This article explains some workarounds for viewing a deleted Facebook Messenger message. These include checking your archived messages, downloading your Facebook data to see if your message is still on the server, and asking your contact for a copy of the conversation.

Check Your Archived Messages

An archived message in Messenger is hidden from your inbox but isn’t permanently deleted. It’s possible that you selected Archive instead of Delete. It’s an easy mistake to make, and you’ll be pleased you did because finding archived Facebook messages is simple.

From the Messenger App

You can uncover conversations you’ve archived using the Messenger app. Here’s how it works on the Android app (directions are similar on iPhone):

1. Open Messenger and tap Menu at the bottom.

2. Tap Archive.

3. If the chat was archived, you’ll see it here. Tap it to open the conversation and find your “deleted” messages.

   To return a thread to the main Chats list, tap and hold an archived conversation and then choose Unarchive.

From the Messenger Website

Archived Facebook Messenger conversations are also available from the desktop website. To access them, simply open the Archived chats page directly or tap the last item from the menu on the left.

Download Your Facebook Data

Your Messenger texts are stored on Facebook’s servers, allowing you to request a copy at any time. This is possible from both the mobile app and the Facebook website. Learn how to get an archive of all your Facebook data, or follow these steps to request just your messages from the app:

1. Go to Menu > Settings.

2. Scroll to the bottom and tap See more in Accounts Center.

3. Go to Your information and permissions > Download your information > Download or transfer information.

4. Select the account that has the messages you want to download, then tap Next.

   If multiple accounts are listed, such as from Instagram, ensure you’ve selected your Facebook account.

5. Choose Specific types of information.

6. Tap Messages, then choose Next.

7. Decide where to save your messages, then tap Next. You can download a copy to your device or upload it directly to Google Drive or Dropbox.

8. Pick the Date range you’re interested in, and then tap Create files.

9. You’ll receive a notification when the file is ready; tap Download to access it. Open the archive and search through your messages for the conversation you want to recover.

Ask Your Contact

Even if you are unsuccessful in retrieving the message, your contact may still have a copy of the chat. Ask that person to send the messages back to you or take a screenshot of the conversation thread and send you the image.