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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Hannah Dillon is a Technology Writer and Editor at wikiHow. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from North Dakota State University in 2013 and has since worked in the video game industry as well as a few newspapers. From a young age Hannah has cultivated a love for writing and technology, and hopes to use these passions in tandem to help others in the articles she writes for wikiHow.
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Have you ever wanted to insert a line break while typing a message in Facebook Messenger but didn't want to send the message? This is a common problem with messengers that send messages by simply hitting Enter or Return, but thankfully the solution is very easy. This wikiHow teaches you how to create a line break when hitting enter in Facebook Messenger instead of sending the message.
Things You Should Know
- On the web version of Messenger, you can insert a line break by hitting ⇧ Shift+↵ Enter on Windows or ⇧ Shift+⏎ Return on Mac.
- The Enter and Send buttons are separate on Android, iPhone, and iPad, so you can tap the Return button without fear of sending your message.
- To send a message on mobile, tap the arrow next to the text box instead of hitting the Enter or Return button.
Steps
Windows & Mac
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Open a conversation in Facebook Messenger. Click the Messenger icon at the top-right corner of Facebook, then click the message you want to reply to. -
Enter text into the message field.Advertisement -
Hold ⇧ Shift and press ↵ Enter. The typing cursor will move to the next line without sending the message. This is known as a soft return, or a soft line break.- On Mac, you would hold ⇧ Shift and press ⏎ Return.
- Although it was once supported, you can no longer change the default action for hitting enter when sending messages.
Android, iPhone & iPad
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Tap on a conversation in the Messenger app. -
Type what you want to say in the text field. When you open the conversation, your cursor should automatically be in the text field. -
Tap the ⏎ Return button. On mobile, there is a separate Send button that is not connected to the Enter or Return key on your phone keyboard.- On Android, the return button might look like an arrow.
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Continue typing your message on the new line. -
Tap the arrow next to the text field to send your message. The icon looks like a triangle or a paper airplane and is directly to the right of the message input box.
Expert Q&A
Tips
About This Article
1. Navigate to Facebook in your web browser.
2. Click Messenger.
3. Click a conversation.
4. Enter a message.
5. Hold Shift and hit Enter.
