Have we accidentally deleted a message or chat from Facebook Messenger and don't know how to recover it? We received an important private message from Facebook but we can no longer find it, neither from the site nor from the Messenger app? Even if the situation seems hopeless, in computer science, not everything is lost: we can still hope to recover something and thus restore the conversation lost or the message canceled by mistake or by distraction.By following all the methods proposed in this guide we will succeed in recover most of the lost Facebook Messenger messages, both in the case in which the cancellation was made by the PC and in the case it occurred by 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.
How to recover Facebook Messenger messages
Let's try each of the methods proposed below, so you can find out right away if you can recover Facebook Messenger messages that have been lost or deleted by mistake. The truth could be very different and the restoration could be much simpler than you think.
Check archived messages and chats
If the chat has been archived and not deleted, we have excellent chances of recovery!
Open the Facebook Messenger page, press the gear icon (just above the chats in the upper left) and select the item Archived Chat.
From here we can browse all the stored conversations and look for the one that interests us; once found, we will be able to access the entire conversation and retrieve messages. To be able to unlock the chat and get it back into view, just write about it (it will be available again and will no longer be archived).
To check the chat archived by the Facebook Messenger app for Android and iOS, all we need 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 retrieve the deleted chat; a list will open with the contacts with which we have established a connection, just press on the right chat and scroll to find all the deleted messages.
Download a copy of Facebook Messenger messages
Another method that we can use to retrieve 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, we press on the downward pointing arrow (top right, next to the? Symbol), select the item Settings and open the menu Your information on Facebook.
In the screen that opens we press on the item View next to the section Download your information and, in the next window, we press on Uncheck all; Now scroll down the page until you find the section Messages, let's make sure we put the check mark, go back to the top of the page, check that they are set as entries All my data, HTML is Average in the upper fields then click on Create the file.
The creation of the personal file will be started and, at the end, the HTML file will be downloaded directly from the chosen browser.
At the end of the download we will only have to 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 can't open the HTML file from the browser, we recommend downloading the program Notepad ++, available for 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, let's make sure there is a check mark on the item Messages, scroll down, make sure they are selected All my data, HTML is Average in the fields then we finally press on Create the file.
The same HTML file seen from the PC will be downloaded to the mobile device; to open it we will have to use any web browser or dedicated app like HTML Reader / Viewer (for Android) and HTML Viewer Q (for iOS / iPadOS).
Search in the Android cache
If we canceled a chat or message from the Messenger app for Android, we can check the app cache, where you can find (with a little luck) the chat you just canceled.
To perform this check we install the Solid Explorer app on our smartphone or Android tablet, click on Internal memory in the interface then let us take the following path Android -> data -> com.facebook.orca -> cache.
If the chat was recently canceled, we will find it here, ready to be viewed (like HTML). If instead we don't find anything, there is no way to recover the chat or the messages if not directly contact Facebook.
Contact Facebook
If all our efforts have not served to retrieve Facebook Messenger messages, all that remains is to contact Facebook assistance.
We carry out a search inside the upper bar specifying the problem and, in case we are requested to contact by email, we explain the whole problem on it (from accidental deletion of the chat to the recovery attempts already made).
If we do not receive a reply shortly, we will try again with an email all in English (perhaps helping us with our guide to Programs to write in English with correct spelling and grammar).
Conclusions
Here at the top we have shown you all the safe and valid methods to recover Facebook Messenger messages deleted by mistake or by distraction.
If we did not find the message we were looking for and we eliminated it, then there is really no hope of being able to recover it easily.
If we accidentally deleted an important email from Gmail, we advise you to read our guide on How to recover deleted emails in Gmail.
If, on the other hand, the incorrect cancellation of the chat took place on WhatsApp, we can attempt recovery by reading our article on how Recover deleted Whatsapp messages and restore backups.