How to View Archived Messages in Messenger

If you're one of Facebook's 2,91 billion monthly active users worldwide, chances are you also use the built-in Messenger app. On average, 20 billion messages are sent using the app each month, making Messenger the second most popular app after Facebook itself.

With so many messages being exchanged, there may be times when you want to delete a message from your inbox without completely deleting it. For example, you may have finished a conversation, but the chat contains essential information that you may need in the future.

With the archive feature, you can avoid inbox clutter. But how do you access your archives?

In this article, we'll show you how to access your archived messages, no matter what device you're using.

How to View Archived Messages in Messenger App for iPhone

Since May 2022, Facebook has introduced a new update for the Messenger app that makes it easier to access archived conversations from your smartphone. An "archived conversations" folder has been added to the app on iPhone and Android phones.

To use this feature, first make sure you are running the latest version of the app. If necessary, go to the App Store and update. Once that's done, here's what you'll need to do:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app on your iPhone.
   
2. Tap the icon in the top left corner of the page with your profile on it.
   
3. Select "Archived Chats".
   
4. From there, you will be able to access all the conversations that have been saved in your archive.
   

If you're using the older version of Messenger on your iPhone, here's how to access your archived chats:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
   
2. In the search button at the top of the screen, enter the name of the recipient of the archived messages.
   
3. The archived chat will appear in the drop-down menu.
   
4. Tap on it to see.

How to View Archived Messages in Android Messenger App

In June 2022, Android maintained its position as the world's leading mobile operating system. Like iPhones, Androids are also subject to their fair share of updates. The Messenger 2022 app has made accessing archived conversations on an Android much easier.

Once the update is complete, accessing archived messages is a simple process:

1. Open the Messenger app on your Android device.
   
2. At the top of the screen, tap your profile.
   
3. Choose the “Archived chats” option.
   
4. All archived conversations will then appear.
   

If you are using an older version of Android, the "Archived Chats" folder may not appear even if you update the Messenger app. If so, follow these steps to access your archives:

1. From your "Home" page, open Messenger.
   
2. At the top of the screen, tap the search bar.
   
3. Find the name of the recipient of the archive you want to access.
4. Tap the person's name to open the conversation.
   

How to View Archived Messages in Messenger on PC

The desktop version of Facebook allows users to reach a wider audience. This is mainly due to the fact that a majority of Facebook users use the desktop version despite emerging mobile markets.

If you want to view your archived chats on PC, just follow these steps.

1. Go to Facebook website and log in with your credentials.
   
2. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, find the Messenger icon.
   
3. In the pop-up window, click "Show all in Messenger".
   
4. Navigate to the "three horizontal dots" icon to display a drop-down menu.
   
5. From the list of options, select "Archived Threads".
   
6. You will then be redirected to your archived conversations.

How do I archive chats on Messenger using the latest version of the app

The latest Messenger update allows users to archive their conversations quickly and efficiently from their mobile devices.

From an iPhone:

1. Open the Messenger app.
   
2. Choose the conversation you want to archive and swipe it from right to left.
   
3. From the options, choose the “Archive” option.
   

From Android:

1. Open Messenger on your Android.
   
2. Press and hold the conversation you want to archive.
3. From the menu that appears, select the “Archive” option.
   

How to Delete an Archived Messenger Conversation

If you no longer want to have access to a conversation, even in your archived folder, you can consider deleting it permanently. This is an easy process, depending on your device.

From an iPhone:

1. Open Messenger and go to your profile in the left corner.
   
2. Select the "Archived Chats" option that appears.
   
3. Swipe right to left on the conversation you want to delete, then tap "More."
   
4. Press "Delete".
   
5. The conversation will now be permanently deleted from your device.

From Android:

1. Head to Messenger, then tap your profile in the top left of the screen.
   
2. Select "Archived Chats" from the list of available options.
   
3. Press and hold the conversation to delete it.
   
4. Choose the “Delete” option.
   
5. You will no longer be able to see the conversation.

From a computer:

1. Log in to your Facebook account from your desktop.
   
2. Head to your messages.
   
3. In the sidebar on the left side, select the three dots.
   
4. Open "Archived Chats".
   
5. Click the three-dot icon next to the chat you want to delete.
   
6. Select "Delete chat".
   
7. The conversation will no longer appear in any of your files.

Additional FAQs

Can I unarchive messages?

Starting a conversation with the recipient of an archived chat automatically unarchives messages.

However, depending on your device, if you don't want to start chatting but want to unarchive a conversation, there are other ways to do so.

From an iPhone:

1. Open the Messenger app and select your profile.

2. Tap "Archived Chats".

3. Swipe right and choose the "Unarchive" option on the chat you want to unarchive.

4. The conversation will now appear in your main inbox on Messenger.

From Android:

1. From your home screen, open Messenger.

2. Select your profile at the top of the page and tap "Archived Chats".

3. Touch and hold the conversation you want to unarchive.

4. From the options that appear, select “Unarchive”.

5. The conversation is now in the main Messenger inbox.

One for the archives

Archiving conversations is useful if you want to hide chats from your Messenger inbox but still have access to them later. Deleting messages, on the other hand, deletes them completely. For this reason, it may be best to archive chats that you don't want to interact with, but which may contain important information.

Do you regularly archive conversations on Messenger? How do you find the process? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.