5 Fixes for Links Not Opening in Facebook Messenger for Android and iPhone

Quick Tips

• Update the Messenger app on your phone and reopen it to see if that resolves the issue.
• Signing out of the Messenger app and signing back in can also help.
• Try configuring Messenger to open links in an external browser, and consider changing the default browser on your phone if the problem persists.

Fix 1: Allow Messenger to Open Supported Links (Android)

Messenger may fail to open links on your Android phone due to a lack of relevant permissions. Here’s what you can do to fix that.

Step 1: Long-press the Messenger app icon and tap the info icon from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Tap on Set as default and enable the toggle next to Open supported links in the following menu.

Fix 2: Sign Out of the Messenger App and Sign Back In

Authentication issues with your account may prevent the links from opening or working as expected in the Messenger app. If that’s the case, signing out of the Messenger app and signing back in should solve the problem.

Step 1: Open the Messenger app, tap the menu icon at the top, and then tap the gear icon to visit the settings menu.

Step 2: Tap on the See more in Accounts Center option.

Step 3: Go to Password and security and select Where you’re logged in from the following menu.

Step 4: Tap on Select devices to log out. Select your device from the list and tap the Log Out button at the bottom.

Sign back into the Messenger app and check if the issue persists.

Fix 3: Clear App Cache (Android)

Such issues with the Messenger app can also occur if the existing cache data has become old or corrupt. To fix this, you can try clearing the Messenger cache data using these steps:

Step 1: Long-press the Messenger app icon and tap the info icon from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Go to Storage and tap the Clear cache option.

Fix 4: Enable the “Open Links in External Browser” Option

Is Messenger still not opening links in its in-app browser? If so, you can configure the app to open them in your phone’s browser instead. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open the Messenger app settings menu.

Step 2: Scroll down to tap on Photos & media. Then, enable the toggle next to Open links in external browser.

Fix 5: Change the Default Browser

If Messenger can’t open links even in the external browser, you can try changing the default browser on your iPhone or Android and see if that solves the problem. Here’s how to do it.

Android

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone, scroll down to tap on Apps, and select the Choose default apps option.

Step 2: Tap on Browser app and select the browser you want to set as the default from the following menu.

iPhone

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on Safari.

Step 2: Tap on Default Browser App and select your preferred browser to set it as the default option.