You can find restricted messages in Messenger via the privacy settings and the list of restricted accounts. Open the person whose conversation you are looking for there. Is the person not on the list? Then check message requests, spam and the archive. These are separate places where a conversation may be located.
Below, you will read how to check these places, what the differences are and how to remove a restriction.
What are restricted messages in Messenger?
By ‘restricted messages’, people usually mean conversations with someone they have restricted in Messenger. You restrict a person, not one individual message. However, not every conversation that disappears from your chat list is restricted.
Suppose you are looking for a conversation about a second hand bike. You know who you spoke to, but you can no longer see the chat. Perhaps you restricted that person. You may also have archived the conversation, or it may have started as a message request. In this fictional example, you must first find out where the chat is located.
| Meaning | What does it mean? | Where should you look? |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted account | You have restricted contact with a particular person. | In restricted accounts in the privacy settings. |
| Message request | A message that has not yet been treated as a normal conversation. | In message requests. |
| Spam | Messages that have been set aside separately as potentially unwanted. | In spam or filtered requests. |
| Archive | A conversation that you have stored outside your usual chat list. | In archived conversations. |
| Blocked account | You have stopped contact with someone by blocking them. | In blocked accounts. |
Restricting, archiving and blocking therefore do different things. An archived conversation is also not the same as a deleted conversation. First check where your chat has gone before changing a setting.
Find restricted messages in Messenger on your phone
Open the Messenger app on your phone. The layout and names of settings may vary by version. The steps below will help you search, but the buttons may have different names on your device.
According to AirDroid’s explanation of restricting in Messenger restricted chats disappear from the chat list. You can find them via ‘Privacy and safety’ and ‘Restricted accounts’.
- Check which account you are using. Open the Facebook account you used for the conversation. This is particularly important if you switch between multiple accounts.
- Open Messenger settings. Look in the menu or your profile. The location of the settings may vary.
- Find the privacy settings. Look for a name such as ‘Privacy and safety’. In an English app, search for ‘Privacy and safety’.
- Open the list of restricted accounts. This may be called ‘Restricted accounts’ in English.
- Find the person. Tap the account to view the conversation or available options.
Check that you have opened the right person. Two contacts may have the same first name. Therefore, also check the profile photo and, if you can open the chat, the content of the conversation.
Can’t find the privacy setting or list? Check whether there is an update for Messenger. An update does not guarantee that the route mentioned will appear. Therefore, do not search only for one exact button name, but also for a section with the same meaning.
Using a computer? Try the search function for your conversations there. The settings do not have to be the same as on your phone. If you cannot find the list of restricted accounts, try the mobile app.
Check message requests and spam in Messenger
Is the person not among your restricted accounts? Then check message requests. This is particularly useful if you have not yet replied to the message or do not know the sender well.
Famety’s explanation of hidden message requests mentions a separate place for filtered requests, with names such as ‘Filtered’ or ‘Spam’.
Search Messenger for message requests and open that section. Also check whether you see a separate folder for unwanted or filtered messages there. The name and location may vary. An empty first list therefore does not mean that there is no request anywhere.
- Check who sent the message and what it is about.
- Also view older requests if you are looking for an old conversation.
- Check any additional folders within the message requests.
- Remember that spam is not the same as an account you have restricted yourself.
For example, are you expecting a message from someone in a local community group? Then also search for the sender’s personal name, not just the group name. Don’t know the profile name? Ask through the group you know which name the person uses.
You do not have to reply immediately. First check whether the sender and subject match the message you are expecting.
Remove a restriction in Messenger
Do you no longer want to restrict the person you found? Look for the option to remove the restriction under the account or conversation. The button may have a different name from ‘Remove restriction’.
- Open the person from the list of restricted accounts.
- View the options for the account or conversation.
- Choose the option that clearly relates to removing the restriction.
- Read any confirmation before continuing.
- Go back to your chats and search for the name again.
Do you see only blocking or deleting? Do not choose those options as a replacement. They have a different effect. Go back and check that you are really viewing the restricted account.
Do you only want to reread an old message? First check whether you can do that without changing the restriction. Finding a conversation does not mean that you also want to resume contact.
Removing a restriction does not restore deleted messages. Therefore, do not expect missing content to return automatically as a result.
A Messenger conversation or notification is missing: what should you check?
Can you open the conversation, but did you not receive a notification on your phone? Then the message is not missing, but the alert that something arrived is. In that case, check your notifications first.
Check whether the conversation is muted, whether Messenger is allowed to send notifications and whether your phone is on silent. Change one setting at a time. This way, you know what you have changed and can restore it later.
Can’t find the conversation itself? Then go through these points:
- Search by name. Also try the profile name by which you know the person.
- Check the archive. A conversation that you stored away from the usual chat list may be there.
- Check your account. A conversation from another account does not automatically appear in the account that is currently open.
- Think back to what you have done. Did you restrict or block the person? Or did you archive or delete the conversation?
Does a list remain empty or does Messenger not load properly? Check your internet connection and reopen the app. Do not delete the app as your first attempt. Begin with checks that do not change anything in your conversations.
Are you wondering whether someone else has restricted you? You cannot know this for certain just because a reply or notification does not arrive. The list of restricted accounts shows only your own choices, not someone else’s settings.
Check unknown Messenger messages before replying
Have you found an unexpected message in requests or spam? Check who wants something from you and why. A familiar name or photo does not prove that the message really came from that person.
Is someone asking for money, a login code or a quick click on a link? Check the request through another contact method you already know. For example, call the number you already had. Do not simply use a new number from the suspicious message.
Do not share a password or code to have a hidden conversation restored. Is an unknown service promising to recover all your deleted messages? That promise is not proof that it can do so.
Do you also have a problem with Instagram messages? Then read about being unable to reply to Instagram messages. Can’t you start a conversation yourself? Then see why you cannot send messages on Instagram. This explanation is about Instagram, not Messenger settings. If you also publish your own content, our Facebook services includes packages for followers and page likes. The product pages show the available quantities and prices.
