One of the most prominent and most used features in Facebook is Facebook Messenger, which allows you to chat and send messages with friends and other platform users.
Messages sent through the Messenger app can come in different forms as it is possible to send things such as audio recording messages or messages with files attached to them akin to emails.
Sending files such as documents and pdfs through Facebook Messenger has become a common practice nowadays.
The platform makes sending and receiving files easier as it is easily accessible on different devices.
However, this also poses a problem as different platforms have different methods of downloading files.
If you’ve been having a hard time trying to download files, then look no further than this article.
In this article, we will be showing how to download files/attachments/pdf from Facebook Messenger and its different platforms.
How to Download Files from Facebook Messenger on PC?
To download files from Facebook Messenger, you first have to open and log in to the Facebook Messenger website.
Open the chat conversation the file was sent to in Facebook Messenger.
On the left pane of the chat conversation, click on the “Media, Files and Link” category to expand it.
Afterwards, select “Files” from the expanded category. This will display a list of all valid files sent in the chat conversation.
Find the file you want to download and click on it from the list of files. This will open a new tab that will prompt you to ask if you want to save the file.
Click on save in the popup to start the download.
Now you have successfully downloaded a file from Facebook Messenger. You can close the tab as soon as the download finishes.
Below is a step-by-step guide on downloading files from Facebook Messenger on PC.
1. Open Facebook Messenger
You can access Facebook Messenger through their official website here. Another way is through Facebook by clicking on any Messenger tabs in your News Feed.
Doing any of these options will open the desktop version of Facebook Messenger.
2. Select the Chat Conversation
Once you have opened Facebook Messenger, go through your chat conversation list and select the chat conversation containing the file/s you want to download.
Clicking on any conversation will open it on the webpage. An information pane will appear at the right corner of the conversation box by default.
This can be hidden/revealed by clicking on the three dots found in the upper right corner of the conversation box.
3. Expand the Media, Files and Links Category
On the information pane, click on the “Media, Files and Links” category to expand it and find several options that will allow you to quickly search the specified files in the chat conversation.
Media will contain all images and videos sent in the conversation.
The file will contain all valid files in your conversation, such as documents and pdfs, and links will contain any messages that contain links in your conversation.
4. Select “Files”
Select “Files” from the list to be redirected to a list containing all the files sent in your conversation from the expanded category. The items are ordered chronologically, with the topmost list being your most recent file.
5. Click on the file you Want to Download
Once you find the file you want to download, click on it. This will open a new tab where the file will get loaded and initiate the download.
6. Click on Save on the New Tab
A popup window will appear on the new tab asking you to confirm the download and select the location. Once you have settled the file location, click on “Save” in the popup window.
How to Download Files from Facebook Messenger on Android?
Downloading files from Facebook Messenger on Android is similar to the desktop version.
To start downloading files from Facebook Messenger, find and open the chat conversation that contains the files you want to download.
In the chat conversation, tap on the encircled “i” in the upper right corner of the app.
Afterwards, tap on “View Media & Files” under More Actions. This will redirect you to a page containing all images and files sent in the chat conversation.
Tap on the “Files” tab to switch to a list showing all files found in the chat conversation.
From the list, tap on the file you want to be downloaded. Then, tap on “Download” in the popup that appears.
This will redirect you to your phone’s browser, where you will be prompted again to confirm the download. Tap on “Download” to begin downloading the file on your phone.
Below is a step-by-step guide on downloading files from Facebook Messenger on Android.
1. Tap on Information
To open the information page in the android version of Messenger, tap on the information button found in the upper right corner of the chat conversation.
This will redirect you to a page containing actions for the chat.
2. Tap on “View Media & Files”
Tap on the “View Media & Files” button to be redirected to a page that will contain all images and videos as well as files sent in the conversation.
This page is divided into two categories named “Media” and “Files”, respectively
3. Tap on the “Files” tab
Tap on the “Files” tab found on the upper portion of the page. This will redirect you to the tab containing a list of the files sent in your chat conversation.
4. Tap on “Download” in the App
From the file list, select the file you want to download. Once you find the file you want to download, tap on it to start the download.
Tap on “Download” in the popup on the Messenger app.
5. Tap on “Download” in the Browser
Another prompt will appear on your phone’s browser asking you to confirm your file download. Tap on “Download” to start downloading your file.
How to Download Files from Facebook Messenger on iPhone?
For Facebook Messenger on iPhone, downloading files differs from its Android counterpart. To download a file sent through Facebook Messenger, you first have to open the chat conversation containing the file.
Afterwards, scroll through your messages until you find the message containing the file you want to download.
Tap on the message containing the file you want to download. This will generate a file preview that you can view.
Tap on the Share button on the preview page. Afterwards, tap on the “Open in Safari” option. This will redirect you to your phone’s Safari browser.
Once the page finishes loading on Safari, tap on “Download” to confirm and start your download to your iPhone.
Below is a step-by-step guide on downloading files from Facebook Messenger on iPhone.
1. Scroll through your Conversation and Find your Message
Once you open a chat conversation on your iPhone on the Messenger app, scroll through or find the message containing the file you want to download.
2. Tap on the message containing the file
Select the message where you locate the file you want to download. This will create a file preview showing the contents of the attachment.
3. Tap on “Share”
On the file preview, tap on the share button located at the lower left of the preview page. This will open a menu where you can do several things with the attachment.
4. Tap “Open in Safari”
From the menu, select the “Open in Safari” option. This will redirect you to your iPhone’s safari browser, similar to the android version of Facebook Messenger.
5. Tap on “Save to Files”
Once the webpage finishes loading in Safari, tap on the “Share” icon located on the bottom bar on Safari. Once the share options appear, Tap on “Download” to initiate the download to your iPhone.
