Viewing your Facebook memories can be a fun way to take a trip down memory lane. Facebook curates and presents you with memories from your timeline so you can reminisce about the posts, photos, and life events you’ve shared over the years. Here are some tips on how to see all of your Facebook memories.
What are Facebook memories?
Facebook memories are posts, photos, videos, and other content you’ve shared on Facebook that the platform resurfaces for you to view again. This might include:
- Throwback photos you posted years ago
- Life events like weddings, births, graduations, etc.
- Status updates from the past
- Old videos and links you shared
Facebook selects memories based on the content you’ve shared and important dates connected to you. For example, if you got married 5 years ago, Facebook may show you wedding photos around the anniversary date. Or if you posted lots of photos from summer vacations in the past, you may see those pop up as summer approaches.
The idea is to let you reminisce and give you the chance to share meaningful moments again. It can be a digital scrapbook of sorts!
Where do Facebook memories appear?
Facebook memories can appear in a few places:
- On your homepage feed – You may see “Rediscover this day” posts in your feed, resurfacing old content from that date in previous years.
- In the “On This Day” section – The On This Day area collects memories from a specific date across all years you’ve been on Facebook. You can view it via the sidebar menu on desktop or the menu tab on mobile.
- “Memories” films – Occasionally Facebook creates “Remember when…” films highlighting specific event memories over the years, like your history with a friend or memories from a certain year.
How to view all your Facebook memories
Here are some ways to proactively uncover more Facebook memories:
Use the On This Day feature
The On This Day section is the main place to find your memories. Here’s how to access it:
- On desktop, click the Menu icon and select “On This Day” in the sidebar.
- On the mobile app, tap the Menu tab
This will display memories from that day across all the years you’ve been on Facebook. You can click a memory post to expand it or click the year headings to see all memories from that year. Use the date picker at the top to browse memories on other dates.
Adjust your memory notifications
By default, Facebook will only notify you about a few memories per day. You can edit your Settings to get notified about more memories:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click “Notifications” in the left menu.
- Under “Memories,” turn on notifications for “Rediscover More Memories.”
This will have Facebook send you notifications to see more memories each day.
Create an archive of your Facebook data
Downloading your Facebook data lets you access all your memories and content from over the years in one easy archive. Here’s how to download your data:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings & Privacy
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Select “Download Your Information” and choose your data format: HTML or JSON
- Select date range as “All history” to include all memories
- Click “Request archive”
Facebook will prepare an archive of your data and notify you via email when it’s ready to download (may take a few hours or days). Your archive contains all your posts, photos, videos, reactions, comments, likes, and more that you can browse for a nostalgia trip.
Browse your activity log
Your Facebook activity log is a comprehensive record of your actions on Facebook. Access it here:
- Click the Menu icon in the top right > Settings & Privacy > Activity log
- On mobile, tap Menu tab > Settings & Privacy > Activity log
Scroll through your activity history by date to rediscover past posts, likes, photos, events and more. Use the date filter to look up memories from specific time periods.
Look up past posts on your Page
If you manage a Facebook Page, you can lookup your Page’s post history to rediscover memories. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook Page
- Click Publishing Tools below your cover photo
- Select “Posts” in the left sidebar to see all your Page’s posts
- Filter by date ranges or keyword to find relevant memories
This lets you browse through your Page’s entire posting history for memorable content.
How to save and share Facebook memories
Once you’ve rediscovered meaningful Facebook memories, here are ways to save, download or share them:
Save individual memories
Click the Save button on any memory post to save it to your Saved section. You can access Saved at any time from the Menu icon > Saved.
Download photos and videos
Hover over a photo or video memory and click the … icon > Download. This saves the full-resolution version to your device.
Share memories to your current Timeline
Click Share below a memory post to share it again on your current Timeline. Add a comment about why you’re sharing this blast from the past.
Add memories to an album
You can compile memorable posts in one place by saving them to an album:
- Go to Photos > Albums and create a new album like “My Memories”
- As you find memories, click the Add To Album link below the post
- Select your album to save them there
Order photo prints
If you want tangible copies of nostalgic photos, order printed photos directly through Facebook:
- Click the photo options (…) icon on a memory photo
- Choose “Order Prints” and select print size and quantity
- Enter payment details and shipping address
- Facebook will deliver the prints right to your door!
Find hidden Facebook memories
In addition to the usual On This Day memories, there are some hidden gems you can uncover from your Facebook history:
Your first post
Your very first Facebook post ever may contain fun memories or reflect on why you joined. To find it:
- Go to your Activity Log
- Click More Options > Posts You’ve Made
- Switch view to “Grid” in the top right
- Scroll down to the earliest post – likely your first one!
Friendversaries
Friendversaries celebrate friendships on Facebook. To see your upcoming friendversaries:
- Go to your Activity Log
- Click “More Options” > Friends
- This shows your Facebook friends list with upcoming friendversaries marked
Friendversaries are a great way to reminisce on long-lasting connections.
Look Back videos
Facebook occasionally generates personalized Look Back videos to celebrate milestones or events. You’ll get a notification when Facebook makes you a new video to watch.
Some examples include:
- Year in Review – highlights top memories from the last year
- Friendship anniversary – video about your history with a friend
- Past event videos – memories from a specific event over the years
These personalized videos make for fun nostalgic trips down memory lane. Be sure to watch and save any Look Back videos Facebook creates for you.
Adjust your memory preferences
If you want to customize what memories Facebook shows you, adjust your preferences:
Hide memories from certain time periods
You can hide memories from discrete segments of time. For example, hide an embarrassing era of photos from high school.
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Select “View Your Memories” > “Manage Your Memories”
- Choose date ranges to toggle off
Memories from hidden dates won’t be shown to you.
Snooze someone temporarily
If you need a break from seeing memories with a specific person, you can snooze them:
- Click the options menu (…) on a memory featuring that person
- Select “Snooze [name]” – you can snooze for 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or indefinitely
You’ll stop seeing memories involving that person for the snooze period.
Remove specific memories
See a memory you want permanently removed from Facebook?
- Click the options menu (…) on the memory
- Choose “Hide from Memories”
This deletes that particular memory so it won’t resurface.
Turn off memory reminders
If you want to stop seeing On This Day memory posts completely:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Notifications” in the left menu
- Turn off notifications for “Rediscover This Day”
You can toggle them back on anytime to resume rediscovering Facebook memories.
Conclusion
Viewing your Facebook memories can be a delightful digital nostalgia trip. Make the most of this feature by exploring On This Day, browsing your activity log, finding hidden memories, and customizing preferences. With all these tools, you can unearth Facebook memories from throughout your timeline and reminisce to your heart’s content.
| Method | How To Access | Types of Memories |
|---|---|---|
| On This Day | Menu/sidebar on desktop, Menu tab on mobile app | Posts, photos, reactions from a specific date |
| Memories notifications | Turn on in Settings > Notifications | Curated memories from different dates |
| Download your info | Settings & Privacy > Your Facebook Information | Full archive of all your Facebook data/memories |
| Activity log | Menu/sidebar > Activity Log | Your entire history of activity on Facebook |
| Page post history | Go to your Page > Publishing Tools > Posts | All your Page’s previously published posts |
By exploring all of these Facebook features, you can resurface tons of forgotten memories from special times. Save, download or share meaningful ones to reminisce and remind yourself how far you’ve come.
Facebook memories offer a digital scrapbook of your life events, friendships, travels, milestones and everyday moments over the years. Uncovering these blasts from the past can be a joyful experience and nostalgia trip. Use all the tools Facebook provides to find even more hidden memories you can treasure and share.
What are some of your favorite Facebook memories? The meaningful moments you’ve shared on the platform can be just as important to preserve as physical photo albums and scrapbooks. Whenever you need a dose of nostalgia, let Facebook memories take you back.
Facebook has come a long way since its early days as a college social network. Over the years, the platform has evolved to become the world’s community – a place for sharing life’s big moments, staying up to date with friends and family, following interests, discovering events and more. Your personal Facebook timeline likely reflects how the platform itself has grown up and changed with the times.
Looking through your Facebook memories can almost feel like flipping through a high school yearbook or old family photo album. Each picture, post, reaction and milestone takes you back to another place and time. It’s nostalgic while also providing perspective on how fleeting certain seasons of life can be. Appreciating your Facebook memories can make you grateful for all the ups, downs and in-betweens that make up the story of your life.
In many ways, Facebook memories are a microcosm of the human experience. They represent the meaningful and mundane, the significant occasions and the small everyday moments. Revisiting these memories on Facebook can remind you of lessons learned, people loved, dreams accomplished, and days gone by. Each memory is a tiny time capsule preserving who you were and what mattered most at a particular point in your life’s journey.
More than just a digital scrapbook, your Facebook memories also chronicle your relationships and connections over time. The ability to interact with posts through comments, reactions and shares enables two-way nostalgia. Friends and family can reminisce on memories you share together. Remembering treasured times with loved ones, even if you’re separated by distance, is a gift Facebook memories provide.
Your Facebook timeline essentially tells the story of your life. While the present moment passes by so quickly, memories endure. Having a way to revisit the memories that shape who you are anytime you want is a powerful and meaningful thing. Facebook memories offer just that – a way to freeze the most special times and experiences in amber so you can relive them with the click of a button.
The next time you need an antidote to a stressful day or could use a boost of perspective, take a stroll down memory lane. Let Facebook memories remind you of all the things you have to be grateful for from the past. Use the memories that matter most to you as inspiration to keep making new ones every day.