Seeing your oldest Facebook posts first can be useful for taking a trip down memory lane or finding an old post you want to re-share. Here are a few ways to view your oldest Facebook posts at the top of your timeline.
Change Your Default Sorting
Facebook’s default sorting for your timeline is to show newer posts first. To change this and view your oldest posts first:
- Go to your profile page and click on your timeline
- Click on the 3 horizontal dots in the top right corner and select “Sort & Filter”
- Under “Sort” choose “Oldest to Newest”
This will reorder your entire timeline so your oldest posts are at the top. You can switch back and forth between newest and oldest whenever you want.
Filter by Date Range
If you want to view posts from a specific time period:
- Go to your timeline and click “Sort & Filter”
- Under “Filters” choose “Custom”
- Select a date range to view posts from just that timeframe
Use this to narrow down to only your oldest posts from a certain year or time period.
Search for Old Posts
You can also find old posts using Facebook’s search tool:
- Go to the search bar at the top of Facebook
- Search for keywords, names, places etc. that might be in your old posts
- Under “Filters” on the left, choose “Posts by [Your Name]”
This will show all posts matching your search terms from your own timeline. Try searching for memorable events, people, places, or things you posted about years ago.
View Old Posts on Mobile
The same options for sorting posts are available in the Facebook app for Android and iOS:
- Go to your profile and tap your timeline
- Tap the 3 line menu in the top right
- Choose “Sort & Filter”
- Switch to “Oldest to Newest” or set a custom date filter
You can also search for old posts using the mobile app search bar in the same way described above.
Retrieve Old Deleted Posts
If you want to find Facebook posts that you’ve deleted:
- Go to your Activity Log by clicking on the 3 line menu in the top right > Settings & Privacy > Activity Log.
- Under “Your Posts” choose “Limit Past Posts” and set it to “Everything”
- This will show all of your previous posts, including deleted ones.
Keep in mind there is a limit to how far back your Activity Log goes, usually a few years. But this can help rescue old deleted posts you regret removing.
Download Your Full Post Archive
To see absolutely everything you’ve ever posted on Facebook:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information” then “Download Your Information”
- Select “Posts” from the options
- Enter your password and click “Request Download”
Facebook will assemble all of your posts ever into a downloadable file. This can take a while depending on how long you’ve had your account. Once ready, you can open the file on your computer to browse a complete archive of your timeline.
Why View Old Posts?
Here are some of the main reasons you may want to take a trip down memory lane on Facebook:
- Nostalgia – Relive fun memories and see how your life has changed over time
- Find an important post – Retrieve a meaningful post you want to re-share or save
- Laugh at cringy old content – We’ve all posted embarrassing stuff we regret!
- Record of your life – Your timeline is a journal of vacations, family, friends, interests etc.
- Share with current connections – Show people you know now what your life used to be like
Be Aware of Privacy Settings
One important thing to note is that your oldest posts may have been shared under different privacy settings than what you currently have set. It’s a good idea to double check your settings for any posts you plan to re-share.
You can review and edit privacy settings for individual posts by clicking the 3 dots above the post and selecting “Edit Privacy.”
Conclusion
Digging up your oldest Facebook posts can be an enjoyable digital archaeology project. Use the timeline sorting tools, custom date filters, and search features to unearth posts from years gone by.
Just keep privacy in mind, and enjoy the trip down memory lane!
| Viewing Old Posts Method | How To | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Change Default Sorting | Go to timeline, select “Sort & Filter”, choose “Oldest to Newest” | Reorders your entire timeline |
| Filter by Date Range | Select custom date filter in “Sort & Filter” | View posts from specific timeframe |
| Search for Old Posts | Use search bar to find keywords/names from old posts | Filter results to just your posts |
| Retrieve Deleted Posts | Check Activity Log, set “Limit Past Posts” to “Everything” | Shows deleted posts within date limit |
| Download Full Archive | Request download of all your Facebook posts | Contains your entire posting history |
Here are some key reasons for viewing your oldest Facebook posts:
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Nostalgia | Relive fun memories |
| Find important posts | Retrieve meaningful posts to re-share |
| Laugh at cringy content | We all posted stuff we regret! |
| Life record | Your timeline shows vacations, family, friends etc. |
| Share with current friends | Show people your life history |