Key Takeaways
- Facebook only notifies people if someone screenshots or screen records disappearing messages.
- Anyone can screenshot your other messages on Facebook Messenger or even your Facebook profile.
- Never share anything online that you’d feel uncomfortable with if it were made public.
Have you ever wanted to save a message on Facebook Messenger but been nervous about screenshotting it? What if the other person gets a notification to say you took a screengrab? It only happens in rare circumstances.
Facebook Messenger isn’t like Snapchat: it doesn’t automatically tell people when their private texts have been saved as a screenshot. But it does sometimes happen…
Facebook Notifies Others When You Screenshot Disappearing Chats
Facebook Messenger uses end-to-end encryption, meaning that messages are sent securely by default. But just because something is encrypted doesn’t mean one party can’t screenshot chats.
If you’re sending something private over Messenger, however, you can use disappearing messages. These vanish after 24 hours have elapsed. Sometimes, on older versions of Messenger, disappearing messages don’t vanish until 24 hours after the other person has seen them.
When disappearing messages are activated, Facebook will notify you both if one of you takes a screenshot. The notification appears in your chat so it’s not easy to miss.
Even when disappearing messages are turned off, a screenshot notification will still be displayed within 24 hours of those chats being sent.
Can Someone Still Take a Secret Screen Recording of Disappearing Messages?
The same rule applies to screen recordings. If you’re using disappearing messages, both parties will be notified if either one of you takes a secret screen recording too. This notification appears just as it would if someone takes a normal screenshot.
How to Switch to Disappearing Messages on Facebook Messenger
Want to send something private via Facebook Messenger? Your best option is still disappearing messages.
Just open the app and navigate to the person you want to contact (or type their name into the Search field at the top of your interface if you’ve not spoken to them before). Then tap on the person’s name and scroll down to Disappearing messages. Toggle this to 24 hours.
If you can’t find the option to create disappearing chats, either you or the other person doesn’t have the latest version of Messenger.
Just remember not to send anything that’s too sensitive because the person can still screenshot your chats. Knowing when someone records your disappearing messages is like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
If they have a second smartphone, they could also technically take a photo of their primary device with the secondary device—in which case you won’t receive a notification.
Does Facebook Notify Others About Other Screenshots?
Facebook doesn’t notify people if anyone takes a screenshot of normal Messenger chats or Facebook profiles. You’ll only be notified if someone screenshots or records disappearing messages.
That means someone could trawl through your Facebook profile and take photos of your images, likes, and posts.
This is a good lesson on privacy and security. Remember that anything shared online should be considered public—yes, even if your Facebook privacy settings are tight.
Can You Stop Someone From Screenshotting Facebook Messages?
There’s nothing you can do to actually stop a recipient from screenshotting Facebook Messenger. But knowing that you’ll be notified if they do that is a good deterrent.
When we tested screenshotting disappearing messages on an Oppo Reno 10 Pro+, the app disabled the screenshot function. But this is not the case for all devices and the other chat participant was able to take a screenshot. So know that even though some devices can’t take screenshots of disappearing chats, this isn’t the case for others.
Don’t share anything online that you wouldn’t want to be made public. The internet is not a private space, so don’t put sensitive information or photos online. You never know who could see these things. If you want to be safe, only talk about personal things face-to-face if possible.
Plenty of services offer encryption (thankfully), but screenshotting is nearly impossible to combat. Take Snapchat for example. Everyone knows that things sent there are designed to disappear, and that users are notified if anyone takes a screenshot. That doesn’t stop anyone from doing so regardless.
And if someone is determined enough, they’ll find a way to preserve messages, even if that means taking a photo using another device…Ultimately, you should keep private things private.
