How do I reinstall Messenger?

Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging app used by over 2.77 billion people worldwide as of 2020 (source). It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, and make voice and video calls to friends and family who also have the app.

There are a few common reasons why someone may need to reinstall Messenger on their device:

• Experiencing technical issues or glitches in the app
• Needing to free up storage space
• Wanting to reset the app’s settings and preferences
• Switching to a new device and needing to download the app again
• Troubleshooting problems by starting fresh with a clean install

Reinstalling the app can often resolve persistent bugs and errors. It essentially gives you a fresh start with Messenger as all app data is deleted in the process.

Back Up Your Messages

Before uninstalling the Messenger app, it’s important to back up your conversations and messages. This ensures you don’t lose any of your chat history in the reinstallation process. Here’s how to back up your Messenger messages:

On Android:

• Open the Messenger app and navigate to the conversation you want to back up.
• Take screenshots of the messages, scrolling through the conversation to capture the entire thread.
• You can also use a third party app like MobiKin Assistant for Android to back up Messenger messages and conversations.

On iPhone:

• Open the Messenger app and go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Download Your Information.
• Choose Messages under the Media Types and create an export. The messages will download as a ZIP file.

Backing up your messages only takes a few minutes but ensures you have a copy of your conversations before reinstalling Messenger.

Uninstall the App

Before you can reinstall the Messenger app, you first need to uninstall the current version from your device. Here are the steps to uninstall Messenger on iOS and Android:

To uninstall Messenger on iOS:

1. Go to the home screen and find the Messenger app icon.
2. Long press the icon until the icons start to wiggle.
3. Tap the “X” that appears in the corner of the Messenger app icon.
4. Tap “Delete” to confirm uninstalling the app.

To uninstall Messenger on Android:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Tap “Apps & notifications.”
3. Locate and tap the “Messenger” app.
4. Tap “Uninstall.”
5. Tap “OK” to confirm uninstalling the app.

Uninstalling the Messenger app will remove it from your device, but your messages and account will still be intact. The next step is to reinstall a fresh version of Messenger.

Download the Messenger Installer

To download the latest version of the Messenger installer, go to the app store for your device:

• For Android devices, open the Google Play Store app or visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca&hl=en_US&gl=US to download the Messenger installer.
• For iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, open the App Store app or visit https://apps.apple.com/us/app/messenger/id454638411 to download the latest version of Messenger.

Downloading directly from the official app store for your device ensures you get the latest stable release of Messenger. Avoid downloading the .apk file from unknown third-party sites, as those versions could be outdated or contain malware.

Run the Messenger Installer

Once you have downloaded the Messenger installer file on your device, it’s time to run it to complete the installation process. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Open the file browser on your device and navigate to the location where you downloaded the Messenger installer file. This is usually the “Downloads” folder.
2. Tap on the Messenger installer file. It will have a name like “FacebookMessenger.apk”. Tapping it will begin the installation process.
3. You may get a warning pop-up from your device asking if you want to install an app from an unknown source. Tap “Settings” and enable “Allow from this source” to proceed with installing Messenger.
4. On the installation screen, tap “Install” to confirm you want to install Messenger on your device.
5. The installation process will begin. Follow any additional prompts as the installer copies files and sets up Messenger.
6. Once complete, you will see a “Messenger Installed” confirmation. Tap “Done” to finish.

Messenger is now installed on your device again! The installer handles all the background work of setting up the app. All you have to do is tap through the prompts to complete the reinstallation process.

Log Into Messenger

Once you have Messenger installed again, you will need to log back into your account. Messenger utilizes your Facebook login, so you will sign in with your Facebook credentials.

To log into Messenger after reinstalling:

1. Open the Messenger app on your device.
2. You will be prompted to log in. Tap ‘Log In’.
3. Enter your Facebook email address and password when prompted.
4. Tap ‘Log In’. Messenger will connect to your Facebook account.

You should now be logged back into your Messenger account successfully. All of your previous messages and contacts should sync and restore.

If you have trouble logging in, you can try resetting your Facebook password or contacting Facebook support for assistance regaining access to your account.

Sync Backed Up Messages

Once you have reinstalled Messenger, you can sync your backed up messages to restore them. Here’s how to sync your backed up Messenger messages:

On Android:

1. Open Messenger and log into your account.
2. Tap your profile photo in the top left.
3. Tap “Settings”.
4. Tap “Chat history”.
5. Tap “Sync chat history”. This will sync messages from your Google Drive backup.

On iPhone:

1. Open Messenger and log into your account.
2. Tap your profile photo in the top left.
3. Scroll down and tap “Settings”.
4. Tap “Message History”.
5. Tap “Sync Messages”. This will sync messages from your iCloud backup.

After syncing, you should see your backed up messages restored in Messenger. If any messages are missing, you can try syncing again or restoring from another backup if you have one.

Sources:

[How to recover deleted Facebook messages](https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-recover-deleted-facebook-messages)

[How to See Deleted Messages on Facebook Messenger](https://www.airdroid.com/parent-control/see-deleted-messages-facebook-messenger/)

Configure Messenger Settings

Once you have Messenger installed and logged in, you may want to review and update your settings. Some of the key settings to check include:

Privacy settings: You can control who can see your active status, read receipts, and more in your privacy settings. Adjust these settings to your comfort level.

Notifications: Choose what notifications you receive from Messenger and how you receive them in the Notifications settings. Turn off noisy notifications or configure priority notifications from certain people.

Chats: Review your chat settings to configure options like chat colors, wallpaper, nicknames, and more.

Account information: Confirm your username, phone number, email address, and other account information is up to date in your account settings.

By reviewing these key settings areas, you can customize Messenger to best suit your preferences and needs after reinstalling the app.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you run into issues reinstalling Messenger, here are some troubleshooting tips:

If Messenger won’t download from the Play Store, check that you have a stable internet connection and sufficient storage space on your device. You may need to clear up storage before downloading Messenger again. Also try restarting your device.

If Messenger crashes immediately after reinstalling, try rebooting your phone and uninstalling/reinstalling the app again. Make sure your device software is up to date as well.

If you can’t log into Messenger after reinstalling, double check that you’re entering the correct login credentials. Try resetting your Facebook password if needed. Also ensure you have an active Facebook account that is not currently disabled or restricted.

If your old messages are missing after reinstalling Messenger, check that you properly backed up your messages before uninstalling. Log into Messenger on a different device where you are still logged in to see if your messages are synced there.

If issues persist, you may need to clear the Messenger app’s cache and data before reinstalling. If problems continue, contact Facebook support for additional troubleshooting.

Reinstall Recap

Reinstalling Messenger is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few steps. Here is a quick recap of the key steps covered in this guide:

1. Back Up Your Messages – Before uninstalling Messenger, make sure to back up your messages, photos, and other data so you don’t lose anything. You can back up data by exporting your chats or using a third party app.

2. Uninstall the App – Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps menu and find Messenger. Tap “Uninstall” to completely remove the app from your device.

3. Download the Messenger Installer – Go to the Google Play or Apple App Store and search for the official Messenger app. Download the installer file to your device.

4. Run the Messenger Installer – Open the Messenger installer you just downloaded. Tap through the prompts to install Messenger on your device again.

5. Log Into Messenger – Open the newly installed Messenger app and log into your account using your Facebook credentials.

6. Sync Backed Up Messages – If you backed up your previous Messenger data, now is the time to sync it to restore your messages.

Following these key steps will smoothly guide you through reinstalling the Messenger app. You’ll be back up and running with your chats in no time.