{
  "slug": "messenger",
  "name": "Messenger",
  "maker": "Meta",
  "category": "chats",
  "verdict": "p",
  "answer": "Partly. One-to-one chats are sealed by default, so only you and the person you message can read them. Group chats aren't always: Meta says it is still switching chats over, and it hasn't said groups are sealed by default.",
  "title": "Is Messenger encrypted? Chats, groups and backups",
  "description": "Messenger seals one-to-one chats by default, but not every group chat yet. Backups of sealed chats stay sealed. Checked at the source.",
  "parts": [
    {
      "key": "msg",
      "status": "y",
      "words": "Only you and the people you message",
      "note": "Meta says it is still finishing the switch, so look for End-to-end encrypted in a chat's settings.",
      "sources": [
        1,
        5
      ],
      "label": "Messages"
    },
    {
      "key": "grp",
      "status": "p",
      "words": "Partly",
      "note": "Meta said in December 2023 that sealed group chats were still being tested, its help pages say it is still switching personal chats over, and it hasn't announced default sealing for groups as of 25 October 2026.",
      "sources": [
        3,
        4,
        11
      ],
      "label": "Group chats"
    },
    {
      "key": "call",
      "status": "p",
      "words": "Partly",
      "note": "Meta says calls in personal chats are being sealed by default, but it hasn't said group calls are, as of 25 October 2026.",
      "sources": [
        4,
        5,
        11
      ],
      "label": "Calls"
    },
    {
      "key": "bak",
      "status": "y",
      "words": "Only you",
      "note": "Sealed chats are saved to a backup that Meta says it can't read, which you unlock with a PIN or another method you choose.",
      "sources": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "label": "Backups"
    },
    {
      "key": "pq",
      "status": "x",
      "words": "Not yet",
      "note": "No post-quantum protection for chats announced as of 25 October 2026, and Messenger's technical paper describes no post-quantum step.",
      "sources": [
        4,
        9
      ],
      "label": "Post-quantum"
    }
  ],
  "extra_parts": [],
  "keys": "Your devices hold the keys for sealed chats, and Meta says it can't read them or your sealed backup.",
  "can_see": "Who you message and when, chats that aren't sealed, messages you share with Meta AI, and chat extras like nicknames, themes and reactions, which Meta says aren't sealed.",
  "business": null,
  "fix": null,
  "fix_line": null,
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "is-messenger-end-to-end-encrypted",
      "q": "Is Messenger end-to-end encrypted?",
      "a": "For one-to-one chats, yes. Meta began making personal chats and calls end-to-end encrypted by default in December 2023 [5]. Its help pages say it is still in the process of doing this, so check a chat's settings for End-to-end encrypted [1].\n\nSome chats aren't sealed at all, such as chats with businesses and Marketplace chats [2]. Messages you share with Meta AI can be read by Meta [2]."
    },
    {
      "id": "are-messenger-group-chats-encrypted",
      "q": "Are Messenger group chats end-to-end encrypted?",
      "a": "Not always. Meta counts group chats with friends and family as personal messages, and says it is still in the process of sealing personal messages [3]. When it started sealing one-to-one chats by default in December 2023, Meta said it was still testing end-to-end encryption for group chats [11]. Its technical paper from that month says sealed group chats were only starting to be offered as an option [4].\n\nTo check a group, open its settings and look for End-to-end encrypted [1]. If it isn't there, that group isn't sealed against Meta."
    },
    {
      "id": "are-messenger-backups-encrypted",
      "q": "Are Messenger backups encrypted?",
      "a": "Yes, for sealed chats. Meta says sealed messages are now saved to your backup automatically and that it can't read them there, though this is still rolling out [6].\n\nTo restore on a new phone you use the method you set up: a PIN, a 40-character code, a one-time code, or your Apple or Google account [7]. In May 2026 Meta started rolling out an update that sends messages to your backup as they're sent, so fewer go missing when you lose or switch a device [8]."
    },
    {
      "id": "can-meta-read-my-messenger-messages",
      "q": "Can Meta read my Messenger messages?",
      "a": "Not in sealed chats. Meta says only you and the people you're talking to can see or hear what's sent there, not even Meta [2]. Meta's privacy policy says it collects messages you send, and only some of its products offer sealed messages [10].\n\nIn any chat, someone can still report messages to Meta or share them with Meta AI, and Meta can read what is shared that way [2]."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "End-to-end encryption, Messenger Help Center",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/1084673321594605",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "What end-to-end encryption on Messenger means and how it works",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/786613221989782",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "About personal messages on Messenger, Facebook and Instagram",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/help/1052363542585052",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Messenger End-to-End Encryption Overview, version 1 (6 December 2023)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://engineering.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MessengerEnd-to-EndEncryptionOverview_12-6-2023.pdf",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Launching Default End-to-End Encryption on Messenger (6 December 2023)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://about.fb.com/news/2023/12/default-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Backups for end-to-end encrypted messages on Messenger",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/440669631343608",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Options to restore end-to-end encrypted chats on Messenger",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/431055522328649",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Labyrinth 1.1: Making end-to-end encrypted backups even more reliable (11 May 2026)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://engineering.fb.com/2026/05/11/security/labyrinth-1-1-end-to-end-encrypted-e2ee-backups-more-reliable/",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration at Meta: Framework, Lessons, and Takeaways (16 April 2026)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://engineering.fb.com/2026/04/16/security/post-quantum-cryptography-migration-at-meta-framework-lessons-and-takeaways/",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Meta Privacy Policy (effective 23 July 2026)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    },
    {
      "title": "Building end-to-end security for Messenger (6 December 2023)",
      "publisher": "Meta",
      "url": "https://engineering.fb.com/2023/12/06/security/building-end-to-end-security-for-messenger/",
      "read": "2026-10-25"
    }
  ],
  "changes": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-25",
      "text": "First published."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "whatsapp",
    "instagram",
    "signal",
    "imessage"
  ],
  "url": "https://isitencrypted.com/messenger/",
  "checked": "2026-10-25"
}