Being able to see your entire Facebook search history can be useful for finding old posts or profiles you’ve visited. Unfortunately, Facebook does not have a built-in feature to view your full search history. However, there are a few methods you can use to see the searches you’ve made on Facebook.
Using the Activity Log
Facebook does provide an Activity Log, which shows some of your searching activity. To access it:
- Click on the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- Click on “Activity Log” in the left sidebar.
This will show you some of the searches you’ve made recently on Facebook. It may not show your full history, but will provide a sampling of recent search activity.
Enabling Search History
You can enable a more complete search history from within your Facebook Activity Log. To do this:
- Follow steps 1-3 above to access your Activity Log.
- Click on “Your Information” at the top of the page.
- Click on “Search” under the “Categories” section.
- Toggle “Future searches” to the “On” position.
Doing this will enable Facebook to save your future searches made from that device. You can then revisit your search history in the Activity Log to see searches going forward.
Using Browser History
If you want to see your full Facebook search history, including past searches, you’ll need to access your web browser history. Search terms you’ve entered on Facebook.com are saved in your browser history just like any other website.
To see your Facebook search history:
- Open your browser’s History menu.
- Sort the history by site, filtering only Facebook.com URLs.
- Look through the Facebook URLs for pages containing search terms, such as facebook.com/search/people/?q=john+smith.
This will show all search queries you’ve made from that browser on Facebook. You can also try searching the history for “facebook.com/search” to highlight search pages.
Using Browser Extensions
There are also browser extensions that can help surface your Facebook search history:
- Searchable History – Highlights search terms within your browser history for easy filtering.
- Page Searcher – Searches through browser history and bookmarks to find matching pages.
- Historio – Provides timeline view and advanced filtering for search history.
These tools make it easier to filter through your browser history and pinpoint the Facebook search queries you’ve made.
On Mobile Devices
If you use the Facebook mobile app on your smartphone or tablet, the process is a bit different.
For iOS devices:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap on Facebook.
- Tap on “Search History” to view searches made within the Facebook app.
For Android devices:
- Open the Facebook app.
- Tap on the three-line Menu button.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings.”
- Tap on “Search history” to view app search history.
This will show you searches made directly through the Facebook mobile app. For full mobile browser history, you would need to view browser history in your device’s browser app.
Downloading Your Information
As another option, you can download an archive of your Facebook data. This contains your search history along with other account info and activity.
To download your Facebook data:
- Go to your Facebook Settings.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu.
- Click on “Download Your Information” near the top.
- Choose date range and media types to include.
- Click on “Create File” to generate the download.
Once the archive is ready, open it and go to the “search_history” folder. This will contain a JSON file with your search keywords and timestamps.
Using Third-Party Apps
There are also third-party apps that connect with Facebook and can surface your past search history:
- Social Graph – Connects with your account to show friend searches, lookups, etc.
- Wolfram Alpha Facebook Report – Provides highly detailed report on your Facebook activity.
- Download Facebook Search History – Browser extension extracts your FB search history.
However, be cautious when using third-party apps, as they may request broad permissions to access your Facebook data.
Limits of Facebook History
It’s important to note that there are limits to the historical Facebook search data that can be accessed:
- The Activity Log only shows searches from the past 90 days.
- Enabling search history only applies to future searches.
- Facebook may delete old search records after a period of time.
- History visibility depends on your account privacy settings.
- Searches made while logged out of Facebook are not saved.
So you may not be able to surface every Facebook search you’ve ever made, especially those from long ago. But using browser history and downloads of your information can help surface at least a portion of your Facebook search history.
Conclusion
In summary, here are some options for viewing your Facebook search history:
- Check the limited history in Facebook’s Activity Log.
- Enable saving of future searches within Activity Log settings.
- View Facebook search URLs in your browser history.
- Use browser extensions to highlight search terms.
- Check search history in the Facebook mobile app.
- Download an archive of your Facebook information.
- Use specialized third-party apps connected to Facebook.
While you may not be able to surface your entire search history, using a combination of these methods can help you find at least a portion of your Facebook search activity.
Being able to access your historical Facebook searches can be useful for analyzing your activity over time. It can also help if you need to find a specific post or profile you previously searched for. Just keep in mind the limitations in accessing very old Facebook search records.
One of the easiest options is enabling future search history within the Activity Log settings. Doing this will start saving your searches going forward, giving you access in one place. You can also routinely download your information from Facebook to have search records archived.
When searching your browser history, focus on Facebook URLs containing search terms. Look for links like facebook.com/search/people/?q=john+smith. Browser extensions can make this easier by letting you filter history by site and search keywords.
On mobile, check the Facebook app settings on iOS or Android for search history specific to the app. For full mobile web history, go through the browser app search records.
While Facebook’s built-in tools are limited, using other methods provides various ways to surface at least some of your past Facebook search activity.
| Method | Scope | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Activity Log | Past 90 days | Limited search history |
| Enable History | Future searches | No past history |
| Browser History | All device searches | Time consuming |
| Browser Extensions | All history searchable | Extra software required |
| Mobile App | In-app only | No browser history |
| Facebook Download | Account lifetime | Delay in access |
| Third-party Apps | Full account history | Permissions risks |
Having full access to your Facebook search history can provide useful insight into your activity over time. While no single method provides full access, combining multiple techniques can help surface a broader portion of your past Facebook searches.