How to Unsend a Facebook Message

Delete that message you just sent and forget all about it

By Robert Earl Wells III
Updated on June 2, 2022

This article explains how to permanently unsend a message you've sent using Facebook Messenger. You can remove the message from your own chat history or for everyone on the chat.

How to Unsend Facebook Messages in a Web Browser

Here's how to unsend a Messenger message in a web browser:

  1. Select More (three dots), and then select Remove.

    The More symbol and Remove command for a Facebook message highlighted in Messenger on the desktop

  2. Select Unsend for everyone to remove the comment from the conversation, and then select Remove.

    The "Unsend for everyone" option and Remove highlighted in Messenger on the desktop

  3. Click Okay to confirm.

    The Okay button highlighted in Messenger on the desktop

  4. The text you sent is gone. In its place, a bubble says, "You unsent a message." This bubble is visible to all participants.

    The "You Unsent a Message" bubble highlighted in Messenger on the desktop

How to Unsend Messages in the Facebook Messenger App

Whether you have an Android or an iPhone, the process for unsending a message sent from the app is the same.

  1. Tap and hold the message you want to unsend.

  2. Select More.

  3. Tap Unsend.

    The More and Unsend options for a Facebook message highlighted

  4. Choose Unsend for Everyone to remove the message from all chat participants' threads. Alternatively, tap Unsend for You to remove it from your chat but leave it on other participants' threads.

  5. Select OK to confirm.

  6. The item you unsent has "You unsent a message" in its place. Everyone in the conversation can see this.

    Unsending a message in Facebook Messenger

The unsend feature might not be available if you use a messaging app that integrates with Facebook other than Facebook Messenger.

Why Would You Want to Unsend Facebook Messages?

Let's say you just sent a message you instantly regretted, or you accidentally sent a personal message to the wrong person. Until 2018, Facebook messages could not be unsent or removed from the recipient's inbox. Now, you can take back your words, GIFs, emojis, or anything else you sent to an individual or group of people.

Can People Still See Unsent Facebook Messages?

Unsending a message deletes it from the conversation, so it might disappear before the recipient actually sees it. However, it's very possible they've already viewed the message, especially if it was sent some time previously. The recipient will see that you've unsent a message.

As part of its mission to prevent cyberbullying, Facebook administrators can see unsent messages for a short time in case a message is reported for policy violations. When someone unsends a message, the message is replaced by text indicating the message was removed. That way, you can report users for harassment by tapping the sender's name, then selecting Something's Wrong in the Facebook Messenger app.

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