RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
April 2, 2024
This is for the iPhone and desktop using Google. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.3 and Windows 10.
I was surprised at the number of Facebook Messenger chats on my iPhone. I started to delete them one at a time. But doing so was too time-consuming; there had to be a better way.
If you research this post, you will find articles that say bulk deletion of chats cannot be done. But with the help of Google Extensions, you can delete all your chats at once.
This blog post is one of my favorites, especially since I have thousands of chats that I want to delete. We had forgotten that the Forever option was selected, which as you may guess, saves your chats forever.
Where is a chat, a message, a conversation, or a thread used?
A chat is a term used in Messenger (owned by Facebook). A message is a term found on Facebook. In Facebook if there is more than one message with a person, group, or entity, that is labeled a conversation. For a thread, that is used in Reddit.
Check Your Settings
Why do you have hundreds or thousands of chats? On your iPhone head to:
Settings > Messages > Keep Messages
and tap the option. If the option is set to Forever you will have lots of chats. Refer to the below image:
We recommend you choose another option. When you do so, all older chats will be automatically deleted. We are selecting to delete messages older than one year. On the confirmation screen, tap Delete Older Messages. See the below image:
Your Keep Messages will now be set to the option you just chose. See the following image:
Deleting Facebook messages does not have to be incredibly difficult. Whether you are deleting one or an entire history, there are options for you to do both with minimal effort.
Some users may find it easier to delete their entire Facebook account, although we do not recommend this. For now, let’s just clean up your messages/chats.
Using iPhone
Deleting messages on an iPhone or iPad one at a time:
- Open the Facebook Messenger app.
- Tap and hold the message that you no longer want, then swipe to the left.
- When the menu appears, select Delete.
- Confirm the selection by tapping Delete.
If you want to delete in bulk, it would be best to use a browser.
Using a Browser
- Log into your Facebook account.
- Click See all in Messenger.
- Click on the 3-dot menu icon next to a conversation.
- Click Delete Chat if you want to erase all the chats.
- Confirm your deletion by clicking Delete Chat.
But what can you do about multiple messages and multiple conversations? For this, you have to install a third-party browser extension.
Using a Chrome Extension
Extensions become a part of your web browser and allow you to perform various functions on a website. To delete multiple or all of your Facebook message history, we need to install a web browser extension.
Whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer, we will begin by using Google to pull up the Web Store.
Note! You will find a lot of Chrome extensions for deletion of messages. We strongly recommend only using the following extensions from the Chrome web store, not from third-party web sites.
Extension: Delete Facebook Messages
You want to use Google Search to find the “Delete Facebook Messages” extension. Once you have found it, click Add to Chrome. Refer to the below image:
You will be prompted through various pop-ups until that extension is added. To view the added extension:
Click the 3-dot menu icon in the upper right-hand > Exenesions > Manage Extensions
See the below image:
Now, let’s add the extension icon to the Chrome toolbar. Click the Details option. See the following image:
Next, toggle the Pin to toolbar to ON. Refer to the below image:
Now, the Delete Facebook Messages icon will be in your toolbar. See the below image:
Next, click the Delete Facebook Messages icon and choose the Begin Deletion option. See the following image:
Note! To use this extension more than once, there is a subscription fee.
Extension: Message Cleaner
To install the Chrome extension, search for Message Cleaner using Google Search, then select Add to Chrome. Refer to the below image:
Follow the directions above to add its icon to the toolbar.
The extension icon will be labeled Delete all Facebook Messages in your Chrome toolbar. When you click the extension icon you can Open Messages and Delete All Messages. For one-click deletion, press the F8 key. See the below image:
This extension works best if you scroll down to the bottom of the message list. Once you start the extension, it will recognize all the messages as being selected for removal. You can also then pick individual messages that you may want to save.
If you selected “all” before clicking “confirm,” the only way to get those messages back is to ask the person you sent them to for help or to use data recovery methods to retrieve backed-up information, assuming you have them backed up.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
Jim Rohn
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