{"id":45173,"date":"2026-08-28T10:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T10:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.famety.net\/blog\/?p=45173"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T11:10:01","slug":"how-to-find-filtered-hidden-message-requests-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.famety.net\/blog\/how-to-find-filtered-hidden-message-requests-facebook","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Filtered and Hidden Message Requests on Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Filtered and hidden message requests on Facebook live in a separate folder inside Messenger, not your main inbox. On the Messenger app, tap your profile picture, tap Message requests<\/strong>, then look for the Filtered<\/strong> tab (sometimes labeled Spam<\/strong>) next to the general requests list. On desktop, open Messenger, click the requests icon at the top of the chat list, then switch to the Filtered tab. These messages come from accounts Facebook’s system flagged as low quality or unfamiliar, which is why they never trigger a notification. This guide covers every path to find them on mobile, desktop, and the Facebook app itself, plus what to do once you find one worth reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people never open this folder because Facebook never tells you it exists. If you have ever heard from someone that they messaged you weeks ago and you never saw it, this is almost always where the message ended up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Facebook Hides Some Message Requests From You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Facebook Messenger splits incoming messages from non-friends into two buckets. The main Message requests<\/strong> list holds messages from people who share some connection with you (mutual friends, people in your contacts, or accounts you have interacted with before). The Filtered<\/strong> list holds messages Facebook’s spam detection considers less trustworthy, usually because the sender has no mutual friends, sent a message with a link, or belongs to an account with low activity history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This filtering system exists to keep your main inbox free of spam without deleting anything outright. The tradeoff is that legitimate messages sometimes land in Filtered too, especially from people you know in real life but have no online connection with yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook does not send a push notification for anything in the Filtered folder. This is the single biggest reason people go months without noticing a message sitting there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Find Filtered Message Requests on the Messenger App<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Filtered folder is inside the same menu as regular message requests, just one tap further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Open the Messenger app and make sure you are signed in to the correct account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Tap your profile photo in the top left corner, or tap the chat list icon depending on your app version.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Look for Message requests<\/strong> near the top of the chat list. Tap it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Inside message requests, you will see two tabs: General<\/strong> (or You may know<\/strong>) and Filtered<\/strong> (sometimes labeled Spam<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Tap the Filtered<\/strong> tab to see everything Facebook has held back from your main requests list.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Each conversation in Filtered shows a preview of the message. You can open, reply, delete, or report each one individually. Replying moves the sender into your regular chat list going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If the Filtered tab is missing entirely, it usually means your account has no filtered messages at that moment. The tab reappears automatically once a new message qualifies for filtering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to Find Filtered Requests on Facebook.com (Desktop)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The desktop web version uses the same two tier system with a slightly different layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Log in to Facebook on a browser and click the Messenger icon at the top of the page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click the small gear or menu icon inside the chat panel, or navigate directly to messenger.com.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Look for Message requests<\/strong> in the left sidebar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Click into requests, then find the Filtered<\/strong> or Spam<\/strong> tab at the top of that panel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Scroll through to review each conversation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Desktop Messenger sometimes groups filtered messages under a plain Spam<\/strong> label instead of Filtered. Both labels point to the same folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you use Facebook through the main facebook.com interface rather than a separate Messenger tab, click the messenger icon in the top navigation bar and follow the same request and filtered path from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why a Message You Expected Might Not Be in Either Folder<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Sometimes a message a friend swears they sent never shows up in Message requests or Filtered. A few explanations cover most of these cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The sender may have blocked you at some point after sending, which can remove the message from your view entirely. The message could have been sent through Facebook Dating or Marketplace chat, which use separate inboxes not shown in standard Messenger requests. Or the account that sent it has since been suspended or deleted by Facebook, which also removes the conversation from your requests list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If your own account recently had restrictions placed on it, incoming messages can behave unpredictably for a short period. Our post on why can’t I add someone on Facebook<\/a> covers a related category of account level restrictions that can affect how requests and connections behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Managing Filtered Messages Once You Find Them<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Once you locate the Filtered folder, three actions are available on each conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reply<\/strong> moves the entire conversation into your normal chat list, and the sender’s future messages will land there directly instead of being filtered again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Delete<\/strong> removes the conversation from your view without notifying the sender. This is the right move for anything that looks like spam or a scam attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Report<\/strong> flags the conversation to Facebook for review, useful for harassment, impersonation, or scam links. Reporting does not automatically block the sender, so pair it with a manual block if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Checking the Filtered folder every week or two is enough for most people. It rarely fills up quickly unless your account is very active or public facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Turning Off Message Filtering Entirely<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Facebook does not offer a global toggle to disable filtering completely, since it is tied to spam protection at the platform level. What you can control is who reaches your main requests list directly instead of Filtered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Adjusting who can message you in Settings, under Privacy<\/strong> and then Messages<\/strong>, lets you choose between “Everyone,” “Friends of friends,” or more restrictive options. Tightening this setting reduces the volume of filtered spam but also raises the chance that a stranger’s genuine message gets filtered rather than landing in your main requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you run a public-facing Page or public profile and rely on Messenger for business inquiries, checking the Filtered folder becomes more important, since customer messages from people with no mutual connections are exactly the profile Facebook’s filter targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Business Side of Missed Messages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      For creators, small businesses, and public profiles, a missed message in the Filtered folder is a missed customer, collaborator, or opportunity. Building a Page that gets more organic engagement changes how Facebook’s spam detection treats incoming messages, since accounts with strong mutual-connection signals filter fewer legitimate senders by mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Building that kind of trust signal takes time, and one of the more direct ways to show Facebook your Page is active rather than dormant is growing your Facebook Page likes<\/a> steadily, since a Page with visible, ongoing engagement tends to see fewer of its visitors’ messages routed to Filtered by mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Where do filtered message requests go on Facebook Messenger?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      They sit in a separate tab labeled Filtered or Spam, found inside the Message requests section of Messenger. Tap your profile icon, open Message requests, then switch to the Filtered tab to see them. Facebook does not send notifications for anything routed here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why did my Facebook message go to the filtered folder instead of requests?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Facebook’s spam detection routes messages from senders with no mutual friends, low account activity, or message content that resembles spam (links, short generic text) into Filtered rather than the main requests list. It is an automated sorting decision, not a manual review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Can I turn off message filtering on Facebook?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Not entirely. Filtering is part of Messenger’s built in spam protection and cannot be disabled globally. You can narrow who reaches your main inbox directly by adjusting the Messages privacy setting under Settings and Privacy, but some filtering will always remain active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Does replying to a filtered message notify the sender?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Yes, replying works exactly like a normal message and sends a standard notification to the other person. It also moves that sender out of Filtered permanently, so their future messages land directly in your regular chat list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How often should I check my filtered Facebook messages?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Checking every one to two weeks is enough for most personal accounts. Businesses and public Pages that rely on Messenger for inquiries should check more often, since a filtered message from a potential customer carries a real cost if it goes unseen for weeks.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t

      \r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Was this helpful?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t
      Yes<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t
      No<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
      \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t