Facebook Messenger Not Working 2024 [8 Best Ways to Fix Common Messenger Issues]

| Updated on March 4, 2024 |
Fact checked by Manpreet Kaur Sandhu

Messenger is the 3rd most used messaging app across the world to connect with your family, friends, and colleagues. But what if your Facebook Messenger not working and creating significant cutoff in communication. In this article, we have come up with 8 best ways to fix the bugs you’re facing with Messenger app.

Why is my FB Messenger not Working?

Many reasons can lead to FB Messenger not working issue. A few possibilities include an unstable internet connection, small glitches, app bugs, old versions, storage issues, and more. It is worth noting that anonymous Proxy and VPN use can lead to this error. Consider turning it off and then again try. 

But by using basic or advanced fixes, you can solve this trouble in a fraction of the time. 

How to Fix Facebook Messenger App Not Working?

It could be annoying when you are about to use secret conversation on Facebook Messenger, and it suddenly stops working. Despite what is the problem, you can use the solutions mentioned below to fix Facebook Messenger not working.

  1. Restart your phone
  2. Free up device storage
  3. Check the internet connection
  4. Reinstall Facebook Messenger
  5. Update Facebook Messenger App
  6. Reset network settings
  7. Clear cache and cookies
  8. Check Messenger server outage

Restart Your Phone

If you’re facing issues with Facebook Messenger, first restart your device. The device may face some minor glitches and lead to Messenger app malfunction. In that case, consider restarting your phone for a better experience. This will help to clear out any data or bugs that are raising issues.

Free up Your Device Storage

Like other apps, Facebook Messenger requires a specific amount of storage to run properly. And, if you running out of storage, the app may not load new messages and files. In that case, consider deleting unwanted data and heavy files by analyzing the device storage overview to make free space for other platforms to work smoothly. 

Both iOS and Android devices state the storage data specifically so that you can make an informed decision. 

Check the Internet Connection

You must check the Internet connection first while Facebook Messenger not working to eliminate the external causes from your end. Consider running a speed test using an authentic browser, or try restarting the Wi-Fi or mobile data network.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Facebook Messenger

To avoid Facebook not working issue, consider reinstalling the app once. Follow the steps to do so:

For iOS users:

  • Tap and long-press the Messenger app on your Home screen.
  • Select Remove App.
    Tap on Remove App
  • After that, Launch the App Store.
  • Search Messenger and download it. 

For Android users:

Tap and hold on Messenger App>> Select uninstall from the list>> Choose Uninstall>> Launch Google Play Store>> Search Messenger >> Install

Check for Facebook Messenger is Down

In case, you’re greeted with only a blank, white page, and even refreshing doesn’t solve the issue then, to assure yourself about this question ‘Is Facebook Messenger down,’ you need to first open your preferred web browser. From it, consider visiting any of the following sites, Down Detector, Outage Report, and Is It Down Right Now and check the current status.

Check for Server down

On the contrary, if the report depicts that there’s no server outage issue then, simply move on to the next below-mentioned solution.

Update Facebook Messenger Application

When all these network fixes won’t work then updating the app will help to fix bugs, improving overall user experience. The steps to update the Facebook Messenger app using iOS and Android are mentioned below:

Update Messenger on iOS:

  • Launch the App Store on your device.
    Open the App Store
  • Tap on the profile icon in the top right corner. 
    Tap on the profile iconc
  • Scroll down to the Update section.
    Navigate to the update section
  • Navigate to the Messenger App.
  • Tap on Update beside the app (if showing). 

Update Facebook Messenger on Android: 

  • Go to Google Play Store
  • Search for Messenger
  • Now tap on Update button

Once you’re finished updating the Facebook Messenger App, examine whether the message is working or not!

Reset Your Network Settings

One of the ways to fix Facebook Messenger not working problem is resetting your Network settings. The problems that you’re encountering with your Facebook Messenger could be even due to some network error on your Android or iOS Mobile. Thus, these are the following steps to fix the same:

Reset iOS Network Settings:

Go to Settings >> General >> Scroll down to Transfer or Reset iPhone>> Reset>> Reset Network Settings

Reset Android Network Settings: 

Go to Settings >> Additional settings >> Back up and reset >> Reset phone >> Reset network settings.

The purpose of clearing unnecessary history, data, and cache of the applications is to improve and enhance their performance by reducing the data processing and fetching. Thus, as the most common and recommended solution in most cases, clearing it should solve the issue.

Clear Cache and Cookies

So, in case your Facebook Messenger app not working on Android or iOS devices, then, you can try this solution simply with the help of the following steps—

For Android:

Go to Settings>> Apps>> Facebook Messenger App>> App info>> Storage & Cache>> Clear Cache.

For iOS:

Go to Settings>> Navigate to General Tab>> iPhone storage>> Navigate to Facebook Messenger App>> Offload App.

However, if this won’t work in your case then, try our guide’s next lined-up solution 

That is all about the possible solutions that you can opt for to effectively troubleshoot the issues that your ‘Facebook Messenger App’ has been encountering.

How to Report an Issue with Facebook Messenger?

If you further suspect any problem besides Facebook Messenger not working, then, what best you can do is report the same and let Facebook deal with it.

  • Open your ‘Facebook Messenger Application’ on your mobile device, be it Android or iPhone.
  • Tap on three horizontal lines in the top left corner.
    Tap on three horizontal lines
  • Next, tap on Settings (Gear-like icon).
    Tap on Settingsc
  • Scroll down and select Report a problem.
    Select Report a problem
  • Select Report anyway.
    Report anyway
  • In the box, explain the problem.
    Type the query
  • Right below the box, select the reason that best describes What’s the problem related to.
    Select the reason
  • Now, to submit the report, tap on the ‘Send’ button.
    Tap on send

This is how you can report the problem. For better understanding, you can also add any images or media related to your problem.

Notes

The steps may slightly differ while reporting an issue for Android devices. 

Final Thoughts 

Undoubtedly, Facebook Messenger is one of the popular apps used for digital connectivity and communication. Apart from this, you might face  Facebook marketplace messenger not working at times. Consider using similar fixes to resolve that.

That’s it! Once you perform the solutions explained above in this post, you’ll be able to fix all the potential issues that might be hindering your messenger app’s usage.

FAQ

Why is FB Messenger not Working Today?

The Facebook Messenger not working because of the interrupted internet connection, outdated version, servers being down, and many more reasons.

Is there an issue with Facebook Messenger right now?

If you suspect that there is a server issue with Facebook Messenger, consider checking the status from Down Detector.

Why is Facebook Messenger Not Showing Messages?

FB Messenger app is not showing messages because of a down server, poor network issues, new updates, or stored cache and cookies settings.

Why is my Facebook Messenger search not working?

You might face the messenger search bar not working. In that case, consider again logging in to the account to avoid any glitches.

Sources


Khushboo Chhibber

Senior Web Writer and Video Creator


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