How to Fix It When Facebook Messenger Won’t Load Messages

This article covers a variety of solutions for fixing Facebook Messenger glitches and bugs that prevent text and media from loading fully within Messenger conversations with people and pages.

Why Is FB Messenger Not Working?

Facebook Messenger not loading messages or media properly is typically

• The Facebook service being down or experiencing issues
• The Messenger app being out-of-date
• Incorrect data settings being selected
• A user being blocked on Facebook Messenger

How Do I Fix Messenger Not Loading Messages?

Here are all of the proven solutions for fixing Facebook Messenger loading problems. Fixes are listed in order from easiest and quickest to more advanced.

1. Check if Facebook Messenger is down. It’s possible that Facebook’s messaging service has gone down. This can prevent messages from loading properly in the app and on the Facebook website.

2. Double-check which app you’re using. This may seem like a basic fix but with the growing number of messaging apps now available, it’s easy to open the wrong one when chatting with contacts on multiple platforms.

3. Send a message in Facebook Messenger. Posting a message in a chat can force the Facebook Messenger app to check Facebook’s servers for new data and download the latest texts and media.

4. Turn off Airplane Mode. Airplane Mode disables both Wi-Fi and cellular data which is needed to connect to Facebook’s servers. The process to disable Airplane Mode depends on your platform: Android [Using Airplane Mode on Android], iPhone and iPad [Using Airplane Mode on iPhone and iPad], or Windows [Using Airplane Mode on Windows].

5. Switch Airplane Mode on and off again. Enable Airplane Mode, wait 2 minutes, and then disable it again. This will force your device to make a new connection to both your cellular network and any available Wi-Fi network.

6. Turn off Wi-Fi and use cellular. It’s possible that your Wi-Fi could be down or is having other issues. Turning off Wi-Fi will tell your device to use your cellular connection, if you have one, for connecting to the internet instead.

7. Turn off cellular and use Wi-Fi only. If your smartphone is having trouble connecting to your cellular network, messages in Facebook Messenger may not load completely or at all. Try connecting to a Wi-Fi network to see if this fixes the issue.

   You can also disable 5G cellular connections if you suspect 5G is causing data problems. The process to disable 5G depends on your platform such as an iPhone [Turn off 5G on an iPhone].

8. Disable your VPN. Temporarily disable it or turn it off and see if this fixes your Messenger issues.

9. Quit Facebook Messenger and re-open it. Close the Facebook Messenger app fully and reopen the app. Remember, only minimizing the app doesn't force the app to start over. The process for closing an app depends on the platform you are using: iPhone [Close an App on an iPhone] or Android [Close an App on Android].

10. Restart your computer or smartphone. The process for restarting your device is different based on which you use: iPhone [Restart an iPhone]. Android [Restart an Android Device], Windows [Restart Windows], or a Mac [Restart a Mac].

11. Update the Facebook Messenger app. You may need to update the app on your device to get the latest security updates which will allow new content to load in chats.

12. Update your operating system. An out-of-date operating system can cause connectivity issues in some online services and apps such as Facebook Messenger.

    The process for updating your device's operating system is different depending on your platform: Windows [Update Windows], macOS [Update macOS], iOS [Update iOS], or Android [Update Android].

13. Check if you’ve been blocked on Facebook Messenger. Being unable to load a conversation with someone in the Messenger app could be a sign that the person’s blocked you from communicating with them.

14. See if you’ve been blocked on Facebook. You may also want to check if you’ve been blocked by the contact on Facebook as a whole as this can also prevent conversations from loading.

15. Turn off Low Data Mode. This option can prevent apps such as Facebook Messenger from pulling the latest information from servers. How to turn off low data mode depends on which platform you use, but here's how to turn off low data mode on an iPhone.

16. Turn on Background App Refresh. On iPhone, select Settings > Messenger and switch Background App Refresh on. There are different background app settings for Android smartphones and tablets.

17. Reinstall the Messenger app. Uninstalling the app on your iPhone or Android device and then reinstalling it can fix a number of problems you may be experiencing.

18. Try the Facebook website. One possibility is that the Facebook Messenger app is having problems, not the actual Facebook Messenger service. Open the Facebook website in a web browser and try opening a chat conversation there.

19. Clear your browser cache. By clearing your browser's cache you'll force the browser to fetch new data and hopefully your messages.

20. Clear your cached data on Facebook. This process can improve some functionality on the Facebook platform and its services, including Facebook Messenger.

21. Reset network settings. If you’re experiencing internet connection problems on multiple apps, you may want to consider resetting your device’s network settings.