How to See Your Hidden Facebook Messages

When using Facebook Messenger, you’re probably used to seeing recent message threads from friends, reminders for upcoming birthdays, and a list of acquaintances who are currently online.

But Facebook also keeps separate inboxes within the Messenger app that contain messages from people you’re not connected to on the social network. This prevents unwanted contacts from popping up in your main inbox, making it easier to see new notes from friends and brands without having to sift through spam.

Facebook actually keeps two inboxes for messages that come from people you’re not friends with. One contains contact attempts coming from people Facebook thinks you might know or want to get in touch with, while the other includes messages from accounts it thinks are strangers or spam. The former is referred to as a new message request, while the latter is called a filtered request. Unlike regular messages between friends, people who send you requests won’t know if you’ve read their message until you accept their invitation.

Check out the steps outlined in the video above to see how to access both inboxes.