Facebook stories allow users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Since the content is temporary, some users may want to save or screenshot a Facebook story without the original poster knowing. So can someone tell if you screenshot their Facebook story? Here is a detailed look at how Facebook stories work and whether the original poster is notified if you take a screenshot.
How Do Facebook Stories Work?
Facebook stories operate similarly to stories on other platforms like Instagram or Snapchat. Users can post photos or videos to their story that will be visible to their friends for 24 hours. People viewing a Facebook story can react to it with emojis or send a message to the user who posted it.
There are a few key aspects of Facebook stories:
- Stories appear at the top of the Facebook news feed and on users’ profiles.
- Only friends or followers can view a user’s story.
- Each story post disappears after 24 hours.
- A small notification shows up when someone screenshots or reposts a story.
So stories are designed to be temporary, visual shares that give friends a glimpse into what a user is currently doing or experiencing. The ephemeral nature encourages users to post more candidly without worrying about anything being permanently posted.
Does Facebook Notify Users of Screenshots?
Yes, Facebook does send a notification when someone takes a screenshot of a story. If you screenshot a Facebook story, the person who originally posted it will receive a small notification indicating you took a screenshot.
The notification shows up in the list of story viewers under your name. It does not specifically call out that you took a screenshot. But the original poster can likely deduce that’s what happened if they know you viewed their story.
This is similar to how Instagram notifies users when a story is screenshotted. It’s a measure Facebook put in place to respect the temporary nature of stories. The company wanted to give users control over images that could now exist outside the 24-hour story lifecycle.
Does Screenshot Notification Appear Immediately?
The notification indicating a screenshot occurred can take some time to show up. There is no set timeframe, but in many cases it appears:
- Within 10-15 minutes after taking the screenshot.
- After exiting and reopening the Facebook app.
- After the person who posted the story logs in again.
Essentially the notification is not in real time. Facebook aggregates screenshot data and then sends a summary notification to the user who posted the story. So if you’re wondering whether they’ve seen the notification yet, it may take a bit of time to appear on their end.
Is There Any Way to Screenshot Anonymously?
Unfortunately there is no way to fully screenshot a Facebook story anonymously. Even if you turn off read receipts or viewing activity, the screenshot notification will still appear.
A few things you could try to be more discreet include:
- Turning off push notifications for Facebook so they won’t get the alert right away.
- Temporarily unfriending or unfollowing the person so your name won’t be visible.
- Screen recording the story instead of taking a screenshot.
However, the person will eventually see that an unnamed follower took a screenshot of their story. There is no way to hide that notification completely.
What Shows Up in Screenshot Notification?
The notification that appears when you screenshot a story is fairly generic. It does not specify which part of the story you took a screenshot of. Here’s what shows up:
- Your name and profile photo
- A note indicating you took a screenshot
The notification displays in the list of story viewers, nested under your name. It remains visible until the 24-hour story expires. But it does not indicate which specific image or video you chose to screenshot.
Does Notification Appear if Reposting?
If you repost someone’s Facebook story, they will receive a notification just like they would for a screenshot. Facebook considers reposting the same as screenshotting, since it also allows content to live beyond the story’s 24-hour limit.
When you repost a story, the original user will see your name along with an indicator that you shared their story. There is no option to share anonymously.
Can You Turn Off Screenshot Notifications?
Users who share Facebook stories cannot disable screenshot or screen recording notifications. The notifications are mandatory anytime someone saves or reposts a story.
If you’d prefer none of your story viewers to get notifications, the only option is to not share it as a story. You could post the content on your timeline or in a group instead.
What Happens When You Unfriend Someone?
Unfriending or unfollowing someone on Facebook does not retroactively remove the screenshot notification. If you take a screenshot of their story and then unfriend them, they will still see you took a screenshot while you were still connected.
In order to avoid the notification entirely, you would need to unfriend or unfollow that person prior to viewing and taking a screenshot of their story.
Does Facebook Use Screenshot Data?
Facebook collects analytics on how many screenshots and reshares each story receives. They likely use this data to track engagement and monitor trends in story performance.
However, there is no evidence that Facebook does anything specific with the screenshot data beyond sending a notification to the story poster. The data is not used to target ads or affect the algorithm based on available information.
Is Taking Screenshots Good or Bad?
There are reasonable use cases on both sides of why someone may want to take a screenshot of a story. Here are some arguments for and against it:
Arguments For Taking Screenshots
- To save a memory or major life event
- To capture funny content to send to friends
- To archive or catalog for future reference
- To avoid having temporary content disappear forever
Arguments Against Taking Screenshots
- Violates the intended ephemeral nature of stories
- Content is shared for a limited time and context
- Can feel invasive or violate privacy
- Story poster expected content to disappear
There are good-faith reasons on both sides. In general it is wise to be judicious in taking screenshots and respect the context and intent of how someone shared that content.
Can You Limit Who Views Your Story?
Yes, Facebook provides controls to limit the audience for your story:
- Friends – Only people you are connected with can see your story.
- Friends Except – Choose specific friends to exclude.
- Specific friends – Select individual friends who can view it.
- Hide Story From – Hide from specific people only.
Using the “Friends Except” or “Specific Friends” options can be useful if you want to be selective about who can view and screenshot a particular story.
Should You Ask Permission Before Screenshotting?
It’s generally wise and courteous to ask someone before taking a screenshot of their story if:
- You have a close personal relationship with them.
- The content seems very personal or vulnerable.
- You plan to share the screenshot publicly.
For casual acquaintances or meme accounts, you likely don’t need to ask. Use your best judgment based on your relationship and the nature of the content being shared.
Is Screenshotting Stories Common?
Screenshots are very common on both Facebook and Instagram stories based on data from surveys and social media companies:
- Over 50% of Instagram users under 25 have screenshotted a story.
- 28% of overall Instagram users admit to taking screenshots.
- Facebook reports over 1 billion stories are shared daily.
- An estimated 13% of daily Facebook stories receive a screenshot.
So while not everyone is taking screenshots, it’s definitely a common practice especially among younger social media users. Just keep in mind the original poster will always be notified.
In Conclusion:
To summarize the key points:
- Facebook sends a notification when someone screenshots or reposts a story.
- The notification shows up under your name in the story viewer list.
- There is no way to screenshot anonymously or disable the notification.
- You can limit your story audience, post certain content to your timeline instead, or ask permission to screenshot to be more courteous.
- Screenshots are very common, but should be used judiciously based on context.
So in the end, it’s impossible to secretly take a screenshot of a Facebook story. The original poster will always find out. Think carefully before deciding to save or repost temporary story content.