Facebook Messenger Not Sending Messages? 12 Ways To Fix It (Solved)

Timothy Mark
Timothy Mark - Writer & Editor
17 Min Read

To fix Facebook Messenger not sending messages, change your internet connection, clear cache, restart your phone, uninstall and reinstall, use the web, or use the Lite app, etc.

Messenger is the second most used messaging app in the world after WhatsApp, and you’ll experience issues while using it.

If you can’t send messages on Messenger, well there’s no use in using the app. If you’re having problems with Messenger not sending messages, how do you fix it?

In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix Facebook Messenger not sending messages on your device. You’ll also know why you can’t send messages on messenger.

ALSO READ: Messenger Notification But No Message? How To Fix It

What To Do If You Can’t Send A Message On Messenger?

If you’re having a hard time sending messages on Messenger there are different reasons WHY this could happen.

Your internet connection may not be working well, you have been temporarily blocked from sending messages.

Depending on the reasons, here’s what to do if you can’t send a message on Messenger.

If you’re having a problem because of your internet connection or technical issue, you can start by uninstalling the app from your phone.

Then restart your device, and go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store to reinstall the app.

Now, try sending the message again to the person. If this fix isn’t working for you, try this instead.

Download the Facebook/Messenger Lite app and you’ll be able to send messages. If you’ve tried and it’s still not working, it means you have been temporarily blocked.

If you’ve been blocked by Facebook from sending messages, well there’s nothing you can do about it.

All you can do is wait for the temporary ban to be lifted, and you’ll be able to send messages again.

ALSO READ: Why Word Effects On Messenger Not Working? And How To Fix It

Why Is My Facebook Messenger Not Sending Messages?

If you’re unable to send messages on Messenger, there are different reasons why the issue is happening on your account.

It could be you’ve sent a lot of messages recently, or your messages went against the Facebook Community Standards [blocked].

The Messenger app may also be having a technical problem, or your internet connection is not working on the app.

The Facebook Messenger service may be experiencing issues or being offline, or the Facebook Messenger app is outdated.

ALSO READ: How To See Unsent Messages On Messenger (Best Guide)

How To Fix Facebook Messenger Not Sending Messages

Since you know the different reasons why Facebook Messenger can’t send a message on the website and app, here’s how you can fix it.

Fix 1: Switch Internet Provider

One of the reasons that are causing your Facebook Messenger not to send messages is your internet connection.

There may be a breakout in your internet coverage, and to fix this, you’ll need to change your internet network.

Switch to another internet provider, and check if the message will send.

Check your internet speed with fast.com and see if it’s slow. Turn on and off the mobile data and try again.

If you don’t have another network provider, you can try switching between a Wi-Fi connection and your mobile data.

If you were previously using Wi-Fi as your internet connection, change it to your mobile network.

Fix 2: Enable And Disable Airplane Mode

If your internet connection is working, but the message is still not sending on Messenger you’ll need to turn on Airplane [Flight] mode and turn it off.

Turning on your Airplane Mode on your device turn off the signal on your phone, and when you turn it back up, everything will be refreshed including your internet connection.

For Android: Swipe down from the top of your screen and you’ll see the Airplane [Flight] Mode icon. Tap on it [You may have to still swipe left to see the icon on some Android devices].

For iPhone: Swipe up from the bottom of your phone for older iPhone, and swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen for iPhone X and newer turn on Airplane Mode in the control center.

After a few minutes you can turn it back on, and now, enabled an internet connection and open Messenger to send a message.

ALSO READ: How To Start Messenger Secret Conversation For End-to-end Chats

Fix 3: Refresh The Messenger App

If Facebook Messenger not sending messages, you can restart the app on your device, and it’ll help resend stuck messages.

If you’re using an Android device, you can force stop the app and it will stop it from running in the background. Then open the app again.

The Messenger app must be open for you to be able to tap on the Force Stop button.

To Force Stop app on Android, open your phone Settings > Tap on Apps & notifications > Tap on App info or See All [Num] apps > Then find Messenger app > And then tap on Force Stop.

You can also tap and hold the Messenger app on your Home Screen, then tap on the App info icon, and tap on Force Stop.

You can refresh the Messenger app on your iPhone, all you have to do is refresh the app in the background.

To restart the app on it, open your phone Settings > Find the Messenger app > Tap on Background App Refresh > Toggle to turn on background refresh.

Fix 4: Restart Your Device

If you can’t send a message on Messenger, and you’ve tried changing the network, but it’s not working, you can reboot your phone to fix the problem.

The app may just have a minor glitch, causing it to malfunction and not send
message.

Once you restart your device and open Messenger, the problem will be fixed, and you’ll be able to send messages again.

Restarting your iPhone or your Android device can fix the problem.

For Android: Tap on the power button and tap on the restart option. You can power it off and wait for a few minutes before turning it on.

For iPhone: You can soft or force restart your device, this will clear glitches and stop running apps in the background.

You can also tap and hold the power button to turn it off, and then turn it on.

ALSO READ: Facebook Messenger Not Sending Pictures? 11 Ways to Fix It

Fix 5: Deactivate And Reactivate Your Account.

If Messenger has temporarily blocked you from sending messages to users because you do so too much.

After some time, you can deactivate your account, and then wait for a few hours before reactivating the account back.

Once you reactivate the account, see if you’ll be allowed to send messages.

Fix 6: Update Messenger App

If you haven’t updated the Messenger app in a long time, updating the app now is a good time to fix the issues.

The old version of the Messenger app may not be working properly, causing the app not to send messages.

To update the Messenger app on your device, go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, once you see an update, click on it to update right away.

ALSO READ: Facebook Messenger Not Sending Videos? 11 Ways to Fix It

Fix 7: Uninstall And Reinstall The App

If you’ve tried updating the app and you can’t still send messages on Messenger.

You’ll need to delete the app from your device and wait for about 3 minutes before reinstalling it.

This will fix Facebook Messenger not sending messages, and you’ll be able to use the app again.

For Android: Tap and hold the Messenger app, and you’ll see the uninstall option at the top, drag and drop and the app will be deleted, for Android.

For iPhone: Tap and hold the Messenger app, and on the small pop-up menu, tap on Delete App. The app will be removed from your device.

Once you’ve deleted the app from your phone, you’ll need to wait for about 3 minutes, then restart your phone before reinstalling the app.

Fix 8: Use Facebook/Messenger Lite

If Messenger not sending messages on the app, you can use the Lite version app on your Android device.

The Lite app is a lightweight version of the Messenger app that is developed by Facebook. 

If your device doesn’t have enough storage for apps, and the RAM isn’t that great you can use the Lite app.

With the app, you can use it even on a poor internet connection and you’ll be able to send messages on Messenger.

To get started, download either the Facebook or Messenger Lite app from the Google Play Store.

ALSO READ: Facebook Messenger Not Showing Messages? 10 Ways to Fix It

Fix 9: Use Messenger Web

If you’re having trouble with the mobile app, you can try using the Messenger web version and see if you’ll be able to send messages.

Head over to your favorite browser, go to messenger.com, and log in to your account.

If you can’t send messages to users, it means that there’s a ban on your account or a technical issue on Messenger.

Fix 10: Clear Browsing Data (Desktop)

If you’re using a PC, or a Mac computer and messages aren’t sending on the Messenger site, you can clear your browser cache and cookies.

This can help solve the problem on the Messenger site, all you’ve to do is clear browsing data.

For Chrome, And Other Chromium Browser

Open any Chromium browser > Press Ctrl+Shift+Dlt and you’ll see the Clear Browsing Data box pop up > Choose the Time Range > Choose Cookies and other site data > And Choose Cached images and files > And then, click on Clear now.

For Mozilla Firefox

Open Firebox > And click on your Tools bar > Go to Settings > And select Privacy > Click on Clear your recent history under the History option > Select only the top four options and click on Clear now.

For Safari

Open Safari > And click on the Safari drop-down menu > Select Preferences and go to the Advanced tab > Click on the Show Develop menu in the menu bar checkbox >
Close the Preference window > Select the Develop menu and choose Empty Cache > Select the History drop-down and click on Clear History.

Fix 11: Reset Network Settings

If Facebook Messenger not sending messages, you might as well reset your phone network settings.

This might give way to the bad network problem that is causing the messages to send.

Resetting the network settings will fix the network problems that are causing the issues with your videos.

If you are using an Android device, go to your phone Settings > System > Advance > Reset Options >  Reset Network Settings or Reset  Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.

To reset your network setting on an iPhone, go to Settings > General >  Reset > Reset Network Settings.

ALSO READ: Instagram Reels Not Getting Views? How To Fix The Issue (Solved)

Fix 12: Do Nothing And Wait

If Messenger is not sending messages, this can be an app-wide problem, or just for a specific region.

And since it’s a technical problem, there’s nothing you can do to solve the problem. All you can do is just wait.

It may be that you’ve been blocked by the person, or Facebook has restricted you not to send messages on Messenger.

During this time, clear up your account, and don’t mass send different people messages every day. Facebook might count it as suspicious activity.

Conclusion

If Facebook Messenger not sending messages, you’ll not be able to get your message across.

This problem may be caused by your internet connection, the app having a technical fault, or you’re temporarily blocked from sending messages, among others.

To fix Messenger not sending messages, you’ll have to switch internet connection, turn on Airplane on and off, or update your device.

Uninstall the app from your phone and restart the device, then go to the App or Play Store to download the latest version.

You can use the Facebook/Messenger Lite app to send messages if you’re having a hard time with the official app.

If you can’t use the web to send messages, it means that there’s a technical issue, and you just have to wait.

ALSO READ: Facebook Not Working? 15 Ways To Fix The Problem (Solved)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send messages to someone not on my friends list?

Yes, you can send messages to anyone on Facebook even though they aren’t on your friend list. But they’ll not get the message in their inbox, instead, it’ll end up in the Message requests inbox.

Can I send messages to someone who has blocked me on Facebook?

No, you cannot send messages to someone that has blocked you on Facebook. Even though you’ve previously messaged the person, Messenger won’t allow you to send messages.

Why is Messenger not sending my messages?

The Messenger app may be having a technical problem, or your internet connection is not working on the app. The app may be experiencing issues or being offline,  the Facebook Messenger app is outdated, or your messages went against the Facebook Community Standards [blocked].

Share This Article
By Timothy Mark Writer & Editor
Follow:
As a seasoned content writer with 4+ years of experience in consumer technology, Timothy has been a dedicated author and editor at Techvocast.com since its inception. Specializing in addressing user concerns, his articles offer effective solutions for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac-related issues. Timothy's expertise also extends to crafting content about social media and various applications. Through his daily articles, he consistently aids users in overcoming their technology challenges.
Leave a comment
Techvocast