You might be wondering how long Facebook keeps private messages that you send. The answer depends on what your settings are. Some messages will automatically be deleted after a month, while others may remain for as long as a year. In either case, it is important to delete messages promptly to reduce the risk of them resurfacing in an embarrassing manner. Facebook also allows you to adjust the auto-delete timeframe, turning it off in some cases and setting individual messages to expire.
Some of these messages may be deleted by Facebook when the user becomes upset. However, you can report the message and request that Facebook decrypt the message. If you suspect that your child has been cyberbullied, it’s a good idea to screenshot the message and report it immediately. Facebook allows this to happen only if the user has enabled notifications. To opt out of this data sharing, you can disable notifications.
If you want to keep older messages, you can archive them. You can do this from your main inbox, or by downloading them to your computer. This will keep your main inbox tidy. You can also use a third-party data recovery program to retrieve deleted messages. However, you should not delete messages that you sent to friends or colleagues – as you may still have a copy. You may also need to download them to your email account.
