Further reading
How to maintain your privacy on Facebook
Best text messaging apps
How to use Facebook
Let’s face it, we’ve all sent things online that we wish we could just erase from our minds and online history, whether it be embarrassing photos or not-so-nice gossip we told in our younger years. Thankfully, there is a way to delete them forever, should you decide you no longer wish to look at them. Deleting Facebook messages on your desktop or mobile device takes mere seconds, however, keep in mind that deleting the aforementioned messages does not delete them from your friend’s inbox.
Assuming you want to continue, read on for all the details.
Deleting messages on your desktop
Step 1: Log into Facebook like you normally would.
Step 2: Click the chat bubble in the upper-right corner, followed by See All in Messenger. The latter option is located in the bottom left.
Step 3: To delete an entire message thread, hover over the conversation and click the cog icon in the bottom-right corner. Afterward, hit Delete.
Step 4: You will then be presented with three options: Cancel, Delete, or Archive. Click Delete to continue.
Step 5: To delete a part of your conversation, click into the conversation and hover over the message you would like to delete. Then, click the three horizontal dots and hit Delete.
Deleting messages on your mobile device
Step 1: If you haven’t already, download the Messenger app for either iOS or Android, and log in as you normally would.
Step 2: If you want to delete an entire conversation, hold down the thread and select Delete Conversation from the resulting menu.
Step 3: If you just want to delete a single message, go into the conversation, hold down the message you want to delete, and select Delete at the bottom.
If you aren’t ready to part with those embarrassing messages or conversations quite yet, you can always archive them, which will hide them from your inbox until the next time you chat with the person in question. Here’s how.
How to archive messages in iOS
Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Navigate to the Home tab on the left.
Step 3: Scroll through the conversation list and find the one you want to delete.
Step 4: Lightly tap and hold the conversation. Note: Do not use Force Touch.
Step 5: Select More on the resulting screen.
Step 6: Tap Archive.
How to archive messages in Android
Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Tap the Home icon to see a list of your conversations.
Step 3: Press and hold the conversation you want to archive.
Step 4: Tap Archive.
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