How to see messages received on Facebook Messenger from people who are not in your circle of friends (PC or Mac)
Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging services in the world, with over 1.3 billion monthly active users. Many of these users use the service to communicate with friends and family, but there are also those who use it for commercial or professional purposes.
However, sometimes you may receive messages from people who are not part of your circle of friends on Facebook. These people can be strangers or even spammers trying to sell unwanted products or services.
In this article, we will explain how to see messages received on Facebook Messenger from people who are not part of your circle of friends on PC or Mac. In particular, we will describe two different methods: one official method provided by Facebook and one through an external application.
Accessing Facebook Messenger from your browser
To access Facebook Messenger from your browser, follow these steps:
- Open your preferred browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and go to www.facebook.com.
- Enter your login credentials to access your Facebook account.
- Click on the message icon at the top of the screen. This will take you to your list of conversations in Messenger.
- If you don't see the message icon, click on the "See more" button in the left sidebar and select "Messages".
You're now ready to view your messages in Messenger even from a computer! Remember that if you have disabled the feature to receive messages from people who are not part of your circle of friends, you will need to first activate it to be able to view their messages.
In addition, you can use the desktop version of Facebook Messenger to send new messages to people who are not your friends on Facebook. Simply type their name in the search field on the left and click on the "People" tab to find the person you want to talk to. Click on their name to open a chat window and start typing!
Accessing the message requests section
To access the filtered message and message requests section on Facebook Messenger, follow these simple steps:
- Open your Facebook account on your computer.
- Click on the messenger icon at the top right of the main page.
- In the chat window at the bottom, click "See all in Messenger".
- In the new screen that opens, you will find the left sidebar with a list of your contacts and conversations. At the top left of the same bar, you will see a gear icon. Click on it.
- From the dropdown menu that appears, select "Message Requests".
You will now see a list of all filtered messages and message requests you have received from people who are not part of your circle of friends on Facebook.
Remember that this feature is only available on the desktop version of the Facebook website and not on the mobile app for smartphones or tablets.
Viewing messages received from non-friends
If you have received a message on Facebook Messenger from someone who is not in your friends list, it may be difficult to find it in your inbox. Here's how to view messages received from non-friends:
- Log in to Facebook Messenger from your computer.
- Click on the profile icon in the top left corner of the screen.
- From the drop-down menu, select "Message Requests".
- In this section, you can find all messages sent by people who are not in your Facebook friends list.
Please note that this method only works for messages sent by users who are not your friends on Facebook. If you have received a message from a friend that has been filtered out of your inbox, you can simply search for their name in the search bar within your email inbox.
In addition, if you wish to avoid having your inbox cluttered with unwanted messages, you can set your privacy preferences to limit who can contact you through Messenger. You can choose to block users or limit who can send you messages.
Responding to Messages and Managing Contact Requests
Once you have viewed messages received from non-friends on Facebook Messenger, you may want to respond or manage Contact Requests.
How to Respond to Messages
To respond to a message on Facebook Messenger:
- Click on the message to open it
- In the message window, type your response in the text box at the bottom
- Press Enter on your keyboard or click on the Send icon to send your response
Alternatively, you can also use the Quick Reply feature to send a pre-defined response. To do so:
- Click on the message to open it
- Hold down the message you want to reply to until the Quick Reply option appears
- Select one of the available Quick Reply options or type your custom response in the text box at the bottom
- Press Enter on your keyboard or click on the Send icon to send your response
How to Manage Contact Requests
If you receive a Contact Request from someone you don't know on Facebook Messenger, you can choose to accept or decline it.
To accept a Contact Request:
- Click on the Contact Requests icon at the top of the Facebook Messenger window
- Find the Contact Request that you want to accept and click Accept
- If you wish, you can also send a welcome message to your new friend
To decline a contact request:
- Click on the contact requests icon at the top of the Facebook Messenger window
- Find the contact request you want to decline and click on Decline
Remember that if you accept a contact request from someone you don't know, you may need to be careful about how you interact with this person. Always make sure to protect your online privacy and not share personal information with people you don't know well.
Conclusion
Now you know how to view messages received on Facebook Messenger from people outside your circle of friends and how to manage contact requests. Always remember the importance of online privacy and be careful about how you interact with people you don't know. Use this information to make your experience on Facebook Messenger safer and more enjoyable.
Michael Anderson - Software Engineer
My name is Michael Anderson, and I work as a computer engineer in Midland, Texas.
My passion is sharing my knowledge in various areas, and my purpose is to make education accessible to everyone. I believe it is essential to explain complex concepts in a simple and interesting way.
With GlobalHowTo, I aim to motivate and enrich the minds of those who want to learn.
