Deleting a contact from Messenger removes them from your active conversation list, but they can still message you later

When you delete someone from Messenger, you're removing them from your contacts and hiding your conversation history with them. The person doesn't get notified that you've deleted them. However, they can still find you and send you a message in the future — deleting them is not the same as blocking them. If you want to prevent someone from contacting you at all, you'll need to block them instead.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using Messenger on your phone or computer, but the process takes less than a minute either way.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting someone from Messenger removes them from your contacts list but does not prevent them from messaging you later.
  • On your phone, open the conversation, tap the person's name at the top, scroll down, and select "Delete Chat".
  • On a computer, right-click the conversation in your chat list and choose "Delete Chat" from the menu.
  • If you want to stop someone from contacting you entirely, use the block feature instead of delete.
  • Deleted conversations can sometimes be recovered if you message the person again, depending on your Messenger settings.

How to delete someone on Messenger using your phone

Open the Messenger app and find the conversation with the person you want to delete. Tap and hold on their name or the conversation thread until a menu appears. You should see options including "Delete Chat" — tap that option. The conversation will disappear from your chat list immediately.

If you don't see a delete option when you tap and hold, try opening the conversation first by tapping on it. Once the conversation is open, look at the top of the screen where the person's name appears. Tap on their name, then scroll down through the options until you find "Delete Chat" or "Remove Chat". Tap it to confirm.

Some phones show a trash icon or three-dot menu instead. If you see three dots in the top right corner of the conversation, tap those and look for a delete or remove option in the menu that appears.

How to delete someone on Messenger using a computer

Go to Messenger.com or open Messenger through Facebook. On the left side of your screen, you'll see your list of conversations. Find the person you want to delete, then right-click on their conversation (or hover over it and look for a three-dot menu icon). A small menu will pop up with several options.

Click "Delete Chat" from that menu. The conversation will be removed from your chat list. If you don't see a delete option, try clicking the three-dot menu icon that appears when you hover over the conversation name.

The difference between deleting and blocking someone

Deleting a conversation removes it from your active chat list, but the person can still message you. Their message will appear in your "Message Requests" folder or as a new conversation. Blocking someone, by contrast, prevents them from sending you messages, seeing when you're online, or viewing your profile picture in Messenger.

If someone is harassing you or you want to cut off all contact, blocking is the stronger action. To block someone, open their conversation, tap their name at the top (on phone) or right-click their conversation (on computer), and select "Block" instead of "Delete". You can unblock them later if you change your mind.

What happens to your conversation history when you delete

When you delete a conversation, the message thread disappears from your main chat list. However, the messages aren't always permanently gone. If you message that person again in the future, your old conversation history may reappear, depending on your Messenger settings and how long ago the conversation took place.

If you want to permanently erase a conversation before deleting it, you can select individual messages and delete those first. Open the conversation, tap and hold on a specific message, and select "Remove" or "Delete". Do this for each message you want to remove, then delete the conversation itself.

Recovering a deleted conversation

If you accidentally delete a conversation and want to see it again, the easiest way is to message that person again. When you start a new conversation with them, your old messages may show up below the new ones. This isn't may provide — older conversations sometimes don't reappear — but it's worth trying if you need to reference something from the past.

Another option is to check your archived conversations. On your phone, look for an "Archived" folder or section in Messenger. On a computer, you may see an "Archived" option in your chat list. If the conversation was moved there instead of fully deleted, you can unarchive it to bring it back to your main chat list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the person know when I delete them from Messenger?

No. Deleting someone from your chat list does not send them a notification. They won't know you've removed the conversation unless you tell them or they notice you're no longer responding to their messages.

Can I delete someone without them being able to message me again?

Not with the delete feature alone. If you want to prevent someone from messaging you entirely, you need to block them instead. Blocking stops them from sending you messages, while deleting just removes the conversation from your view.

What's the difference between deleting a chat and deleting a message?

Deleting a chat removes the entire conversation thread from your chat list. Deleting a message removes only that single message from the conversation. You can delete individual messages without deleting the whole conversation, and vice versa.

Will I lose the conversation forever if I delete it?

Not necessarily. If you message that person again later, the old conversation may reappear. However, very old conversations sometimes don't come back. If you need to keep a record of important messages, take screenshots before deleting the conversation.

How do I delete multiple conversations at once?

On your phone, tap and hold on one conversation, then tap other conversations while holding to select multiple chats. A delete button should appear at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, you typically have to delete conversations one at a time by right-clicking each one.