Why Does Facebook Messenger Say “This Person is Unavailable?”

What it means when someone is unavailable on Messenger

Last Updated: March 25, 2023

What does "This person is unavailable on Messenger" mean?

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Other Fixes

Are you seeing "This person is unavailable" when you try to message someone on Facebook Messenger? If you see this message, the person you're trying to chat with may have deleted or deactivated their account. It's also possible their account was suspended, or that they've blocked you. "This person is unavailable" may also appear when Facebook is having technical problems. This wikiHow article teaches you how to find out why somebody is unavailable on Facebook Messenger.

Things You Should Know

You may see "this person is unavailable" if the person's account was deleted or suspended.
You may also see this message if you have been blocked, or you have blocked the person.
There may be a technical issue with Facebook or Facebook Messenger.

Section 1 of 2:

What does "This person is unavailable on Messenger" mean?

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The person may have deleted their account. If the person you're trying to chat with deactivated or deleted their Facebook account, you'll often see a message saying they're unavailable on Messenger. A person may delete their Facebook account, but still keep their Messenger account active, or they may delete both their Facebook account and their Messenger account.
- How to find out if this is the cause: Try searching for the person in Facebook Messenger. If you can't see their profile pic, their account is not active. Alternatively, you can ask a mutual friend to try to message them and see if they get the same message.
- Fixes: If the person has deactivated their account, you cannot message them. You can only chat with them if they reactivate their account.
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The person's account may have been suspended or banned. Facebook will suspend accounts that violate their terms of service. Sometimes a person can be banned from Facebook, but still able to use Messenger. If they have violated the terms of service on Facebook Messenger, their Messenger account may be suspended or banned as well.
- How to find out if this is the cause: To check if someone is suspended on Facebook, check their account activity. If they haven't posted anything new in a couple of days, they may be suspended. You can also try having a mutual friend message them and see if they are able to contact or message them.
- Fixes: If someone is suspended from Facebook or Facebook Messenger, you will need to wait until their suspension is over. However long they are suspended depends on how serious their violation was. In rare cases, an account may be permanently banned.
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The person may have blocked you. If you have been blocked on Facebook Messenger, you might see "This person is unavailable on Messenger" when you try to send them a message.
- How to find out if this is the cause. To see if you have been blocked, look for signs of the person on Facebook. If they are not on your Friends list, and you cannot see their profile or posts, you may have been blocked. If a mutual friend can see them but you cannot, you may have been blocked. You can also try creating an anonymous Facebook profile and see if you can find them.
- Fixes: If someone has blocked you on Facebook Messenger, you cannot message them unless they unblock you. If you know the person personally, you can try to repair your relationship with them. You can also try contacting them via Facebook or another social media app, but be aware that this may make you seem like a stalker and give them more of a reason to keep you blocked.
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You may have blocked them. If someone is unavailable on Messenger, you may have blocked them by accident, or so long ago that you don't remember. Use the following steps to check if they are blocked and unblock them.^{[1]
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- Open Facebook Messenger.
- Tap the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner.
- Tap the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
- Tap Privacy & safety.
- Tap Blocked accounts.
- Tap the user you want to unblock.
- Tap Unblock.
- Tap Confirm.
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Facebook may be having technical issues. If you are not blocked and the user's account is still active, there may be a technical issue with Facebook. Once the issue is resolved, the user will no longer be unavailable when you try to chat with them.
- How to find out if this is the cause: You can check Facebook's official Twitter account to see if they've reported any technical issues. You can also use Detector] to see if any problems have been reported.
- Fixes: Wait a few hours to see if the issue has been resolved.

Section 2 of 2:

Other Fixes

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Update Facebook and the Facebook Messenger app. Having an outdated app can cause issues. You can update Facebook and Facebook Messenger using the App Store on iPhone and iPad, or the Google Play Store on Android devices.
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Try using the web version of Facebook. If Facebook or Facebook Messenger is not working on your mobile phone, you can try going to https://www.facebook.com/ in your web browser on your computer and signing in to use Messenger in your browser.
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Connect to faster internet. If you have a slow or unstable internet connection, it may cause problems with Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Wait until you are connected to Wi-Fi or try contacting your internet service provider and ask about updating your internet speed.