How to Send Files on Facebook Messenger?

To send files on Facebook Messenger, you have to:

Open Facebook on desktop
Use the “Attach a file” option in the chat
Select the file
Send it

Moreover, you’ll need a Desktop computer to do this since mobile Messenger doesn’t exactly let you send files. I know, mind-boggling…

If your file is on your mobile device, you’ll need to send it to your computer and then transfer it to your friend on Facebook (like scratching your head with your foot, I know).

Either way, it is what it is. Be sure to check out my guide below if you don’t know how to do all this. Sending files on Messenger is not complicated, though, as you’ll soon see!

How Can You Send Files on Messenger?

First, open Facebook on a desktop computer and go to Chats. Then, open a chat with your friend and use the “Attach a file” option in the chat to send them a file.

This option looks like a superimposed icon (you’ll see below).

We’ll also talk about how you can send a file from your mobile device to your computer and then to your friend on Facebook.

Let’s get started, shall we?

1. Open Facebook on Desktop and open the Chats

Begin by opening Facebook on your computer (after logging in) and finding the Messenger icon (check the screenshot above) in the top-right corner.

It’s located near the notification bell, so you shouldn’t have problems finding it. Give it a tap and see what’s next:

2. Open a chat with your friend

You should be on the “Chats” window now, a bigger version of Messenger. Open a chat with the friend to whom you want to send the file by tapping on that conversation.

Or search for them with the search bar.

3. Select the “Attach a file” option

Once the chat opens, look in the bottom-left corner of the chat window for a picture icon. Hovering with your mouse over it will show the “Attach a file” message. That’s what you’re looking for, so tap it.

4. Find the file you want to send and select “Open”

A Windows Explorer window will open. This is where you need to find the file you want to send. Once you find it, select “Open“!

*Tap on the blue arrow to send the file*

After doing that, you’ll notice that the file has been uploaded to the chat window (it will appear inside a small box above the chat box).

Tap the blue airplane icon in the bottom-right corner to send the file to your friend, now.

*After you send the message, you’ll see the interface on the chat changing.*

The file you sent will appear with a time marker in the top-left, meaning it was successfully sent.

Moreover, if your friend sees the file you sent, their profile picture will appear in the bottom-right of the file, like in the picture above (read marker).

How to Transfer a File from Your Phone to Your Desktop?

What if you don’t have the file on your computer? Then, you’ll have to transfer it from your phone to your computer. Simple.

To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Go to File Manager

While on your phone, open the File Manager (this is where you’ll be finding the file you want to send).

The File Manager should have a yellow-ish icon (check the screenshot above) but it may be different in your case.

2. Open the “Documents” option

Once you open your File Manager, go to the “Docs” or “Documents” section. It should be somewhere around there.

If it’s not there, look through the other folders in there.

Maybe you placed it in a specific folder before.

Either way, once you find your file, see the steps below:

3. Hold-tap on your file and select “Send”

Once you find the folder that contains your file, hold-tap on it. This will reveal a few options at the bottom (or at the top). One of them should be the “Send” or “Share” option – select this.

4. Select “WhatsApp”

Once you select “Send/Share“, you should see several options here, including WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, and so on. No Messenger, though…

For the purpose of this article, I’ll be using WhatsApp to transfer the file from my phone to my computer. But you can send it via email, for instance.

5. Select a friend and send the file

Once you select WhatsApp, you’ll be redirected to the WhatsApp screen where you’ll need to select a person to send the file to.

Select them by and then tap the green airplane icon in the bottom-right corner.

6. Open WhatsApp on your computer and download the file

Now, you’ll need to open WhatsApp on your computer (the web version – https://web.whatsapp.com/). Scan the QR code with your phone, log in, and access your friend’s chat window.

Download the file you just sent to your computer and then send it on Messenger to your other friend. Makes sense?

Conclusion

Sending a file through Facebook Messenger is easy enough on a Desktop but impossible on a mobile phone.

That’s because Facebook still hasn’t added this functionality on mobile phones.

We don’t know when they’ll add it (or if they ever will), but until then, you’ll need to use workarounds to send files on Messenger.

Using Facebook on your Desktop, open a chat with your friend and select the “Attach a file” option.

Then, please find the file you need in Windows Explorer and send it!

If the file is on your phone, send it through WhatsApp to a friend, download it on your computer, and then send it through Messenger on your computer.

That’s about it. Leave a comment below if this works for you or if you have other issues that might need… resolving. Cheers 😀