Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of 2022. With so many people using Facebook to connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, and more, an important question arises – does Facebook keep a history of the videos you watch?
The Short Answer
Yes, Facebook does keep some history of the videos you watch on its platform. However, the length of time this history is stored and the exact details included can vary depending on your account settings and activity.
Facebook’s Video Services
To understand Facebook’s video history practices, it helps to know the main ways users can view videos on Facebook:
- The News Feed – Videos shared by friends, Pages, and Groups you follow may appear in your News Feed. You can watch them directly in the feed.
- Facebook Watch – Facebook’s hub for original video content from creators and publishers. You navigate directly to the Watch tab to find videos to view.
- Facebook Live – Live streaming video capabilities. You can broadcast a live video or watch others’ live streams.
- Messenger – You can share and view videos in Messenger chats.
- Groups – Videos shared to Groups you’ve joined may appear in your feed or the Group itself.
Across all these services, Facebook collects data on your viewing behavior to serve relevant video recommendations and ads. But how long is this viewing history retained?
Video Watch History in News Feed
For videos you simply watch in your News Feed, Facebook retains a short viewing history. According to their Help Center page on News Feed, your video watch history is used to improve recommendations and target ads for about 10-14 days after viewing.
This means if you watch a funny cat video shared by a friend, Facebook logs that viewing activity temporarily. It may use that signal to show you more funny animal content over the next week or two. But it does not maintain a permanent record of that specific cat video view.
Video Watch History on Facebook Watch
Facebook also retains some video watch history data for content viewed in the Watch tab. According to their Help Center page on Watch:
Information about videos you watch may be used to personalize your experience. This could include showing recommendations based on videos you watched, allowing you to pick up where you left off, and showing relevant Watch Party invites.
They note your Watch history data may be retained on their servers for security and operations purposes. However, there is no exact timeframe provided for how long this data is stored.
It’s reasonable to assume the retention period is longer than the 10-14 days for News Feed video views. This allows the Watch tab to maintain your viewing behavior for suggestion purposes. But past videos likely eventually drop off your permanent history.
Saving Videos
One way to intentionally retain video views on Facebook is by saving videos. You can save videos shared on News Feed as well as Watch content by clicking the “Save” button on the video.
This adds the video to the “Saved” section under the Bookmarks menu on your profile. Saved videos remain until you manually delete them.
So if there’s a specific video you want to be able to reference later, saving it will ensure it stays on your profile for future viewing.
Live Video History
For live streams, Facebook also keeps some video history. According to their Help Center:
When you share Live video, information about your video is saved on our servers so we can share it with other people and promote safety and integrity on Facebook.
They note that other users may also be able to download portions of your live streams while broadcasting. So be aware live video can have a more permanent presence compared to ephemeral News Feed videos.
Messenger Video History
For videos shared in Messenger chats, Facebook states:
Messages are stored until we delete them. For example, we may delete messages you send after a year if neither you nor the recipient opens them in Messenger.
So videos sent in Messenger will remain accessible as long as the messages are retained. This depends on your usage patterns and when Facebook routinely purges old messages.
Downloading Your Information
If you want to see your Facebook video watch history, you can download your Facebook data. This includes a copy of videos you’ve interacted with, such as Watch content or live streams.
To do so:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information” on the left menu
- Select “Download Your Information”
- Deselect all categories except “Videos”
- Click “Create File”
Facebook will assemble a download of your video history data that you can review. Keep in mind it may not include every single video view, but provides a representative sample.
Turning Off Video History
If you don’t want Facebook collecting any information about your video watching behavior, you can turn it off. This prevents video views from being used for ad targeting or recommendations.
To disable video history:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Videos”
- Toggle “Store Videos I Watch” to off
With this setting disabled, you can still watch videos but Facebook will not log a history of your viewing activity.
Deleting Video History
Other than saving individual videos to your profile, there is no way to selectively delete specific items from your video watch history.
You can use the “Clear History” tool to wipe your entire video watch history all at once. To do so:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information”
- Select “Clear History”
- Toggle “Videos” to on
- Click “Clear History”
This will erase your video watch history and re-train the recommendations engine. But it’s an all-or-nothing approach.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook does retain some records of the videos you watch on its platform. This includes:
- 10-14 days of News Feed video views
- Longer but indefinite history for Watch and Live videos
- Permanent storage of saved videos
- Messenger video history until messages are deleted
The extent of video history data depends on your specific account activity. You can download your information for a snapshot or turn off history altogether. But in general, expect some video viewing analytics to inform your Facebook experience.
| Video Source | History Retention |
|---|---|
| News Feed | 10-14 days |
| Watch Tab | Indefinite but not permanent |
| Live Videos | Indefinite but not permanent |
| Saved Videos | Until manually deleted |
| Messenger | Until messages are deleted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Facebook see my entire video watch history?
No, Facebook does not have an exact, comprehensive record of every video you’ve ever watched. They maintain subsets of data temporarily to improve the user experience. But your full history is not stored indefinitely.
How far back does Facebook’s video history go?
For most video views, history is kept for weeks to months. Only saved videos remain permanently until deleted. So there is no lifelong video history for the average user.
Can I see my video watch history?
You can download your Facebook information to view a sample of videos you’ve interacted with. However, this is not an exhaustive list. There is no tool to see your full watch history.
Can I clear my video watch history?
Yes, you can use the “Clear History” tool to wipe your entire video history. But this removes all video data; you cannot selectively delete only certain videos.
I’m uncomfortable with Facebook having my video history. What should I do?
You can disable video history collection in your settings. This will prevent any viewing data from being retained moving forward. You can also periodically use the Clear History tool for a fresh slate.
More Facebook Privacy Tips
In addition to controlling your video history, here are some other Facebook privacy tips:
- Review all your privacy, security, app, and ad settings. Make changes as needed.
- Be selective about personal info you share on your profile and in posts.
- Disable facial recognition features.
- Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.
- Use secure passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Limit third-party app permissions.
- Check your logged in devices frequently.
Practicing good privacy hygiene takes some effort but can maximize your security on Facebook. Protecting your video viewing data is an important part of that process.
Conclusion
Facebook retains subsets of user video watch history to provide a personalized, relevant viewing experience. This includes short-term News Feed data, indefinite but not permanent Watch and Live history, permanently saved videos, and Messenger content. Users can download their information for insights and disable history retention if desired. Overall, being aware of Facebook’s video practices allows you to better control your privacy.