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Social & Messaging

Photos And Videos Not Loading On Messenger? 8 Ways to Fix It (Solved)

This problem occurs on both Android and iPhone devices. The app often says that an error occurred while loading the media file. There are different reasons why Facebook Messenger won’t load pictures and videos on your mobile device.
Timothy Iyekowa
By Timothy Iyekowa - Technical Writer
11 Min Read

As the most used messaging app in the world after WhatsApp, you’ll encounter many errors when using the app.

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If you’re having problems with photos and videos not loading Messenger, this is what you need to do.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix photos and videos on Messenger not loading on your device. You’ll also know why you see the error loading media on Messenger.

What To Do If Facebook Messenger Does Not Load Photos And Videos?

Users have been complaining that Facebook Messenger doesn’t render multimedia files, and this can be a big issue.

This problem occurs on both Android and iPhone devices. The app often says that an error occurred while loading the media file.

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There are different reasons why Facebook Messenger won’t load pictures and videos on your mobile device.

So if Facebook Messenger fails to load photos and videos on your Android or iPhone, here’s how you can fix the error.

Uninstall the app from your device, restart your phone, and then go to the App Store or Play Store and reinstall the Messenger app.

If it’s not working, use the Messenger Lite app to see the media. You can also use the Facebook Lite app to access the Message and load the video or photo or use the website.

And if it’s still not working for you, it means there’s a technical issue [deep], and you’ll have to wait.

Why Won’t Facebook Messenger Load Photos And Videos?

If you’re wondering why photos and videos are not loading on Facebook Messenger they’re different reasons WHY.

If the Messenger app won’t load media it could be because of a server-related issue or the internet connection is not working on the app.

This problem can also be caused by cache issues [not always the case]. If you’ve enabled Data/Battery Saver Mode on your device, or in Messenger.

How To Fix Error Loading Media In Facebook Messenger

To fix media rendering errors on Facebook Messenger, you can use the guide below to fix it.

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First, check if the Facebook Messenger server is down on DownDetector.

To fix errors loading media in Messenger, check your internet connection, clear cache, restart your phone, uninstall and reinstall, use the web, use the Lite app, etc.

Fix 1: Enable And Disable Airplane Mode

If your internet connection is working, but the media is still not loading in Messenger, turn on Airplane [Flight] mode and turn it off.

Turning on your Airplane Mode on your device turn off the signal on your phone, and when you turn it back up, everything will be refreshed including your internet connection.

For Android: Swipe down from the top of your screen and you’ll see the Airplane [Flight] Mode icon. Tap on it [You may have to still swipe left to see the icon on some Android devices].

Turn on Airplane Mode

For iPhone: Swipe up from the bottom of your phone for older iPhones, and swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen for iPhone X and newer turn on Airplane Mode in the control center.

After a few minutes, you can turn it back on, and now, enable an internet connection to load the media, if it’s not working.

Fix 2: Restart Your Device

You can fix Facebook Messenger photos and videos not loading by just restarting your device.

If you can’t see photos and videos in Messenger, you can reboot your phone to fix the problem.

For Android: Tap on the power button and tap on the restart option. You can power it off and wait for a few minutes before turning it on.

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For iPhone: You can soft or force restart your device, this will clear glitches and stop running apps in the background.

You can also tap and hold the power button to turn it off, and then turn it on.

Fix 3:  Clear Messenger App Cache

If you’ve been using the Messenger app for a long time, it means that there are a lot of caches stored on your device, and you need to clear them.

If you’re using an Android device, and you’re facing an issue with any app, you can clear the app cache.

To fix your Facebook Messenger media rendering issues, you need to clear the app cache.

To clear your Messenger cache, open your Android Settings > Tap on Apps & notifications > Tap on App info or See All [Num] apps > Find the Messenger app > Tap on Storage & Cache > Tap on Clear Cache.

Clear Messenger App Cache

You can also tap and hold the Messenger app on your Home Screen, then tap on the App info icon, and on Storage & Cache, then tap on Clear Cache.

This will clear all the temporary data the Messenger app has stored since you began using the app.

Since you can’t directly clear cache on the Messenger app, or from the iPhone Settings, you’ll need to offload the app.

Open the iPhone Settings > And then tap on General > Tap iPhone Storage > Then find the Messenger app and open it > And tap on the Offload App button.

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Then go to your home screen, and download the app again, by tapping on the app icon.

Fix 4: Update Facebook App

If you haven’t updated the Messenger app in a long time, updating the app now is a good time to fix the issue.

The old version of the Facebook Messenger app may not be working properly, causing the app not to glitch.

To update the Messenger app on your device, go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, once you see an update, click on it to update right away.

After you’ve updated the Messenger app to the latest version, then you’ll need to restart your device.

Fix 5: Uninstall And Re-Install Messenger

If you’ve tried updating the Messenger app and the pictures and videos are still now showing in Messenger as expected.

You’ll need to delete the app from your device and wait for about 3 minutes before reinstalling it.

For Android: Tap and hold the Messenger app, and you’ll see the uninstall option at the top, drag and drop and the app will be deleted.

For iPhone: Tap and hold the Messenger app, and on the small pop-up menu, tap on Delete App. The app will be removed from your device.

Once you’ve deleted the app from your phone, you’ll need to wait for 3 minutes, then restart your phone before reinstalling the app.

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Fix 6: Use Facebook/Messenger Lite

If Messenger not loading photos and videos on the app, you can use the Lite version app on your Android device.

The Lite app is a lightweight version of the Messenger app that was developed by Facebook. 

If your device doesn’t have enough storage for apps, and the RAM isn’t that great you can use the Lite app.

With the app, you can use it even on a poor internet connection and you’ll be able to send pictures on Messenger.

To get started, download the Messenger Lite, or the Facebook Lite app from the Google Play Store.

Fix 7: Use Facebook Web

If you’re having trouble with the mobile app, you can try the Messenger web version to send pictures.

Head over to your favorite browser on mobile or computer, then go to messenger.com and log in to your account.

You’ll be able to load pictures and videos on the web version. If media isn’t loading on the web, it means that the Messenger server has a technical issue.

Fix 8: Wait For The Issue To Be Resolved

If Messenger not loading pictures, this can be an app-wide problem, or just for a specific region.

And since it’s a technical problem, there’s nothing you can do to solve the problem. All you can do is just wait.

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Conclusion

If photos and videos not loading in Facebook Messenger this could be a technical issue, or the internet not working on the app.

If you want to fix this issue on the Messenger app, you can start by uninstalling the app from your device.

After that, you’ll want to restart your phone, and then reinstall Messenger from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Try using another device and see if the photo or video will load, sign in to your account on another phone and see for yourself.

You can use the Facebook/Messenger Lite app if the Messenger app is refusing to load media. And you can also check Facebook/Messenger web.

FAQ on Photos And Videos Not Loading On Messenger? 8 Ways to Fix It (Solved)

If the Messenger app won't load media it could be because of a server-related issue, the internet connection not working, or you've enabled Data/Battery Saver Mode on your device, or in Messenger

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ByTimothy Iyekowa
Technical Writer
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As a seasoned content writer with 5+ years of experience in consumer technology, Timothy has been a dedicated author and editor at Techvocast since its inception. Specializing in addressing user concerns, his articles offer effective solutions for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac-related issues. Timothy's expertise also extends to crafting content about social media and various applications. Through his daily articles, he consistently aids users in overcoming their technology challenges.
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