Facebook Messenger for Business is a simple way to communicate with your customers via your Facebook page. You can send messages and images via Messenger just like you would via other methods of communication, but you get the benefit of Messenger being linked to your Facebook page. This makes it a natural communication method for people who find you on the social media platform.
Sometimes, you may want to delete messages on Facebook Messenger. Here’s how to do it:
- Using the mobile or desktop Facebook Messenger app, open the conversation.
- Find the message or messages you want to delete.
- Hover over the message and select “More” before clicking on “Remove.” If you are on the desktop app, right-click on the message.
- Select “remove” next to the message and then select “remove for everyone” to delete the message from the recipient’s inbox.
However, you only have up to 10 minutes to remove a message after it is sent.
Messenger Mishaps: Why You May Need to Delete Facebook Messages
There are a few reasons you may want to delete Facebook messages. Maybe these messages are no longer relevant to your business, as they are from old clients that will not possibly convert again. For example, maybe you are a local business, and your former client moved across the country, so they can’t buy from you again.
Keep in mind that once the message sends, the other person can see it. When you delete a message in Messenger, you only delete it for yourself. The other party can still see it. But you can overcome this by unsending a message.
One and Done: Deleting Individual Messages
If you make a typo or error when talking to clients on Messenger, you can unsend the message. You will note that there are two options: “Unsend for You” and “Unsend for Everyone.” If you select the first option, everyone else can still see the message.
However, if you choose the second option, the message will disappear for everyone in the chat. So, if you want to delete a message because of a typo or error, always select “Unsend for Everyone.”
Just keep in mind that if the other people in the chat decide to download their Facebook data, it will show that there are unsent messages. However, it will not include the content of the message.
How to Unsend a Message
Unsending a message is a straightforward process.
- Open the Messenger conversation.
- Find the message you want to remove. If you are on Messenger.com, hover over the message to remove and select “More” before clicking on “Remove.” If you are on the desktop app, right-click on the message.
- Select either “Remove for You” or “Remove/Unsend for Everyone.”
- Select “Remove.”
How to Hide a Message You Received
You can also easily remove a message that you received and don’t want to see. This will not remove it for anyone else in the chat, but it will not appear in your copy of the conversation.
- Open the Messenger conversation.
- Select the three dots for the menu.
- Select “Remove” and then “Remove for you.”
Mess-Termination: Cleaning Out Your Inbox
Keep in mind that you cannot mass-delete messages on Messenger. However, you can clear out your inbox by deleting the conversations one at a time.
Remember that if you delete a Messenger conversation, you will no longer be able to see it, but the other party will. This could leave you at risk of losing valuable conversation history with customer interactions.
How to Delete a Conversation
On the Messenger desktop app:
- Right-click on the conversation you want to delete.
- Select “Delete Conversation.”
- Select “Delete.”
On Messenger.com or the mobile app:
- Hover over the conversation.
- Select the three dots to access the menu.
- Select “Delete” and then “Delete” again.
A Note on Mass Deleting
As mentioned, Facebook Messenger does not have a way for you to delete messages in bulk. However, many third-party programs do. Just be sure to confirm that your chosen program is reputable before you download it or give it access to your Facebook business account.
What If You Accidentally Delete a Conversation?
The best way to get the content you accidentally deleted is to ask the other person in the conversation for a copy of it. After all, they will still have the conversation in their Messenger inbox.
