Retrieve Facebook Messenger messages – Navigaweb.net

We accidentally deleted a message or chat from Facebook Messenger and we no longer know how to recover it? We have received an important private message from Facebook but we can no longer find it, neither from the website nor from the Messenger app? Even if the situation seems desperate, in computer science all is not lost: we can still hope to recover something and thus restore the lost conversation or the message deleted by mistake or by distraction.
By following all the methods proposed in this guide we will be able to recover most of the lost Facebook Messenger messages, both in the case in which the cancellation took place from the PC and in the case it took place from the smartphone (Android or iPhone).
Unfortunately, some messages may no longer be recoverable: the only advice we can give you is to act as soon as possible, so as to increase the chances of success.

Let’s try all the methods proposed below one by one, so that you can immediately find out if it is possible to recover lost or deleted Facebook Messenger messages by mistake. The truth could be very different, and restoring a lot easier than you think.
READ ALSO: Facebook and Messenger chat history: find, delete or download messages

Check archived messages and chats

If the chat has been archived and not deleted, we have a very good chance of recovery!
We open the Facebook Messenger page, press the gear icon (immediately above the chats at the top left) and select the item Archived Chats.

From here we can scroll through all the archived conversations and search for the one that interests us; once found, we will be able to access the entire conversation and retrieve the messages. To be able to unlock the chat and bring it back into view, just write on it (it will become available again and will no longer be archived).

To check the chats stored by the Facebook Messenger app for Android and iOS, all we have to do is open the app, tap on the search bar at the top and type the name of the contact from which we want to recover the deleted chat; a list will open with the contacts with whom we have established a connection, just press on the right chat and scroll until you find all the deleted messages.

Download a copy of the Facebook Messenger messages

Another method that we can use to recover Facebook Messenger messages involves downloading the personal data archive, so that we can personally check everything we have done on our Facebook profile.
First, we access our Facebook profile from the website, press the arrow pointing down (present at the top right, next to the? Symbol), select the item Settings and we open the menu Your information on Facebook.

In the screen that opens, press on the item View next to the section Download your information and, in the next window, we press on Uncheck all; now let’s scroll down the page until we find the section Messages, let’s make sure to put the check mark, let’s go back to the top of the page, check that they are set as items All my data, HTML e Media in the upper fields then click on Create the file.

The creation of the personal file will start and, at the end, the download of the HTML file will start directly from the chosen browser.
At the end of the download we will not have to do is open the HTML file with any web browser, so as to view all the messages and chats exchanged on Messenger since we created the profile (including messages deleted, deleted or archived by mistake).
If we are unable to open the HTML file from the browser, we recommend that you download the program Notepad++, available free for Windows.

To download a copy of the messages from a smartphone or tablet, simply open the Facebook app, available for Android and iOS, press on the menu with the three horizontal lines at the top right, scroll and open the section Settings and privacy then press on the menu Settings.
In the new screen we press on the menu Download your information, we press again on Uncheck all, make sure there is a check mark on the item Messages, scroll down, make sure they are checked All my data, HTML e Media in the fields then we finally press on Create the file.
The same HTML file seen on the PC will be downloaded to the mobile device; to open it we will have to use any web browser or a dedicated app such as HTML Reader / Viewer (for Android) and HTML Viewer Q (for iOS / iPadOS).

Search the Android cache

If we’ve deleted a chat or message from the Messenger app for Android, we can check the app cache, where you can find (with a bit of luck) the chat you just deleted.
To carry out this check, install the Solid Explorer app on our Android smartphone or tablet, press on Internal memory in the interface then let’s take the following path Android -> data -> com.facebook.orca -> cache.

If the chat has recently been deleted, we will find it here, ready to be viewed (as HTML). If we find nothing, there is no way to retrieve the chat or messages other than contacting Facebook directly.

Contact Facebook

If all our efforts have not gone into recovering Facebook Messenger messages, all that remains is to contact Facebook support.

We carry out a search in the upper bar specifying the problem and, in case we are asked for contact via email, we explain the whole problem on it (from the accidental deletion of the chat to the recovery attempts already made).
If we do not receive a reply shortly, we try again with an email all in English (perhaps with the help of our guide to Programs for writing in English with correct spelling and grammar).

Conclusions

Here above we have shown you all the safe and valid methods to recover Facebook Messenger messages deleted by mistake or by distraction.
If we have not found the message we were looking for and we have deleted, then there is really no hope of being able to recover it easily.

If we have accidentally deleted an important email from Gmail, we recommend that you read our guide on How to Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail.
If, on the other hand, the incorrect cancellation of the chat occurred on WhatsApp, we can try the recovery by reading our article on how Recover deleted Whatsapp messages and restore backups.