You can delete messages from your inbox, but Facebook doesn't let you erase them from the other person's inbox

Facebook offers two different delete options, and they work differently. Delete for yourself removes the message from your own inbox only — the other person still sees it on their end. Remove for everyone (available on some messages) deletes the message from both inboxes, but only within a narrow time window and only if certain conditions are met.

The "remove for everyone" feature is the closest Facebook comes to permanent deletion on both sides. It works for up to 10 minutes after you send a message, and it removes the message from the recipient's chat thread entirely — they'll see a notification that you removed a message, but the message text itself disappears. After 10 minutes, this option vanishes and you can only delete it from your own inbox.

If you're trying to delete old messages or messages sent more than 10 minutes ago, there is no way to remove them from the other person's view. You can only remove them from yours.

Key Takeaways

  • The "remove for everyone" option works only within 10 minutes of sending a message and deletes it from both your inbox and the recipient's inbox.
  • After 10 minutes passes, you can only delete messages from your own inbox using the "delete for yourself" option.
  • When you remove a message for everyone, the recipient sees a notification that you removed a message, but the message content disappears.
  • Deleting a message from your inbox does not delete it from the other person's inbox — they will still see it in their chat thread.

How to remove a message for everyone within the 10-minute window

Open the Facebook Messenger app or go to Messenger on Facebook's website. Find the conversation containing the message you want to delete and locate the message you sent within the last 10 minutes.

On mobile, press and hold the message until a menu appears. On desktop, hover your mouse over the message until you see three dots or a menu icon appear. Tap or click that icon and select Remove or Remove for Everyone — the exact wording depends on your device and app version. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

The message will disappear from both your inbox and the recipient's inbox. They'll see a small notification in the chat saying you removed a message, but they won't see what the message said.

How to delete messages from your own inbox only

Open Messenger and find the conversation. On mobile, press and hold the message until the menu appears. On desktop, hover over the message to reveal the menu icon. Select Delete or Delete for Yourself.

The message disappears from your inbox immediately. The other person's copy remains untouched — they will still see the message in their chat thread as if nothing happened. This is the only delete option available for messages older than 10 minutes.

You can delete multiple messages at once on some versions of Messenger. Tap and hold the first message, then tap additional messages to select them, then choose delete from the menu.

Why the 10-minute limit exists

Facebook built the 10-minute window into the "remove for everyone" feature to prevent abuse. Without a time limit, people could delete messages after a conversation has been read and discussed, making it impossible to reference what was actually said. The 10-minute window is meant to catch accidental sends or immediate regrets, not to rewrite history after the fact.

Once 10 minutes passes, Facebook treats the message as part of the permanent conversation record. At that point, only the "delete for yourself" option remains available.

What happens when you delete a message

When you use "remove for everyone" within the time limit, the recipient sees a line in the chat that says something like "You removed a message" or "[Name] removed a message." The actual text of the message does not appear. The recipient cannot click on this notification to see what was deleted.

When you use "delete for yourself," nothing changes on the other person's screen. They continue to see the message exactly as you sent it. From their perspective, the message was never deleted at all.

In both cases, Facebook's servers retain records of deleted messages for legal and safety reasons, though ordinary users cannot access these records.

Deleting entire conversations

You can delete an entire conversation from your inbox without affecting the other person's copy. On mobile, swipe left on the conversation (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android), then select delete. On desktop, right-click the conversation and select delete.

This removes the entire thread from your inbox, but the other person still has their copy of all messages in that conversation. If you want to delete individual messages within a conversation rather than the whole thread, use the per-message delete options described above.

Messenger vs. Facebook chat — which one has delete options

Facebook Messenger (the standalone app or the Messenger section of Facebook) has the full delete and remove features described here. If you're using the older Facebook chat feature built into the main Facebook website, your options may be limited or different.

To make sure you're using Messenger, open the Facebook app or website and look for the speech bubble icon or "Messenger" label. The standalone Messenger app is the most reliable place to find the "remove for everyone" feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a message after more than 10 minutes?

You can delete it from your own inbox, but not from the other person's. Once 10 minutes passes, the "remove for everyone" option disappears and you're left with "delete for yourself" only. The other person will continue to see the message in their chat thread.

Does the other person get notified when I delete a message for myself?

No. When you delete a message from your own inbox only, the other person sees no change and receives no notification. The message remains visible on their end exactly as you sent it. They have no way of knowing you deleted it from your inbox.

What if I delete a message but the other person already took a screenshot?

Deleting the message from Messenger does not affect screenshots or copies the other person has already saved. If they screenshotted the message before you deleted it, they still have that image. Deletion only removes the message from the Messenger app itself.

Can I recover a message I deleted?

No. Once you delete a message from your inbox or remove it for everyone, you cannot recover it through Messenger. If you need the content of a deleted message, you would have to ask the other person if they still have a copy or remember what it said.

Does unsending a message work the same way as removing it for everyone?

Yes. On some versions of Messenger, the feature is called "unsend" instead of "remove for everyone," but it works identically — it deletes the message from both inboxes within 10 minutes of sending. After 10 minutes, the unsend option disappears.