Yes, it is possible to view your Facebook watch history and see what videos you have watched on Facebook. Facebook stores a log of all the videos you have watched while logged into your account. This allows you to go back and look at your viewing history. Here are some key things to know about accessing your Facebook watch history.
Where to View Facebook Watch History
Your Facebook watch history is located in the “Videos You’ve Watched” section under the Videos tab on your profile. To access it:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on the Videos tab in the left menu
- Click on “Videos You’ve Watched” under the Recent Videos section
This will display a feed of all the videos you have recently watched on Facebook. The videos will appear in reverse chronological order, with the most recent videos you’ve watched at the top.
How Far Back Does Facebook Watch History Go?
Your Facebook watch history goes back as far as the beginning of when you started using Facebook. So if you’ve been on Facebook for 5 years, you’ll be able to see every video you’ve watched in that timeframe. There is no limit to how far back your Facebook watch history goes.
The watch history is tied to your account, so it archives your full history of video views across time. Even if you delete some videos from your history, new ones will continue being added when you watch more videos.
Downloading Your Full Facebook Watch History
If you want to download your entire Facebook watch history, you can request a download of your personal data from Facebook. This will give you a file with your full watch history included. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click on “Download Your Information”
- Deselect all categories and select only “Videos”
- Click on “Create File”
Facebook will compile all of your video watch history into a downloadable HTML file and email it to you when it’s ready. This can take a few days. The file will contain your full watch history in an easy to browse format.
Deleting Specific Videos From Your Watch History
If there are certain individual videos you want removed from your Facebook watch history, you can delete them:
- Go to your Facebook watch history page
- Hover over the video you want to delete
- Click on the X icon that appears in the top right corner
- Confirm that you want to delete that video from your history
This will remove that specific video from your history. All other videos will remain unaffected. You can delete as many individual videos as you like this way.
Clearing Your Entire Watch History
To delete your entire Facebook watch history:
- Go to the Videos You’ve Watched section
- Click on the 3 dots menu in the top right corner
- Select “Clear All Viewing History”
- Confirm that you want to clear your full history
This will wipe your entire watch history clean. However, it will begin tracking your watching activity again as you view new videos. So it’s not permanently deleted.
Turning Off Video Watch History Tracking
If you don’t want Facebook tracking your watch history at all, you can turn the setting off:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click on “Videos”
- Turn off “Save Videos I’ve Watched”
When this setting is disabled, Facebook will not keep a log of any videos you watch. However, it’s important to note that other users may still be able to see which videos you have watched or interacted with.
Why Facebook Tracks Your Watch History
Facebook tracks your watch history for a few reasons:
- To improve video recommendations – The videos you view help Facebook understand your tastes and recommend other videos you may like
- To enable the Videos You’ve Watched feature – This allows you to go back and see what you’ve been watching
- For advertising purposes – Facebook uses data like your interests and watch history to serve you relevant ads
So your Facebook watch history helps enhance your viewing experience, even if you don’t access it directly yourself.
Who Can See Your Facebook Watch History
By default, your Facebook watch history is private and is visible only to you. No one else on Facebook can see the complete list of videos you have watched.
However, your friends and followers may be able to see individual videos you have recently interacted with. For example, if you like, comment on, or share a video, it may show up on your profile or in your friends’ News Feeds.
You can control this visibility in your Activity Log privacy settings. Here you can limit old posts with video interactions from appearing in your profile or News Feed.
Watch History for Facebook Watch Original Shows
If you watch original shows on Facebook Watch, your viewing activity for those shows will be tracked separately from your overall video watch history.
To see your Facebook Watch show history:
- Go to the Facebook Watch tab
- Click on “More” in the left menu
- Select “Watched”
This will display all the Facebook Watch shows you have watched episodes of. You can also delete show entries from this history like you can for videos.
Watch History On Facebook Mobile Apps
Your Facebook watch history works the same way on mobile devices. As you watch videos in the Facebook app on your smartphone or tablet, they get added to your cross-device watch history.
To view your watch history on mobile:
- Open the Facebook app menu (3 line icon)
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” > Settings
- Select “Videos”
- Tap on “Videos You’ve Watched”
You’ll then see your full history and can delete videos or turn off tracking just like on desktop. Your watch history stays in sync across all devices.
Watch Histories For Multiple Facebook Accounts
Your Facebook watch history is specific to each account you use. If you have multiple Facebook accounts:
- Each account will have its own separate watch history
- Watching a video while signed into one account will not add it to the other accounts’ histories
- You have to view the watch history for each account individually while signed into that account
So your watch history does not carry over across different accounts. It starts fresh for each new account you create.
Recovering Deleted Facebook Watch History
If you delete a video from your Facebook watch history and later decide you want to view it again, there are a couple options to find it:
- Look for it in your main News Feed and video suggestions. Facebook may still recommend it based on your interests.
- Do a search for any keywords or the creator you can remember to try finding the video again.
- If you originally watched it on a friend’s profile, revisit their profile to see if you can find it in their posts.
- If you remember the video’s name, search for it directly in the Facebook search bar.
While your deleted watch history can’t be recovered, you may be able to find lost videos again through searches, the News Feed, and browsing friends’ profiles. So all hope isn’t lost if you remove something by accident.
Third-Party Access to Facebook Watch History
Facebook does not share your private watch history data with any third-party services or other companies by default. Your full watch history remains visible only to you.
However, as mentioned above, if you interact with videos from your friends, this could show up in your profile and News Feed where they are publicly accessible.
Facebook may share some anonymized watch history data with advertisers to serve you relevant ads, but this is not linked to your identity or account and is based on interests like “sports videos” rather than specific video titles.
You can limit ad tracking in your Facebook Ad Preferences for more control over how your watch data is used for advertising purposes.
Watch History and Children’s Accounts
For Facebook accounts registered to children under 13 years old, watch history is turned off by default. Facebook does not track or store any watch history or viewing activity for children’s accounts.
Once a children’s account turns 13, watch history tracking will be enabled by default like other accounts. But all history will only begin tracking from that point forward.
Key Takeaways
- Your Facebook watch history shows all videos you’ve watched while logged into your account
- It goes back as far as when you first started using Facebook
- You can delete specific videos or clear your entire history
- Turning off watch history stops Facebook from tracking your watching activity going forward
- By default your history is private, but video interactions could become visible
- Facebook uses your watch data to improve recommendations and ads
- Deleted history can’t be recovered, but you may find videos through searches and browsing
Conclusion
Facebook provides complete access to your personal watch history so you can look back on the videos you’ve viewed over time. While not visible to others by default, portions of your activity may become public through interactions. Overall, being able to see your Facebook watch history gives you visibility into how you use the platform as well as control over your video trail.