Why People Want to Recover Deleted Facebook Pages
Losing access to a Facebook page can be a frustrating experience. There are several common reasons why someone might want to recover a deleted Facebook page:
- The page belonged to a business, organization, or public figure and contained important information that is now inaccessible.
- The page was accidentally deleted or hacked and the owner wants to regain control.
- The page belonged to a deceased loved one and contained memories the owner wants preserved.
- The page had a large number of followers or sentimental value that the owner does not want to lose.
Whatever the reason, most people want to recover a deleted Facebook page because it held content with personal, professional, or monetary value. When a page is deleted, all of its posts, photos, videos, and data are erased. For individuals or businesses that invested time and effort into building their presence on Facebook, this can be devastating. Being able to recover the page brings back that valuable content.
How Facebook Page Deletion Works
When a Facebook page is deleted, it does not immediately disappear from Facebook’s servers. The platform places the page in a deactivated state for a period of time before permanently deleting it. This allows page owners to reactivate or recover deleted pages if action is taken quickly. Here is an overview of how Facebook page deletion works:
- When a page is deleted, either by the owner or Facebook, it enters a deactivated state. It is no longer visible to other users.
- The page remains in this deactivated state for 30 days. During this time, it can be reactivated by the page owner logging in and reversing the deletion.
- After 30 days, the page is permanently deleted from Facebook’s servers and can no longer be recovered through account tools.
- Facebook states data from deleted pages may persist in backup copies for up to 90 days, but there is no way to access it.
So in summary, Facebook gives page owners a 30-day window to reverse a deletion through account tools. After that window, recovery becomes much more difficult, if not impossible.
How to Recover a Facebook Page Within 30 Days
If you or your organization has accidentally deleted an important Facebook page within the last 30 days, recovery is simple:
- Log in to the Facebook account that managed the deleted page.
- Click on the triangle dropdown in the top right and select “Settings & Privacy”.
- Go to the “Pages” tab in the left menu.
- Click on the “Recover Deleted Pages” link.
- Select the name of the deleted page you want to restore.
- Click the “Recover Page” button to begin restoration. The process may take several hours.
- Once finished, you can access and edit the page like normal.
As long as you act within 30 days, you can fully recover the page and all its original content. This is by far the easiest way to retrieve a deleted Facebook page.
Is it Possible to Recover a Page After 30 Days?
Recovering a Facebook page beyond the 30-day window provided by account tools is more difficult, but may still be possible depending on the circumstances:
- Contact Facebook support. Explaining your situation and need to recover the page may convince them to help you restore it manually.
- Use data recovery software. If you have a backup of the page on your computer, data recovery tools may be able to extract the files.
- Check archived copies. Websites like Archive.org store historical copies of some pages which you could potentially restore from.
- Consult professionals. Data recovery experts may know specialized techniques for getting back deleted Facebook content.
The viability of these options depends heavily on your specific situation. The older the deletion, the less data there is to recover. But in some cases, it is possible to salvage pages even 90+ days later using data forensics. Professional help will likely be needed past the 30-day account recovery window.
Steps to Take Before Deleting a Facebook Page
To avoid losing valuable page content in the future, it’s smart to take precautionary steps before any planned or potential deletion:
- Back Up the Page. Use Facebook tools or third party software to save copies of all page content locally.
- Download Key Info. Preserve lists of important details like followers, contacts, analytics etc.
- Change Roles. Transfer primary admin access to someone else if leaving the organization.
- Set Reminders. Schedule calendar alerts leading up to planned deletion dates.
- Confirm Choices. Double check before finalizing a permanent page deletion.
Having backups and a clear transition plan makes it easier to either restore or permanently remove a Facebook page without regrets down the road.
Mistakes to Avoid When Deleting a Facebook Page
It’s also important to avoid common mistakes that make page recovery difficult or impossible:
- Deleting the page while logged into the wrong account
- Forgetting login details to the account that managed the page
- Not backing up page content before deletion
- Missing the 30-day window to use Facebook account tools
- Deleting the account that owned the page, not just deactivating it
Being aware of these pitfalls can prevent them from hindering page recovery. Keep account access organized, set reminders, and backup regularly.
Conclusion
Here are the key takeaways on recovering deleted Facebook pages:
- Act within 30 days to easily restore pages through Facebook’s account tools
- Recovery gets much harder after 30 days, requiring data recovery methods
- Back up and transfer page access before any planned deletion
- Avoid common mistakes like using the wrong account or missing timing windows
- Professional help may be needed if attempting recovery after 30 days
Losing access to an important Facebook page can be devastating, especially for businesses and public figures. But in many cases, proper preparation and quick action makes recovering deleted pages possible. Just be sure to act fast and leverage any options available based on the specific situation. With effort, hope is not lost for rescuing deleted Facebook content.