disappears from the menu. After that, you can only delete the message from your own view, which leaves it visible to the other person.

If I delete a message from my view, can the other person still see it?

Yes. Deleting from your own view only removes it from your chat history. The message stays on their screen exactly as you sent it, and they see no indication that you deleted it from your side.

What happens if I delete a message in a group chat?

The deletion works the same way — "Remove for Everyone" replaces the message with "This message was deleted" for all group members. However, the deletion can be slower to sync across all phones, so some members might still see the original message for a few seconds.

Can I recover a message I deleted?

No. Once you delete a message from Messenger, you cannot undo it through the app. Facebook keeps internal copies, but you cannot retrieve them yourself. If you need to know what you said, you would have to ask the other person if they remember or took a screenshot.