Delete a single message you sent

Open Facebook Messenger and find the conversation holding the message you want to remove. Press and hold the message (on mobile) or hover your cursor over it (on a computer). A menu will appear with options — select Remove or Delete, depending on your device.

When you delete a message you sent, it disappears from your view and from the other person's view. They will see a note saying the message was removed, but the conversation thread stays intact. This works for text messages, photos, videos, and links you have sent.

On older versions of Messenger, the option may say Delete instead of Remove. The result is the same — the message leaves both inboxes.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a message you sent removes it from both your inbox and the other person's inbox, though they see a note that you removed it.
  • You can only delete messages you sent yourself, not messages sent to you by someone else.
  • Deleting an entire conversation clears all messages in that thread from your Messenger list, but the other person still sees them unless they delete it too.
  • Unsending a message works the same way as deleting it — the terms are used interchangeably in Messenger.
  • Once deleted, a message cannot be recovered, so double-check before you confirm the removal.

Delete an entire conversation

If you want to remove a whole conversation instead of single messages, find the chat in your Messenger list. On mobile, swipe left on the conversation (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android). On a computer, right-click the conversation name. Select Delete from the menu that appears.

Deleting a conversation removes it from your Messenger inbox only. The other person will still see the conversation and all the messages in it on their end. If that person messages you again, the conversation will reappear in your list.

This action is useful for cleaning up your inbox, but it does not erase the messages from the other person's device or account.

Delete messages on a computer

Open Messenger in your web browser or the desktop app. Click on the conversation you want to edit. Find the message you want to delete and move your cursor over it — three dots will appear on the right side of the message.

Click those three dots and select Remove. The message will vanish from both your inbox and the recipient's inbox. If you want to delete the entire conversation instead, right-click the conversation name in your list on the left and choose Delete Chat.

Delete messages on your phone

On iPhone, open Messenger and find the message. Press and hold it until a menu pops up. Tap Remove or Delete (the wording varies by iOS version). The message disappears when ready.

On Android, the process is nearly identical. Long-press the message and select Remove from the menu. Both phones will remove the message from your view and the other person's view within seconds.

To delete an entire conversation on either phone, swipe left on it (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android), then tap Delete. The conversation leaves your inbox but remains on the other person's phone.

What happens when you delete a message

When you delete a message you sent, Messenger replaces it with a note saying "You removed a message" or "This message was removed." The other person sees this note but cannot see what the message said. The conversation continues normally above and below that line.

If you delete a message by accident, you cannot undo it. There is no "undo" button in Messenger, so the message is gone permanently. Before you confirm a deletion, make sure it is the right message.

Messages you receive from someone else cannot be deleted by you — only the sender can remove their own messages. If you want to hide a message someone sent you, you can mute the conversation or archive it instead, but the message will still be there if you unmute or unarchive later.

Archive a conversation instead of deleting it

If you do not want to see a conversation but might need it later, archiving is a better choice than deleting. On mobile, swipe left on the conversation (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android), then select Archive. On a computer, right-click the conversation and choose Archive Chat.

An archived conversation disappears from your main Messenger list but stays in your archive folder. You can search for it by name or scroll to the bottom of your conversation list and tap Archived to see all archived chats. If the person messages you again, the conversation automatically moves back to your main list.

Archiving keeps the messages safe without cluttering your inbox. It is useful when you want to step back from a conversation but do not want to lose the history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a message someone else sent me?

No. You can only delete messages you sent yourself. If you want to hide a message from someone else, archive or mute the conversation instead. The message will still be there if you unarchive or unmute later, but you will not see notifications from that chat.

Will the other person know I deleted a message?

Yes. When you delete a message, the other person sees a note saying "You removed a message" or "This message was removed." They cannot see what the message said, but they know you took it down.

Can I recover a deleted message?

No. Once you delete a message in Messenger, it cannot be recovered. There is no trash folder or undo option. Make sure you want to delete something before you confirm the action.

What is the difference between deleting and archiving?

Deleting removes a conversation from your inbox and the other person sees a note that you removed messages. Archiving hides a conversation from your main list but keeps it safe — you can find it in your archive folder anytime, and the other person does not see any change.

Does deleting a conversation delete it for the other person too?

No. When you delete a conversation, it only leaves your inbox. The other person still sees all the messages and the full conversation on their end. They would have to delete it separately on their device.