Delete a message you sent in Messenger

Open Facebook Messenger on your phone or computer. Find the conversation that contains the message you want to remove. Press and hold the message (on phone) or hover your cursor over it (on computer) until a menu appears with options.

Look for the trash icon or "Remove" option in that menu and tap or click it. The message will disappear from both your inbox and the other person's inbox — they will see a notification that you removed a message, but the text itself will be gone. This works on both Android and iPhone, and on the Messenger website.

You have up to 10 minutes after sending a message to delete it. After that window closes, the remove option no longer appears. If more than 10 minutes have passed, you cannot delete the message through Messenger's built-in tools.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete a message from Messenger within 10 minutes of sending it, and the other person will see that you removed it rather than seeing the original text.
  • Deleting a message removes it from both your conversation and theirs, but they receive a notification that a message was deleted.
  • After 10 minutes, the delete option disappears and you cannot remove the message through Messenger.
  • Clearing your entire conversation history is different from deleting individual messages and requires separate steps.
  • Unsending a message on Facebook's main chat feature works the same way as Messenger, with the same 10-minute window.

Clear an entire conversation from your inbox

If you want to remove a whole conversation rather than one message, open Messenger and find the chat you want to clear. On your phone, swipe left on the conversation (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android) until options appear. On a computer, right-click the conversation name.

Select "Delete" from the menu. The entire conversation will disappear from your inbox. The other person still has their copy of the conversation — deleting it from your side does not erase it from theirs. You can still message them again later, and if they reply, the conversation will reappear in your inbox.

Delete messages using Facebook's main chat, not just Messenger

Facebook's main website and app have a built-in chat feature separate from the Messenger app. If you use the chat box on Facebook itself rather than opening Messenger, you can still delete individual messages the same way: press and hold (phone) or hover (computer) and select the remove option.

The 10-minute window applies here too. Messages deleted through Facebook's chat feature disappear from both sides, just as they do in Messenger. Many people do not realize these are two different places to message, so if you cannot find a conversation in Messenger, check whether it is in your Facebook inbox instead.

What the other person sees when you delete a message

When you remove a message, the other person does not see the text you sent. Instead, they see a line that says "You removed a message" or similar wording, depending on whether they use Messenger on phone, computer, or Facebook's website. They cannot click on this notification to see what the original message said.

This means deleting a message prevents them from reading it going forward, but they will know that you sent something and then took it back. If you are trying to hide the fact that you messaged them at all, deletion will not do that — it only hides the content.

Reasons the delete option might not appear

If you cannot find the delete option when you press and hold or hover over a message, the most common reason is that more than 10 minutes have passed since you sent it. Check the timestamp on the message — if it is older than that, the remove feature is no longer available.

Another reason is that you are using an older version of Messenger or Facebook. Update the app through your phone's app store or refresh your browser if you are on a computer. If you are on a very old device or using an unsupported browser, some features may not work. Try switching to a different device or browser to see if the option appears.

Archive a conversation instead of deleting it

If you do not want to see a conversation in your main inbox but want to keep it, you can archive it instead of deleting it. On your phone, swipe left (iPhone) or press and hold (Android) the conversation and select "Archive." On a computer, right-click and choose "Archive."

An archived conversation stays in your Messenger account but moves out of your active inbox. If that person messages you again, the conversation automatically moves back to your main inbox. You can search for archived conversations at any time by using the search bar at the top of Messenger. This is useful if you want to keep the message history but do not want clutter in your everyday inbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a message after more than 10 minutes?

No. Facebook's delete feature only works within 10 minutes of sending. After that, the option disappears and you cannot remove the message through Messenger. If you need to correct something you said, you can send a follow-up message explaining the error.

Does the other person know what I deleted?

They see a notification that you removed a message, but they cannot see the original text. They will know you sent something and then deleted it, but not what it said.

If I delete a message, does it disappear from their phone too?

Yes. When you delete a message, it vanishes from both your conversation and theirs. They cannot retrieve it or see it, though they will see the "message removed" notification.

What is the difference between deleting a message and archiving a conversation?

Deleting a message removes one piece of text from a conversation. Archiving hides an entire conversation from your inbox but keeps all the messages. Archived conversations reappear if the person messages you again.

Can I delete messages on Facebook's website the same way as on my phone?

Yes. Hover your cursor over the message on a computer and the same menu appears. The 10-minute window and delete function work identically on desktop and mobile.