How to Search Through Messages in Facebook Messenger

If you’re in a hurry to find a message, a link, or a file on Facebook Messenger, you’re in luck. There is no need to scroll through months of conversations just to find a specific message. Facebook Messenger allows you to search for people and keywords instantly.

This guide will show you how to search through messages and conversations on Facebook Messenger across all devices. We will also address some frequent questions regarding your messages on Facebook Messenger.

How to Search Messenger in a Browser?

There are two ways you can search Messenger on a web browser. The first method includes searching through all your conversations on Messenger at once. The second allows you to search for messages within a specific chat. We’ll show you how to do both.

To search all your conversations on Messenger at once, follow the steps below:

1. Open Facebook on your browser.
   
2. Navigate to the Messenger icon in the upper-right corner of your Home page.
   
3. Tap on the icon and go down to See all in Messenger.
   
4. You’ll find the Search Messenger box on the left sidebar.
   
5. Type in the keyword.
   

Once you type in what you’re looking for, Messenger will show you all the chats where that keyword appears. Not only that, but all your contacts, people you follow on Instagram, Facebook pages and groups, and other items that include the keyword will appear.

If you want to search for a specific message within a conversation on Facebook Messenger, do the following:

1. Open Facebook.
   
2. Click on the Messenger icon and go to See all in Messenger.
   
3. Open the chat you want to search.
4. Click on the i icon in the upper-right corner of your screen.
   
5. Find the Customize Chat option and click on the arrow.
   
6. Select Search in Conversation.
   
7. Type in the keyword in the chat’s search bar.
   
8. Press the Enter key.
   

All messages that contain the keyword will appear highlighted in the chat. As long as you know the file’s name, you can search for documents, links, images, etc.

How to Search Messenger on Android?

If you are wondering how to find messages on Facebook Messenger on your Android device, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Messenger app on your phone.
   
2. Open the chat that you want to search.
3. Tap on the i icon in the upper-right corner of your screen.
   
4. Go to Search in Conversation.
   
5. A tab will pop up – type in the keyword in the box.
   
6. Tap Search.
   

All the messages with the keyword will be listed. You can see the number of matches at the top of the list. You can go straight to that conversation by tapping on a particular message. The keyword will be highlighted in the chat.

How to Search Messenger on iOS?

If you want to find a specific message on Facebook Messenger on your iPhone device, we’ll show you how to do it:

1. Open Messenger.
   
2. Find the chat that you want to search for and open it.
3. Tap on the contact’s name at the top of your chat.
   
4. Go down to find Search in Conversation.
   
5. Type in the keyword in the search box.
   
6. Tap Search on your keyboard.
   

All the messages that contain the keyword will appear separately in the form of a list. The keyword will be in bold. You can open any specific message, and you will be taken to that particular conversation right away.

Note: If you want to search for contacts on Messenger, simply open the app and type in the name of the person you are looking for in the search bar.

If you want to search Facebook Messenger on your iPad, the method is identical to how you would do it on your phone.

How to Search Messenger in the Windows App?

Many Facebook Messenger users prefer the Windows App due to its convenience. To search Facebook Messenger in the desktop app, do the following:

1. Launch the desktop app.
   
2. Open a particular chat.
3. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner.
   
4. Type in the message you are looking for in the search box.
   
5. The latest message containing the keyword will appear in bold.
   

Navigate the chat by clicking the upward/downward arrow until you see what you’re searching for while scrolling through the conversation.

Note: To search for a message in a conversation, you can also press the “Ctrl + F” keys.

How to Search for Attachments in Facebook Messenger

Sometimes we need to find a funny meme or recipe on Facebook Messenger. As long as you remember who sent the attachment, you can quickly find it by following these steps:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app or web page. Navigate to the conversation. Android and browser users click on the i icon in the upper right corner. iOS users need to tap on the person’s name at the top of the screen.
   
2. Click on View media, files, and links.
   

How to Search Messenger on Linux?

If you’re using the Linux operating system, you also have the option to download the desktop app. Not only can you access Messenger faster, but it’s relatively easy to use too.  To search Messenger on Linux, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the Messenger desktop app.
2. Find the chat that you want to search for and open it.
3. Click on the i icon in the upper-right corner of your chat.
4. Select Search in Conversation.
5. Enter the keyword in the search box.
6. Press Enter on your keyboard.

All the results will include the highlighted keyword. You can go back and forth between the conversations to locate the message.

How to Search Messenger in MacOS?

Once you install Messenger on your Mac, searching for messages is relatively straightforward. This is what you need to do:

1. Open the Messenger app.
2. Click on the chat that you want to search.
3. Navigate to the i icon on the top-right side of your chat.
4. Go to Search in Conversation.
5. Type in what you’re looking for in the search bar.

Now you will be able to view all the messages that contain the keyword. The page will appear blank if there are no messages with your keyword.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to more of your questions about Messenger’s search function.

Can You Download Your Message History From Facebook Messenger?

You can virtually download all your data from Facebook Messenger – comments, posts, likes, events, groups, pages, photos, videos, etc.  To download your message history, follow the steps below:

1. Open Facebook on your browser.

2. Click on the arrow icon in the upper-right corner of your screen.

3. Go to Settings & Privacy.

4. Click on Settings.

5. Find Your Facebook information on the list of settings.

6. Select Download Your Information.

7. Click Deselect all to uncheck all the boxes.

8. Check the Messages box.

9. Choose the date range, format, and media quality.

10. Select Create File.

You can download all your messages from the moment you’ve created your Facebook account, or you can select the time you would like to save. When it comes to the format, your options are HTML and JSON. Quality ranges from high, medium, to low.

It will take some time for Facebook Messenger to make a copy of your entire message history. Once it’s complete, you’ll receive a notification and a link you can use to download your message history.

Can I Search Hidden Messages in Facebook Messenger?

Hidden messages on Facebook Messenger can be found in message requests and hidden chats. If you want to access them, do the following:

1. Open Facebook.

2. Click on the Messenger icon in the upper-right corner.

3. Go to See all in Messenger.

4. Click on the three dots on the left side menu.

5. Go to Message Requests or Hidden Chats.

To search for contacts in your message requests, click on the search bar on the list of conversations on the left side of your screen.

To find hidden messages on Facebook Messenger on your phone, do the following:

1. Open the app.

2. Tap on your profile picture in the upper-left corner.

3. Go to Message Requests.

4. Select the You may know category or Spam.

Can You Search Through FB Messenger by Date or Time?

You can only search Facebook Messenger by keywords. If you remember what you talked about during a specific conversation, try using one of the keywords to locate the exact date or time of the chat.

An alternative is to download your message history. You can choose the date range for the messages you want to download. However, setting aside the chat you want to download is impossible. Instead, Facebook Messenger will download messages from all your conversations on that day.

Find Exactly What You Are Looking For on Facebook Messenger

Now you know how to search for messages on Facebook Messenger on all devices. Say goodbye to endlessly scrolling through your entire chat history just to find one piece of information. You also know how to find specific contacts, files, images, and documents, and how to download your entire message history from Facebook Messenger.

Have you ever searched for a message on Facebook Messenger? Did you use any of the methods outlined in this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.