Delete or restore Facebook messages from the trash, that’s how it works

If you’ve already built up a long history of posts on Facebook, it might be a good idea to sweep it up. Do you want to know how to delete (multiple) messages? Have you accidentally deleted a message and want to get it back? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

1. How do I delete old messages?

Some old posts on your Facebook profile may not show your very best side of you. You may want to delete the photos of you and your ex or just run the broom. Then it’s time to delete the messages. This can be done one-by-one per message. You do this via the three dots at the top right of a message. You can also delete multiple messages at the same time and you can do that via the Facebook function Manage activity:

1. In the Facebook app, tap your profile picture in the top left to go to your profile.
2. Tap the three dots below your profile picture, then tap Activity Log†
3. Scroll down and tap the content you want to view (for example, tap Manage your messages to see things like photos, videos, text, and status updates you’ve shared on Facebook).
4. From here you can click on the top Filters tap to filter by things like: Categories, Date, and People.
5. When you have found the content, tap the three dots on the right.
6. If the content can be deleted, tap Move to Trash†

Similarly, you can delete posts you’ve been tagged in, likes, comments, pokes, and more.

Keep in mind that messages in the Recycle Bin are permanently deleted after 30 days. After 30 days, these messages are automatically deleted and cannot be recovered.

2. How do I archive old messages?

You can also archive messages instead of deleting. If you move posts to your Archive, these are only visible to you. If you choose to restore these archived messages, they will be visible to the audience that was selected before the content was moved to the archive.

1. In the Facebook app, tap your profile picture in the top left to go to your profile.
2. Tap the three dots below your profile picture, then tap Activity Log†
3. At the top of your activity log, tap Manage activity†
4. Scroll down to what you want to archive, tap the circle next to the content, then tap at the bottom Archiving†

To find more specific content to archive:

1. At the top of your activity log, tap Filters†
2. Tap to filter Categories or Date†
3. In front of Categories tap the category you want to filter by (for example: Your messages† In front of Date select the start and end dates on which you want to filter.
4. Tap the three dots to the right of the message.
5. If the content can be archived, tap Move to archive†

You can view the content that is in the Archive is also at the Waste paper basket move. To do this, tap in the Archive on the box next to the message and then at the bottom Waste paper basket†

3. Where is my trash on Facebook?

Have you accidentally deleted a message that you want to retrieve? Then you can restore it within 30 days. Below are the steps to find the trash and recover deleted messages:

1. In the Facebook app, tap your profile picture in the top left to go to your profile.
2. Tap the three dots below your profile picture, then tap Activity Log†
3. there you are Waste paper basket†

4. How do you get deleted messages back on Facebook?

Now that you’ve found your trash on Facebook, you can restore messages. You can do the following:

1. Restore your messages to where they were when you posted the content: Tap the box next to the content, then tap To recover† Tap on To recover to confirm.
2. Move your posts to you Archive: Tap the box next to the content and then at the bottom Archiving† Your content will be moved to your archive.

5. How do I empty the Facebook trash?

You can wait 30 days for the messages to be automatically deleted by Facebook. You can also delete the messages immediately. See point 1 above or point 2 to archive messages instead of throwing them away. Always tick the box Everything to delete multiple messages at once.