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

Facebook Messenger lets you remove messages you've sent, but deletion works differently than you might expect. When you delete a message, it disappears from your own chat history, but the other person still sees that a message was deleted — they just can't read what it said. If you want the message to vanish completely from both sides of the conversation, that's not possible in Messenger.

The delete option appears only on messages you sent yourself. You cannot delete messages that someone else sent to you. If you want to hide a conversation entirely, you can archive or mute it instead, which removes it from your main inbox without erasing the messages inside.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a message removes it from your view and shows the other person that a message was deleted, but they cannot see the content.
  • You can only delete messages you sent yourself, not messages from other people.
  • Deleted messages cannot be recovered by you or the other person once the action is complete.
  • Archiving or muting a conversation hides it from your inbox without deleting any messages inside it.
  • The delete option works the same way on the Messenger app, Facebook's website, and Messenger.com.

How to delete a single message on your phone

Open the Messenger app and find the conversation containing the message you want to delete. Locate the specific message you sent, then press and hold on it until a menu appears with several options. Tap the trash icon or the word "Delete" — the exact wording depends on whether you're using an iPhone or Android phone, but the icon is always a trash can.

After you tap delete, the message disappears from your chat. The other person will see a notification that says "You deleted a message" or straightforward "[Message deleted]" in place of what you wrote. This happens when ready — there is no undo option once you confirm the deletion.

How to delete a message on a computer

Go to Messenger.com or open Facebook and click the Messenger icon. Find the conversation and hover your mouse over the message you want to delete. A row of small icons will appear to the right of the message — look for the three dots (sometimes called a menu icon) and click it. A dropdown menu will show, and you'll see the "Delete" or "Remove" option near the bottom.

Click that option and the message is gone from your screen. As with the phone app, the other person will see that you deleted a message but won't be able to read it. The deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

What happens when you delete a message

When you delete a message, Messenger removes the text, image, link, or file from your chat history. The other person in the conversation will see a placeholder that says the message was deleted. They won't see what the message contained, but they will know you deleted something.

If you sent multiple messages in a row and delete only one, the others stay visible. The deleted message doesn't affect the rest of the conversation — it just creates a gap where that message was. If you delete a message by accident, you cannot undo it, so you would need to send a new message explaining what you meant to say.

Deleting entire conversations instead of single messages

If you want to remove a whole conversation from your inbox, you have two options: archive it or delete it. Archiving hides the conversation from your main list but keeps all the messages stored — if the person messages you again, the conversation will reappear. Deleting the entire conversation removes it from your inbox permanently, though Messenger may keep a record of it on its servers.

To archive a conversation on your phone, press and hold the conversation name and select "Archive." On a computer, right-click the conversation and choose "Archive." To delete an entire conversation, use the same method but select "Delete" instead. Deleting a conversation does not notify the other person — they won't know you removed it from your inbox.

Why you might want to delete messages

People delete messages for many reasons: correcting a typo or mistake, removing something sent in anger, cleaning up a cluttered chat, or straightforward not wanting certain conversations visible on their device. Messenger's delete feature lets you do this without the other person being able to read what you removed.

Keep in mind that deleting a message from your phone or computer doesn't erase it from Messenger's servers or from the other person's device. If someone took a screenshot of your message before you deleted it, they still have that image. Deletion is a privacy tool for your own inbox, not a way to make something completely disappear from the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a message after a long time has passed?

Yes, you can delete messages from any point in your conversation history, whether they were sent yesterday or years ago. Open the conversation, scroll up to find the old message, and use the same delete process. There is no time limit on when you can delete a message you sent.

What if I delete a message by accident?

Unfortunately, there is no undo button in Messenger. Once you delete a message, it cannot be recovered. If you need to communicate what that message said, you'll need to send a new message explaining it. Some people send a follow-up message like "Sorry, I deleted that — I meant to say..." to clarify.

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

The other person doesn't receive a notification, but they will see in the chat that a message was deleted. They can't read the content, but they know something was removed. If you delete multiple messages in a row, each deletion shows up as a separate "[Message deleted]" placeholder.

Can I delete messages someone else sent to me?

No, you can only delete messages that you sent yourself. If you want to hide a message someone sent to you, you can archive or mute the entire conversation, or you can scroll past it. The other person's messages will remain in the chat unless they delete them from their own side.

Is there a way to delete a message so the other person can't see it was deleted?

No, there is no way to delete a message invisibly in Messenger. The other person will always see that a message was deleted, even if they can't read what it said. If you want to edit what you said instead of deleting it, some versions of Messenger allow you to edit messages after sending them.