Facebook Messenger not working? Try these fixes

Is Facebook Messenger not working for you? We understand how important this messaging is to many of you. It is the third most popular messaging app, after all. Many of you rely on it, so it can be a pain when it suddenly stops working. We’ll give you some tips to get it back up and running in no time.

Restart the device

This is almost always the first troubleshooting tip we recommend. A simple reboot can kick all the gears in place and iron out most software kinks. If you’re having any issues with Facebook Messenger, try restarting the device. It’s a simple solution and definitely worth a try.

You probably already know how to restart your devices. If you need some help, we have guides for restarting Android, iPhones, Windows, and Mac devices.

Force close the app

While a restart should essentially close all your apps, it doesn’t hurt to manually close the Facebook Messenger app to see if that helps with any issues. If you don’t know how to do this, we have guides for closing apps on Android, iOS, and Windows.

Check for updates

It’s always good to make sure you’re always running the latest version of the Facebook Messenger app. Most of these come with bug fixes and performance improvements. If you’re encountering bugs and crashes, there is a chance the latest update comes with a fix for it!

Check for any Facebook Messenger to see if any are available. If you’re not sure how to do this, here are our guides for updating Android apps and updating iPhone apps.

Is Messenger down?

There is always a chance Messenger issues are not local. It could just be that the service is down. While rare, Meta’s servers can encounter issues. While there is no official status page, you can check DownDetector.com. This is a crowdsourced website that collects user reports to determine if a specific service or website is operational or not. There’s even a live map that can let you know if there are local issues.

Clear the cache

Cache is usually a good thing. Cache memory stores data from websites and applications locally. It can then access these files from the storage whenever needed, instead of downloading them all over again. The thing is, these files can get corrupted and bring problems, especially if they stick around for a long time. This is why it’s good to clear the cache every now and then.

We have instructions for clearing the cache on Android devices. Those using Facebook Messenger from a browser can check out our guide for deleting cookies and cache on Chrome. Now, if you have an iPhone, there is no way to clear the cache on apps within iOS. The only effective way to do this is to uninstall the app, and then reinstall it. We’ll go over the steps in the last section of this guide.

Check your internet connection

Is the problem your internet? There is a chance it is! First, you should ensure this is the case. The easiest way to do this is by accessing any other apps that require an internet connection, or simply opening a website using the browser. Any website will work. If nothing is connected, try other devices connected to your network. If other devices can connect to the internet, then the problem is your phone.

If there is a problem with your connection, we have a guide you can follow when your device won’t connect to Wi-Fi. Now, if you’re dealing with a cellular connection, we also have a post dedicated to mobile data issues. You should also check if your mobile data is on.

How to enable mobile data on Android:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Go into Network & internet.
3. Hit SIMs.
4. Select your main SIM.
5. Turn on Mobile data. You can also turn on Roaming. Just ensure you know the details of your plan, as this can incur extra charges.

How to enable cellular data on iPhone:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Go into Cellular.
3. Toggle on Cellular Data.
4. You can also tap on your SIM under SIMs, and turn on Data Roaming. Make sure you know your plan’s details, as this can incur extra charges.

Make sure you have free storage space

Facebook Messenger requires quite a bit of storage space. Especially once you start throwing in all those videos, photos, and other temporal data the app may need to store locally. Even Facebook mentions this is a common reason why the Messenger app fails.

Get rid of any unnecessary apps, files, photos, and especially videos. These can take up a bunch of space! We have a full guide for clearing up storage space on your device, if you need some help with this.

Uninstall and reinstall the app

Is nothing working? Here’s one last recommendation we have for you. Sometimes, uninstalling the app entirely and reinstalling it may fix problems. This also accomplishes another common tip, which is to log out and back into your account.

Here’s our guide to deleting Android apps. When ready, redownload the Facebook Messenger application from the Google Play Store.

How to uninstall iPhone apps:

1. Tap and hold onto the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Select Remove App.
3. Hit Delete App.
4. Now, you can go ahead and redownload Facebook Messenger from the Apple App Store.

You could also try offloading the app. This is not a common troubleshooting tip, as it only deletes the app, not the files associated with it. Here’s our guide if you want to give it a try, though.