Clearing your Facebook Messenger data can be a bit confusing when it comes to photos. You may wonder if deleting your Messenger data also deletes any photos you’ve sent or received through the app. The short answer is no, clearing your Messenger data does not delete photos.
How Messenger stores data
When you send or receive photos in Messenger, they get stored in a few different places:
- On your device’s storage
- In your Messenger conversations
- On Facebook’s servers
Clearing your Messenger data only deletes the conversations stored locally on your device. It does not affect the photos stored on your device’s gallery or those stored on Facebook’s servers.
What gets deleted when you clear Messenger data
Here’s exactly what happens when you clear your Messenger data:
- Your Messenger conversations are deleted from your device.
- Your contacts, call history, and settings are reset.
- Your Messenger notifications are turned off.
As you can see, this only affects the data stored locally on your device. Your photos, along with your Facebook profile info, remain untouched.
Will clearing Messenger data delete photos on your device?
No, clearing your Messenger data will not delete any photos saved on your device’s storage. The photos you’ve sent or received in Messenger get saved to your camera roll or gallery automatically. Clearing your conversations does not affect that.
For example, if you send a photo through Messenger on your iPhone, that picture will be saved to your Camera Roll. Even if you later clear your Messenger conversations, the photo remains safely in your Camera Roll.
Will clearing Messenger data delete photos on Facebook’s servers?
No, clearing your Messenger data will not delete copies of your photos stored on Facebook’s servers. Here’s why:
- Facebook stores all data from Messenger separately from your device.
- Clearing your Messenger locally does not communicate with Facebook’s servers.
- The data on Facebook’s servers remains intact.
In summary, clearing your Messenger only affects the conversations on your device. Photos stored on remote servers will remain untouched.
How to delete Messenger photos from your device
If you do want to delete specific photos from your device’s storage, you’ll need to delete them directly from your gallery or photos app. The steps depend on your operating system:
On an iPhone
- Open the Photos app
- Find the photo you want to delete
- Tap the photo, then tap the trash icon
- Confirm the deletion
On Android
- Open your Gallery app
- Find the photo you want to remove
- Long press the photo, then tap the trash icon
- Confirm the deletion
This will permanently delete the photo from your device.
How to delete Messenger photos on Facebook’s servers
To delete a photo from Facebook’s servers that you’ve sent in Messenger:
- Open the Messenger conversation where you sent the photo
- Tap and hold on the photo to select it
- Tap Remove
- Confirm that you want to remove the photo
This will delete the photo from the Messenger conversation and Facebook’s servers. However, it will remain on the recipient’s device if they saved it already.
Other Messenger data Facebook keeps
While clearing your Messenger data won’t affect photos, there is some data Facebook continues storing, including:
- Your contacts list
- Associated Facebook ads
- Information about your device
The only way to delete this information is to delete your Facebook account completely.
Should you fully delete your Facebook account?
If you’re concerned about Facebook having your data and want to delete your account completely, here are a few things to consider:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Completely deletes all your data from Facebook’s servers | You lose access to all Facebook services and apps |
| Increases privacy by removing data from Facebook’s hands | Can be difficult to reconnect with friends who only use Facebook |
| Stops all data collection about you by Facebook | Permanently deletes all photos, posts, conversations, etc. |
How to download your Facebook data
If you do decide to delete your Facebook account, first take the time to download an archive your Facebook data. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click “Download Your Information”
- Select data to download or click “Deselect All” then select desired data
- Click “Create File”
This will allow you to store your photos, posts, and other data before deleting your account.
Conclusion
To summarize, clearing your Messenger data does not affect any photos stored on your device or Facebook’s servers. The only data deleted is your local Messenger conversations.
If you want to remove specific photos from your device, you’ll need to delete them directly from your phone’s gallery or photos app. To remove photos from Facebook’s servers, manually delete them from the Messenger conversation.
Fully deleting your Facebook account is the only way to completely purge all data Facebook has about you. Make sure to download an archive of your data before deletion.