When you share content on your Facebook page, whether it’s a status update, photo, video, or other post, sometimes that content gets deleted. This can happen for a few different reasons:
- You deleted the post yourself
- Facebook removed the post if it went against their Community Standards
- One of your page admins deleted the post
If you notice a post is suddenly gone from your page, you probably want to know why it was deleted and who did it. Facebook does provide some tools to help page admins track deletions, but the information available is limited. In this article, we’ll walk through what you can see about deleted posts on Facebook pages and who may have removed them.
Can I Get Notified When a Post is Deleted?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not send notifications when a post is deleted from your page. There is no automated alert that goes out to page owners or admins when content gets removed.
The only way to actively monitor deletions is to regularly check your page’s post history and look for gaps. If you notice a post has disappeared that you didn’t remove yourself, that likely means it was deleted by someone else.
Checking Post Insights
The easiest way to see if a post has been deleted is by viewing your Facebook page’s Post Insights. Here’s how to access this:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click on “Insights” in the left menu
- Select “Posts” from the Insights options
This will display a list of all your page’s posts in chronological order. If you’re looking for a specific post that you can’t find on your timeline, scan through this list.
Deleted posts will still show up here, but they will display “(deleted)” next to the name and have no analytics data.
What Post Insights Reveals
Viewing deleted posts in the Post Insights list can tell you:
- When the post was made originally
- How long it was live on your page before being deleted
- The type of post (status update, photo, etc)
However, Post Insights does not show who deleted the post. But it’s still the best place to start investigating missing content.
Checking Page Roles to See Admins
If it appears someone with admin access deleted a post from your page, the next step is checking who your page roles. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click “Settings” from the top menu
- Select “Page Roles” on the left side
This will display a list of everyone who has admin, editor, moderator or advertiser access to your page. Make a note of which roles have the ability to delete posts:
- Admin – Has full control over the page, including deleting any posts
- Editor – Can edit the page, create and delete posts
- Moderator – Can respond to and delete comments on the page
- Advertiser – Can create ads and posts, but not delete posts
If you have a large number of people in admin and editor roles, it may be difficult to narrow down who specifically deleted a post. But compare the post deletion time to your page roles access and see if any changes were made.
Removing that ability can prevent it from happening again. However, this still doesn’t identify the exact person that deleted a specific post already.
Using Facebook Activity Log for More Clues
Facebook does keep a log of all major activity that happens across your account and pages. While not definitive, checking your Facebook activity log can provide more clues about a deleted post.
To access your account activity log:
- Click on the arrow in the top right
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click on “Activity log” on the left side
This will display a list of your recent Facebook activities, including posts, comments, page edits, and more. Filter the activity log to the timeframe when the missing post disappeared:
- Look for actions like “Removed a post from Facebook Page” that match up with the deletion
- See if any new roles were added or removed from your page around that time
- Notice if any changes were made to page settings like the ability to post
While Facebook doesn’t name who took specific actions, you can get a sense of what changes occurred around the time the post went missing. Combined with your page role info, this can help narrow down who may have deleted it.
Asking Page Members If They Deleted a Post
If your Facebook page has a limited number of admins and editors, you can always directly ask if they deleted a post. While they may not admit it, you may get a sense from their response if they were responsible.
Some things to ask:
- “Did you happen to delete [description of missing post] from the page?”
- “I can’t find that post about [topic], do you know what happened to it?”
- “I noticed a post was deleted recently but didn’t get a notification about it. Do you know who removed it?”
Their facial expressions and tone can sometimes give away if they were the culprit. Make sure to ask in a casual, non-confrontational way.
If multiple people have access, ask each person separately to see if stories match up. Keep an eye out for any hesitation, defensiveness, or eagerness to blame others when responding. Those behaviors can imply guilt.
Preventing Confusion in the Future
To avoid this guessing game for future deletions, consider implementing a page policy where admins must:
- Notify you when they plan to delete a post for any reason.
- Explain why they feel that post should be removed.
- Obtain approval from you before deleting any content.
Having open communication about when and why posts are deleted can eliminate some of the mystery if they disappear again.
Contacting Facebook Support
If a post was removed from your page and you strongly believe it was done unfairly or maliciously, you can try contacting Facebook support.
Keep in mind Facebook rarely reveals who specifically deleted a post or the exact reason. But it’s an option if you feel a page member is continuously abusing their privileges or if content was removed that didn’t actually violate standards.
Information to Include
When contacting Facebook support about a deleted post, be sure to provide:
- The name and ID # of your Facebook page
- The date and time the post was made
- Any screenshots you have of the missing post
- Why you believe the post was wrongfully deleted
The more details you can provide, the better chance Facebook can investigate properly and potentially restore the content if it was removed in error.
However, keep your expectations low in terms of learning who deleted the post. Facebook tends to protect user privacy and anonymity in these cases. But reporting problematic behavior can help identify if there is a pattern happening on your page.
Adjusting Page Roles and Permissions
Based on Facebook’s response, you may need to make adjustments like:
- Removing admin access from certain people
- Limiting who can delete or edit posts
- Adding or promoting new admins you trust
- Enforcing rules about getting approval before deleting
Setting clear expectations and limiting capabilities where necessary can help prevent phantom deletions in the future.
Using Third Party Monitoring Tools
Some third party social media management platforms provide more detailed analytics and logs about deleted Facebook posts. For example:
- Sprout Social – Records content deletions and edits from your page.
- Buffer – Lets you view documentation of deleted social media posts.
- Hootsuite – Tracks deleted content across Facebook and other networks.
The functionality varies by provider, but these tools can capture information Facebook itself doesn’t show. Features may include:
- Log of all post deletions and edits
- Date, time and author associated with the deletion
- Screenshots or text content of deleted posts
- Reason given for deleting posts
Keep in mind you need to be actively using these platforms already for managing your Facebook page for this to be helpful. And the features may be available only in premium paid plans, not entry-level services.
But for pages that require tight oversight of content moderation, a robust third party platform can provide the visibility Facebook itself lacks.
Hiring a Social Media Manager
For business Facebook pages, another option is hiring a professional social media manager. Services typically include:
- Handling day-to-day publishing and monitoring
- Responding to comments and messages
- Engaging followers and growing your audience
- Reporting on performance metrics and optimizations
- Providing visibility into content changes and deletions
Having someone dedicated to managing your brand’s social presence not only frees up time but also gives you peace of mind. A social expert can proactively inform you when a post is deleted and investigate what happened behind the scenes.
This takes the guesswork out of tracking down phantom deletions and provides accountability when your content disappears. Monitoring deletions and identifying issues becomes part of their role and responsibility.
Questions to Ask Prospective Managers
When interviewing social media manager candidates, be sure to ask:
- How they track content changes across social channels
- Their process for notifying clients when posts are deleted
- How in depth their deletion reporting and auditing capabilities are
- What tools they use to provide visibility into moderation actions
- How transparently they document when, where and why deletions occur
Their responses will help you gauge how closely they monitor content changes and stay on top of keeping clients informed. This can provide peace of mind that all platform activity will be accounted for.
Using Downloadable Content for Records
For important Facebook posts you want to protect against mysterious deletions, one strategy is saving copies outside of the platform itself.
This provides records to reference if the content later disappears. Options include:
Downloading Images and Videos
For visual posts on Facebook, right click on them choose “Save image as” or “Save video as” to store copies on your computer. Be sure to note what page and date they were posted.
Copying Text-Based Posts
For text status updates, comments, Notes posts, or other written content, copy and paste the text into a document or offline note. Include page name, post dates, and any descriptive hashtags.
Using Facebook Download Tools
Facebook offers tools to download your data for records keeping or migrating to other platforms. You can download all activity from your account or specific subsets.
To use Facebook’s self-service tools:
- Go to Settings
- Click on Your Facebook Information
- Select “Download your Information”
- Choose date range and types of data
This includes your News Feed, posts/comments, images, videos, messages, profile info, and more. Store these downloads securely offline for reference if needed.
Conclusion
When content suddenly disappears from your Facebook page, it can be frustrating not knowing exactly why or who did it. Unfortunately Facebook purposefully does not provide notifications or reveal specific details around post deletions and removals.
Your main options for investigating missing posts include checking page insights and activity logs for clues, monitoring page roles and permissions changes, asking other admins, and reporting issues to Facebook support in case of abuse.
For future protection, establish rules requiring notification and approval prior to deleting. Using third party social media tools or hiring a professional manager can also surface helpful details when content gets removed.
While the limited transparency around deletions can be maddening, taking proactive measures provides more accountability and visibility. Take steps to limit, track, document, and query deletions so any disappearances raise fewer questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I tell if another admin deleted my Facebook post?
Not definitively through Facebook itself, but checking page insights and activity logs can reveal if changes were made around the time the post disappeared. Examining page roles also shows who has delete abilities.
Does Facebook send an email when your post is deleted?
No, Facebook does not send any notifications directly to page owners or admins when a post is removed or deleted, whether done manually or automatically.
Can you see who reported your Facebook post?
No, Facebook does not share information about who specifically flagged or reported a post that was removed. It preserves anonymity of users reporting content that violates standards.
Can a deactivated Facebook account delete posts?
No, someone that deactivated their Facebook account cannot continue deleting posts or make any changes since they no longer have access. Only active accounts with page roles permitting it can delete posts.
Can Facebook recover a deleted post?
In most cases, no. Once a post is deleted, it is permanently removed from Facebook’s servers within 90 days. However, if you contact support immediately after a wrongful deletion, in rare cases they may be able to restore it