What a 'This person is unavailable on Messenger' error means on Facebook Messenger, and how to resolve it
- If you see "This person is unavailable on Messenger" when trying to chat with someone, they might have blocked you.
- It could also mean that they've deactivated or deleted their Messenger account, or been banned.
- In some cases you might not see this error, and instead you'll just be told your messages can't be sent.
Despite its popularity, Facebook can be very vague when it comes to explaining why its apps aren't working correctly. You can't contact Facebook directly, which means relying on the platform's Support Center to get help.
But not every error message is listed in the Support Center. For example: What does it mean when the Messenger app tells you "This person is unavailable on Messenger?"
Here's a full guide to what the error message means, and how to fix it if you think something's wrong.
What does 'This person is unavailable on Messenger' mean?
If you're seeing this message in your conversation with someone on Messenger, it means that you can't chat with them - obviously. But what causes it?
There are a few common reasons.
- The person you're trying to contact has blocked you, either on Messenger or Facebook as a whole. If you're not sure whether you've been blocked, check out our article on deciphering the signs of a Facebook block.
- The person has deactivated or deleted their Messenger account.
- The person has been banned or suspended from Facebook or Messenger.
The "This person is unavailable on Messenger" error can pop up when any of these happen. And unfortunately, there's no way to get around it by yourself - you'll have to convince the person you want to chat with to unblock you or make a new Messenger account.
At least, assuming there hasn't just been a glitch. If the error message appears but you're sure that you're not blocked and your friend is still on Messenger, try logging out and back into your account. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Messenger app. This could fix the issue.
Note: There's also a chance that you won't see "This person is unavailable on Messenger." Instead, sending any message will give you a red "Couldn't send" error. Both error messages are caused by the same things, though.
