How do I export an entire Facebook conversation?

Facebook messenger used to be just a way for you to communicate with friends. For some, it’s becoming an integral part of doing business. For me, I use Facebook Messenger to connect with clients, discuss work assignments, and keep track of the workflow. How you use Facebook Messenger chats are up to you, but it’s always great to have a backup outside of Facebook.

Now, you can download Facebook Messenger conversations and other data like pictures and posts, from your account.

Follow these steps to download your Facebook messenger conversations

The good news is that now you have your Facebook Messenger conversations in a place where you can get your hands on them quickly.

Step #1

Open your Facebook account, using any device. Go to “Settings & Privacy” in the upper right-hand corner, then click “Settings.”

Step #2

When the window opens, click “Your Facebook Information.” Scroll to “Download Your Information” and then click “View.”

Step #3

When the window opens, click “Deselect All” to clear all the check marks. Scroll to “Messages.” Click the box to the right to select it.

You can get specific about the information including the dates or you can download everything by leaving the defaults in place. I left the defaults in place.

Step #4

Scroll back to the top of the page until you see the “Create File” button. Click it.

You will see a message that says “A copy of your information is being created.” Now you wait.

Depending on how much information you chose to download, it may take a while. You may get an email from Facebook that says your request is being created. I did not receive an email. However, you will see a message in your notifications when the file is ready.

Step #5

When you see the notification in Facebook, click it. This will bring you to a window where you can now download the messages. 

Step #6

Download your Facebook Messenger Conversations

Click "Download." When the window opens, enter your Facebook password to download the file.

Step #7

Once the file downloads to the selected folder on your computer, double-click to open it. Afterwards, extract (Unzip the file) to view the data.

Two files are extracted: an html file and a folder that says “messages." 

Step #8

Click the "index.html” file. It will open in Facebook where you can see all of your messages.

All messages will appear so you can scroll through them to see which ones you want to keep, print, or save for later.

Keep Learning and Choose Your Next Topic!