How to Turn Off Disappearing Messages on Messenger (Phone)

If messages in one of your Messenger chats are vanishing and you didn't mean them to, you're not imagining it and nothing is broken. A timer has been set on that conversation. It's an easy thing to miss, especially because anyone in the chat can set it. The tricky part is that Messenger's help pages are detailed about turning disappearing messages on and thinner on switching them off, so I'll be straight about what's confirmed and what you'll need to check on your own screen.

Why messages disappear on Messenger in the first place

Messenger's help centre describes disappearing messages as a timer you can set on an end-to-end encrypted chat. Once the timer is on, everyone's messages disappear from the conversation a set time after they've been seen. These are the chats Messenger calls secret conversations in its menu steps.

Two details matter here. First, anyone in the end-to-end encrypted conversation can reset the timer, not just whoever started it. Second, if you send a message and the person doesn't read it within 14 days, it disappears from the conversation automatically. So a message can vanish even if nobody opened it.

Turning off disappearing messages on Messenger for Android and iPhone

The help pages give the same steps for both phones, and they're the steps for changing the timer.

1. From Chats, tap the secret conversation.
2. At the top of the chat, tap the person's name or the group chat name.
3. Tap Disappearing messages.
4. Choose the setting that stops messages disappearing after they've been seen.

Here is the honest bit. The help article says to select when you want messages to disappear, and it doesn't name an Off option or describe its wording. I won't invent a label. On your screen, look for the choice that clears the timer or gives the longest period, and check that the chat no longer shows a timer afterwards. Menus vary by app version.

Can you turn off Messenger disappearing messages on a computer?

No, not according to Messenger. The computer version of the help article says the feature isn't available on computers and points you to Android, iPhone or iPad instead. So if you're sat at a laptop and wondering where the setting is, that's why you can't find it. Pick up your phone and use the steps above.

Question	What the help pages say
Who can change the timer?	Anyone in the end-to-end encrypted conversation
Can I change it on a computer?	No, it's available on Android, iPhone and iPad
When does an unread message disappear?	After 14 days, if it hasn't been read
Where is the setting?	Tap the chat name at the top, then Disappearing messages

What turning off disappearing messages on Messenger won't change

Stopping the timer protects messages going forward. It doesn't bring back anything that has already gone. The help pages are clear that a message that has disappeared is no longer in the conversation. They also explain that it's possible to forward or screenshot a message, copy its content, or photograph the screen before it disappears, so a message may have been saved by somebody else.

Messenger adds that if it detects a screenshot or screen recording of an end-to-end encrypted conversation, you and the people in the chat will be told, but it says it may not detect every one and that you need the latest version of the app for this. The same article says a conversation with a message timer can be reported for up to six hours after a message has disappeared, so if something wrong was sent, report it quickly. My guide to why Messenger says a user is unavailable is worth a look if the problem is a missing person rather than missing messages.

Disappearing messages on Messenger in business chats

For small business owners, disappearing messages can quietly cause problems. A customer's address, an agreed delivery date or a quote can vanish before you need it. If you take orders or agree work over Messenger, switch the timer off in those chats and copy key details into your own records as you go. Think of the chat as a conversation, not a filing cabinet.

If you only want to tidy your inbox, archiving a chat on Messenger hides it without deleting anything, which is usually a better answer than a timer.

If you can't find the Disappearing messages option on Messenger

• Check you're in an end-to-end encrypted chat. The setting is described for those chats only.
• Tap the person's name or the group chat name at the top, then scroll the screen.
• Update the app, because the help pages say you need the latest version for some protections. My guide to updating Messenger has the steps.
• Use your phone, not a computer, since the feature isn't available on computers.
• If the option is still missing, report the problem inside the app or through Messenger's help centre.

A quick recap on stopping disappearing messages on Messenger

Open the encrypted chat on your phone, tap the name at the top, tap Disappearing messages and change the timer. Anyone in the chat can change it back, and unread messages still disappear after 14 days.

For the rest of the series, see the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off disappearing messages on Messenger?

On your phone, open the end-to-end encrypted chat, tap the person's or group's name at the top, tap Disappearing messages and change the timer setting.

Can I turn off disappearing messages on a computer?

No. Messenger's help page says the feature isn't available on computers, but it's available on Android, iPhone and iPad.

Who can change the disappearing messages timer?

Anyone in the end-to-end encrypted conversation can reset the timer.

Why did a message disappear when nobody read it?

Messenger's help centre says that if a message isn't read within 14 days it automatically disappears from the conversation.

Can I get a disappeared Messenger message back?

Messenger's help pages don't describe a way to restore one. They say it disappears from the conversation.