This article explains how to delete individual messages and entire conversations on the Facebook Messenger app for iPhone and Android smartphones. By deleting a message or conversation from the app, you don't also remove it from the other person's app.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Delete a Single Message
Step 1. Open Facebook Messenger
Press the Messenger app icon, which looks like a white lightning bolt inside a blue balloon. If you are already logged in, the main Messenger page will open.
If you are not signed in yet, press Continue as [Name] or enter your phone number and password.
Step 2. Make sure you see the "Home" tab
If the app opens to a conversation, press the "Back" button in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the "Home" tab.
If Messenger opens on a different tab (for example Contacts), press the tab before proceeding Home, whose icon is shaped like a house and is located in the lower left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Select a conversation
Open the conversation containing the message you want to delete by pressing on it.
Step 4. Find the message you want to delete
Step 5. Press and hold the message
After a few moments, a menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Step 6. Press Delete
You will see this trash can icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen.
Step 7. Press Delete Message when prompted
This will delete the message from your conversation, but the other person will still be able to read it until they delete it themselves.
You can repeat this for as many messages as you want to delete, but there is no way to remove multiple messages at once without deleting the entire conversation
Method 2 of 2: Delete a Conversation
Step 1. Open Facebook Messenger
Press the Messenger app icon, which looks like a white lightning bolt inside a blue balloon. If you are already signed in, the main Messenger screen will open.
If you are not signed in yet, press Continue as [Name] or enter your phone number and password.
Step 2. Make sure you see the "Home" tab
If the app opens to a conversation, press the "Back" button in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the "Home" tab.
If Messenger opens on a different tab (for example Contacts), press the tab before proceeding Home, whose icon is shaped like a house and is located in the lower left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Find the conversation you want to delete
Step 4. Press and hold the conversation
After a few moments, a menu will appear.
Step 5. Press Clear conversation in the newly appeared menu
On Android, press Delete in the menu.
Step 6. Press Clear conversation when asked
The conversation will be permanently removed from your Messenger app.
Remember that other people in the conversation will still be able to read the messages on their phones if they don't delete it
Advice
- You can also delete messages from the Messenger website.
- All messages deleted from iPhone or Android devices will also be deleted from the desktop version of Facebook.
