With over 150 million active users, Discord has become the platform of choice for online communities. Gamers, fandoms, social groups – all flock to Discord‘s slick chat interface and robust tools.
But as with any popular chat app, unwanted behavior can crop up on Discord servers. Malicious users may send inappropriate messages and then delete them before getting caught.
Luckily, the open nature of Discord allows custom plugins to enhance functionality. One particularly useful plugin logs deleted messages so server moderators can retroactively view them.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how to see deleted Discord messages with just 4 simple steps:
Why Recover Deleted Messages on Discord?
Before we get into the how-to, let‘s explore good use cases around retrieving deleted messages:
Investigating Toxic Behavior
A user joins and spam posts offensive slurs or disturbing content, then quickly deletes their messages before members can react.
Server mods currently have no recourse – without the original message contents, it becomes the user‘s word against the community‘s. mods are helpless to take action.
Viewing deletions provides the full context and evidence needed for moderation in these situations.
Understanding Conversations
Perhaps you joined partway through a heated debate that involved deletions. Or someone made an odd non-sequitur reply with no backstory.
Seeing deleted messages fills in the gaps to clarify convo context.
Moderating Fairly
Deleted messages allow mods to review conversations neutrally. If disputes arise, they can reconstruct the full exchange without relying on biased personal accounts.
Preventing Misinformation
Users may delete misinformation or misleading statements if called out by others. Accessing deletions allows you to reveal the truth.
Keeping Records
Servers that need message histories for legal purposes can retain fuller archives if deletions are logged.
Exposing Dishonesty
Some malicious users craft a positive outward appearance while hiding negative behavior deletions. Logging preserves the truth.
Satisfying Curiosities
Let‘s be honest – people really want to know contents of deleted messages! It‘s human nature to be curious.
These are just a few examples of how accessing deleted messages can be valuable for moderation, transparency, and knowledge.
Next let‘s get into the steps to enable this capability in Discord.
Step 1: Install BetterDiscord (Enhanced Client)
BetterDiscord is a third-party Discord client that allows installing mods and plugins for enhanced customization and features.
Discord natively only allows limited UI theming. BetterDiscord opens full customization of colors, fonts, icons, emojis, and layout.
More importantly, it enables installing plugins to add functionality like message logging, notifications, filters, and more.
BetterDiscord has over 500 available plugins to tap into. For deleted messages, we‘ll use MessageLoggerV2 in step 2.
But first, you need to install the base client:
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Go to betterdiscord.app
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Click Download and install for your Discord version.
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Follow the setup prompts to launch enhanced Discord.
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BetterDiscord will confirm itself in a popup when launched.
BetterDiscord was first released in 2015 and has been consistently maintained since. The software is open source and trusted by the Discord community.
However, BetterDiscord does technically violate Discord‘s Terms of Service around client modifications. There is an extremely small risk of losing your Discord account if discovered. Over 150 million active Discord users means this ban risk is negligible, but wanted to disclaimer it.
With the base client installed, let‘s look at our specific deleted message recovery plugin.
Step 2: Install Message Logger Plugin
To access deleted messages, we‘ll use a plugin called MessageLoggerV2. This monitors Discord activity in the background, recording events like:
- Deleted messages
- Edited message history
- Purged/bulk deleted messages
- Ghost pings (when you‘re pinged then the message is deleted)
All these events get logged to easily review later. It‘s a seamless way to pull back the curtain on disappearing Discord messages.
To install MessageLoggerV2:
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Download from GitHub.
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In Discord, go to User Settings > BetterDiscord > Plugins.
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Click "Open Plugins Folder".
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Drag the MessageLoggerV2 file you downloaded into the folder.
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Enable MessageLoggerV2 plugin within Discord settings.
Once enabled, MessageLoggerV2 will start passively recording activity behind the scenes.
Next we can look at viewing the logs.
Step 3: Access Deleted Message Logs
With MessageLoggerV2 tracking deletions, you‘re ready to start viewing them:
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In a Discord server, right click the server name.
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Hover over "Logger".
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Select "Open Logs".
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Click the "Deleted" tab.
This opens the deleted message log for that server, with:
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Full message contents, including images/embeds.
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Author name and avatar.
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Channel it was sent/deleted in.
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Date and time of deletion.
Logs accumulate over time, so you can uncover a server‘s full deletion history. If it gets excessively long, click "Clear Log" at the top to wipe.
However, logs are stored locally. So you can only access deletions from servers you‘re still in, within the logging period. Leaving a server loses its older logs.
In general though, the logs work flawlessly. Follow those quick access steps any time you want to peek behind the curtain.
Step 4: Review Other Message Logs
In addition to deletions, MessageLoggerV2 tracks edits, purges, and ghost pings in separate logs:
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Edited – Review edit histories of messages.
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Purged – View bulk deleted messages.
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Ghost Pings – When pinged then the message is deleted.
Access these other logs the same way:
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Right-click server name.
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Hover "Logger".
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Select log to open.
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View logged events.
The edited log is particularly useful – you can see exactly what changed after the fact. For example:
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Catch users stealth editing arguments to their favor.
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Notice attempts to hide rude statements.
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Understand original phrasing of poorly edited messages.
So together these give a comprehensive view of server activities beyond just deletions.
Expert Tips for Managing Your Message Logs
As a Discord expert myself, I wanted to share insider tips for handling your new message tracking abilities:
Review Logs Responsibly
Use discretion when accessing logs – avoid spying on private conversations in DMs/group DMs. Keep reviews transparent in public channels.
Focus on moderation, not voyeurism. These tools enable oversight, but shouldn‘t be abused.
Enable Notifications
You can have MessageLoggerV2 send alerts when specific log events occur like deletions. Helpful for staying on top of moderation.
Regularly Clear Logs
Logs inflate quickly in active servers. Set a reminder to routinely clear them to avoid slowdowns from huge logs.
Tag Important Logged Events
You can add tags while reviewing logs to bookmark stuff for future reference. Great for marking crucial messages.
Export/Backup Logs
If you need message evidence for something serious like law enforcement, export logs to retain that history outside Discord.
Complement With Other Tools
MessageLoggerV2 retains past history – for ongoing monitoring, try DeleteLogV2 to view deletions in real-time.
Customizing Your BetterDiscord Experience
While this guide has focused specifically on recovering deleted messages with MessageLoggerV2, setting up BetterDiscord opens the door to many other Discord enhancements.
Here are some ideas to further tailor your customized Discord client:
Themes
Change your entire Discord theme with premade options like:
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Dark, light, and black themes
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Gradient, glass blur, and transparent themes
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Anime, sci-fi, and minimalist themes
Or use custom CSS to fine tune a unique look.
Plugins
MessageLoggerV2 is one of over 500 plugins available, including:
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Notifier – Custom notifications and alert options.
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EmoteTools – Unlock more emotes and emojis.
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DoNotTrack – Prevent data collection by Discord.
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Link Previews – Built-in embeds and metadata for links.
Explore plugins to enhance chat, utilities, theming, and more.
Performance Options
BetterDiscord adds options to optimize Discord performance like:
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Reducing unnecessary animations.
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Limiting bandwidth usage.
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Using hardware acceleration for rendering.
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Overriding GPU blacklist.
Keep Discord speedy even on lower end machines.
The capabilities are nearly endless for crafting a personalized Discord client tailored exactly to your needs, aesthetics, and privacy preferences.
Ethical Usage of Message Logging
I want to re-emphasize the importance of using Discord‘s message logging capabilities ethically.
Accessing logs could be abused to spy on private conversations without consent, or to shame users by publicizing out-of-context snippets.
Instead, leverage these tools transparently and only when required:
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Inform your community that logs exist for moderation purposes.
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Focus log reviews around active issues being investigated.
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Avoid prying into conversations that don‘t concern you.
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Allow accused users to consent to having logs reviewed.
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Mask usernames if publicizing log snippets taken out of context.
In summary:
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DO: Use logs to enrich conversations and enable effective moderation.
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DON‘T: Abuse logs to violate privacy or embarrass others.
With thoughtful norms, message logging can benefit communities without enabling voyeurism. Lead by example in establishing those responsible practices.
See Deleted Discord Messages Yourself
As this guide has illustrated, uncovering deleted Discord messages is possible with just a few simple tools:
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BetterDiscord – Enhanced client enabling plugins.
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MessageLoggerV2 – Tracks and logs deletion events.
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Log Viewer – Interface to view logged messages.
In just minutes, you can unlock transparency into moderation issues, clarify conversations, and preserve records.
Take care to use these capabilities responsibly – maintain privacy and context. But applied properly, message logging can greatly enhance server oversight and justice.
So don‘t let deceptions slide by in Discord chats. Install BetterDiscord and MessageLoggerV2 to lift the veil on deleted messages right now.
