Have you ever accidentally deleted a Facebook message and then desperately needed it back? Whether it was an important business message or just a funny conversation with a friend, we've all been there.

Thankfully, there are a few ways you can try to recover your deleted messages. This article will explain how to do just that.

Check your archived messages

An archived message in your Facebook Messenger is only hidden from your inbox and can be easily restored if need be - it's not permanently deleted when you archive it. It's likely that when you intended to delete the message, you inadvertently selected Archive instead.

Here's how you can check to see if you accidentally archived the message instead of deleting it in the iOS Messenger app:

  1. Open the Messenger app on your iOS device
  2. Go to your profile and select "Archived Chats"
  3. You will be able to view the chat If it was indeed archived
  4. Then, select "Unarchive" to return it to your active Messenger chats

Recover deleted Facebook messages on Android

Many Android apps automatically store cache data, which means it's possible to retrieve deleted Messenger chats. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Download a file manager from the Google Play Store if you don't already have one
  2. Launch the file manager and navigate to Main Storage > Android > data > com.facebook.ocra > cache > fb_temp
  3. In the folder, you can find messages from recent history. Hopefully, you'd be able to locate the deleted message

If you have an iPhone, you may have a more difficult time accessing a backup for your Messenger correspondence than Android users. If that's the case, you may need to use a third-party iPhone data recovery tool.

Download Facebook data from the website to recover deleted messages

Although Facebook says deleted messages are removed from its servers, there is an undisclosed period in which these messages are stored before they're deleted forever.

This means there is a possibility you may be able to recover deleted messages by downloading your Facebook data.

You can request your Facebook data, which includes your Messages, from their website on a computer. Here's the process:

  1. Log in to Facebook in a web browser
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the top-right corner and select "Settings & Privacy"
  3. Choose "Settings" on the sidebar and select "Privacy"
  4. Click on "Your Facebook Information"
  5. Go to the "Download Profile Information" section and select "View"
  6. Click on the checkbox for Messages, deselect any other category you don't want to download and click on "Create File".
  7. When the report is complete, Facebook notifies you that it is ready for download
  8. Check it for the deleted messages you seek
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Retrieve deleted Facebook messages from your email

Finally, to be able to locate your missing messages, you can check your email inbox. This method will only work if you have email notifications enabled on Facebook, but it's worth a try if you want to know the content of the messages.

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