How to Recover Deleted Messenger Messages on iPhone [2026 Guide]

How to Recover Deleted Facebook Messages

If you’ve accidentally deleted your Facebook messages, don’t panic. There are several reliable methods to help you recover deleted Messenger messages on iPhone. In this guide, we’ll walk you through practical steps to restore your chats and ensure your important conversations stay accessible.

Method 1: Check Archived Conversations

In your Facebook Messenger, an “Archived Message” section is hidden in the inbox and isn’t permanently deleted. There’s a chance that you possibly selected Archive instead of Delete. It is an easy mistake to make, and recovering the archived messages on Messenger is pretty straightforward. Just follow the steps in order:

• Step 1: Launch the Facebook Messenger on your iOS and tap on the “three-bar” icon in the top left corner.

• Step 2: From the appearing menu, tap on “Archive.”

• Step 3: The new window shows the list of messages that you chose to archive. If the one that you lost is present there, then press and hold on to the one that is for a few seconds, and select “Unarchive” from the pop-up menu. You should see your lost messages back on the chat screen.

Method 2: Download Your Facebook Information

Your Messenger messages get saved on the Facebook server so that you can request a copy of them at any time. With this, you can recover deleted messages in Messenger on iPhone, iPad, or any other iOS platforms available. Follow the steps to download the messages from your Facebook Messenger:

• Step 1: Launch Messenger on your iPhone and tap on the line icon in its top-left corner.
• Step 2: Tap on the Gear or “Settings” icon, scroll down, and tap on the “See more in Accounts Center” tab.

• Step 3: On the new window, tap on “Your information and permissions,” followed by “Download your information” and “Download or transfer information.”

• Step 4: If you have multiple accounts (Facebook/Instagram), select one that has messages to recover, then tap on “Next.”

• Step 5: Then select Specific types of information > Messages > Next.

• Step 6: The app then requires you to select the location where you want to save the messages and tap on “Next.” You can download the information directly from the desired location on your device or upload it directly to Dropbox or Google Drive.

• Step 7: Select the date range up to which you wish to retrieve deleted Messenger messages on your iPhone and tap on “Create Files.”

• Step 8: The data will take some time to retrieve, and once it does, you’ll receive a notification. Tap on the “download” option to receive it. Open the archive folder using the abovementioned steps, select the messages to recover, and move them back to the chat window.

Method 3: Ask Your Contact

Even if following the methods didn’t retrieve the messages you need, your contact might still have a copy of the chat. Ask them to send you a screenshot of the conversation or the messages to you.

Recover Old Facebook Messenger Messages that You Have Deleted on iOS Devices

Wondershare Dr.Fone is a comprehensive and trusted solution designed to back up and recover deleted Messenger messages on iPhone. Its intuitive interface and powerful recovery features make it suitable for retrieving data lost due to accidental deletion, system errors, or Messenger’s Vanish Mode. Whether you need to restore messages, attachments, or other essential files, this toolkit provides a dependable way to regain your lost information with accuracy and ease.

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Backup Data for Recovering Deleted Messages

• One-click to backup the whole iOS device to your computer.
• Allow previewing and selectively export contacts from iPhone to your computer.
• No data loss on devices during the restoration.
• Works for all iOS devices. Compatible with the latest iOS version.

Available on: Windows Mac

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But you can be cautious with it and preemptively back up your data at regular intervals, and Dr. Fone serves as an efficient and dependable solution for both Android and iOS users. And just not the messages, you can use Dr. Fone to backup and restore almost everything, including videos, photos, SMS, contacts, and Whatsapp messages, among others. This ensures a thorough approach to restoring data. Follow the solutions in order to backup and recover deleted messages in Messenger on iPhone:

Solution 1: Manually Back Up the Data

• Step 1: Download the Wondershare Dr. Fone app on your Mac/Windows PC, launch it, connect your iPhone to the computer, and provide access to connect data.
• Step 2: To start with the backup process, tap on the “My Backup” tab on the side panel followed by “Back Up Now.” You can selectively backup the Applications (as you need your Facebook messages to stay safe) from the data types and then tap on the backup now option.

• Step 3: Wait for the platform to automatically detect and backup the files available on your iPhone. It takes a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the amount of data available on your device. If you don’t want to, tap on cancel at any time.

• Step 4: Once the backup concludes, the new window displays the backup details. Click on “view backups” to access the files backed up by Dr. Fone.

Then, access “My Backups” and restore them by simply clicking on “Restore to Device,” and your Facebook data is nowhere gone.

Solution 2: Automatically Backup the Data

• Step 1: If you don’t want to go through backing up your Facebook messages and other data over and over again, you can avoid it by setting an automatic backup on Dr. Fone. To do so, access “My backup > Backup preferences” to open a pop-up window.

• Step 2: Toggle the auto-backup option to set up a backup plan to weekly/daily/monthly, and preferred time. Make sure to keep your iDevice and computer connected to the same WiFi during this time.

• Step 3: You can access the “Backup History” to check the data that is backed up automatically and restore it at any time needed.

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How to Read Old Messages on Facebook.com Faster

Facebook Messenger is a great tool for staying connected with friends and family across distances. However, as new chats accumulate, locating older messages can become difficult and time-consuming. Instead of scrolling endlessly, try these practical methods to access your old conversations or recover deleted Messenger messages on iPhone.

Method 1: Make Use of Keywords

• Step 1: Launch the messenger and select the certain conversation whose message you’re searching for.
• Step 2: Navigate to the magnifying glass icon on the top right corner to open the “search bar.”
• Step 3: Then, type in a keyword to access your message history on Facebook.

Method 2: Adjust the URL

• Step 1: You can follow this method on your Android and Windows/Mac computers. All you need is a web browser, where you can search “Facebook.com” and press Enter. Then, input the user credentials to log in, and as it displays the homepage, navigate to the message page and open the conversation. Now, note down the URL at the top of the browser.
• Step 2: Scroll down, right-click on “see older messages,” and select “open in a new tab.”
• Step 3: The URL should be something like this:

https://m.facebook.com/messages/read/?tid=id.???&start=6&pagination_direction=1&refid=12

In the URL, you’ll see the “start=6” text, where 6 indicates the hierarchy of the conversed messages. If the conversation has more messages, change the number to jump into the old messages. Although this might sound tiring, it is much faster and easier than scrolling through thousands of data.

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s quite straightforward to recover deleted Messenger messages on iPhone, even without having the device in hand. By following the outlined steps carefully, you can restore your lost chats and access your important conversations again with confidence.

To keep your Facebook and other app data secure, consider using Wondershare Dr.Fone—one of the most reliable tools available. It allows you to back up, restore, and even recover deleted Messenger messages on iPhone whenever needed. Download Dr.Fone today to protect your valuable chats and ensure your important data remains safe.

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