You can delete a message you sent, but the other person will still see it happened
Facebook Messenger gives you two ways to remove a message: delete for yourself, which removes it only from your view, or remove for everyone, which replaces the message with text saying it was removed. The second option only works for messages you sent, and only within a certain time window — usually 10 minutes on mobile and up to an hour on desktop, though this varies. If you delete a message for everyone, the other person will see that a message was deleted, but they won't see what it said.
The person you messaged will not see the message disappear silently. They will see a notification that you removed it. This matters if you're trying to hide that you sent something — they'll know you sent and then deleted it, just not the content.
Key Takeaways
- Delete for yourself removes a message only from your screen; the other person still sees it.
- Remove for everyone replaces your message with "You removed this message" text, but only works within about 10 minutes on phones.
- On mobile, long-press the message; on desktop, hover over it and click the three dots to see your options.
- Group chats work the same way as one-on-one conversations for message deletion.
How to delete a message on your phone
Open the conversation containing the message you want to delete. Find the message, then press and hold it with your finger until a menu appears. On iPhone, you'll see options including "Remove" or "Unsend" depending on your Messenger version; on Android, look for "Remove" or "Delete." Tap the option that says remove or unsend.
A second menu will appear asking whether you want to delete for yourself or remove for everyone. Choose which one you need. If you choose remove for everyone and the time window has passed, Messenger will tell you it's too late and only offer delete for yourself instead.
How to delete a message on desktop or web
Go to the conversation in Messenger on your computer. Find the message you want to delete and move your mouse over it. Three dots will appear on the right side of the message. Click those dots to open a menu with delete options.
You'll see "Remove" or "Delete" and "Remove for Everyone" or "Unsend." Click whichever you need. Desktop Messenger usually gives you a longer window to remove for everyone — sometimes up to an hour — but this still depends on when the message was sent.
What happens when you delete a message
If you delete for yourself, the message vanishes from your chat history, but the other person's copy stays exactly as it was. They can still see it, screenshot it, or reference it later. This is useful if you want to clean up your own inbox but don't need to hide the message from the other person.
If you remove for everyone, the message gets replaced with text saying "You removed this message" or similar wording. The other person will see this notification immediately. They won't see the content of what you deleted, but they'll know you sent something and then took it back. In group chats, everyone in the conversation sees that you removed a message.
When you can't delete a message
Once the time window closes — roughly 10 minutes on mobile, up to an hour on desktop — you can only delete for yourself. Messenger will not let you remove for everyone after that point. There's no way around this time limit; you cannot delete an old message from the other person's view.
You also cannot delete messages that other people sent. You can only remove your own messages. If someone else sent you a message you want gone from your view, you can delete it for yourself, but they'll still see it on their end.
Deleting messages in group chats
Group conversations work the same way as one-on-one chats. Long-press or hover over your message, then choose delete for yourself or remove for everyone. When you remove for everyone in a group, all members of that chat see the "message removed" notification.
You cannot delete other people's messages from a group chat, even if you're the group admin. Only the person who sent the message can remove it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a message after more than an hour?
No. Once the time window closes, you can only delete the message from your own view. The other person will continue to see the original message. There is no way to remove it from their chat history after the deadline passes.
Will the other person get a notification that I deleted a message?
If you delete for yourself, they won't be notified — they won't even know you deleted anything because the message stays on their screen. If you remove for everyone, they'll see that a message was removed, but not what it said.
Can I delete messages from a conversation without deleting the whole chat?
Yes. Deleting individual messages does not delete the conversation itself. The chat thread stays open with the remaining messages intact. If you want to remove the entire conversation, that's a separate action.
Does deleting a message on Messenger also delete it from my phone's notification history?
No. Notifications that already appeared on your phone stay in your notification history even after you delete the message from Messenger. You would need to clear those notifications separately through your phone's settings.
What if I delete a message by accident?
Messenger does not have an undo feature for deleted messages. Once you confirm the deletion, it's gone from your view permanently. If you deleted for yourself only, the other person still has the message and can send it back to you if you ask.