As one of the most popular social media platforms with over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook collects and stores a tremendous amount of data on its users’ activities. This includes your posts, comments, likes, search history, and more. While this data enables Facebook to customize and optimize your news feed and ad experience, some users understandably want more control over their digital footprint and are looking for ways to clear their Facebook activity history.
Why You Might Want to Clear Your Facebook Activity History
Here are some common reasons why you may want to delete your Facebook activity history:
- Privacy concerns – You may not want Facebook to store data on everything you do.
- Reduce old embarrassing posts – Clear your history to remove cringey old posts and comments.
- Data minimize – You want to minimize the data Facebook collects on you.
- Prepare device for sale – Delete history before selling your old smartphone.
- General account clean up – Clear old data for a fresh start on Facebook.
What Types of Activity Can Be Cleared?
Facebook keeps track of a wide range of activity across its apps. Here are some examples of what can be deleted:
- Posts and comments
- Reactions and emojis
- Searches
- Links clicked
- Advertisements interacted with
- Pages followed or liked
- Login locations
- Friends added
Essentially all your engagement and browsing within Facebook can be cleared from your account history and activity log.
How Far Back Can You Delete Facebook Activity?
For most types of Facebook activity, you can delete data going back to the beginning of your account creation. So even if you’ve been on Facebook for over a decade, everything can be wiped clean.
The main exception is Messenger conversations – those can only be deleted up to a year back due to data retention policies.
Step-by-Step Guide to Clearing Your Facebook Activity History
Here is a step-by-step walkthrough on how to delete your Facebook activity history:
1. Download your Facebook data
Before deleting your activity history, it can be wise to first download a copy of your Facebook data for your own records. Here’s how:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right and select “Settings”.
- In the left menu, click “Your Facebook Information”.
- Select “Download Your Information” and choose your preferred download format.
- You’ll get an email when your download file is ready (may take a few hours).
2. Open your Facebook Activity Log
This is where you can view and manage your account activity history:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click “Settings”.
- In the left menu click “Your Facebook Information”.
- Select “View Your Activity Log”.
3. Filter activity types
You can now filter your activity log to show specific activity types that you may want to delete:
- Click “Filter by date & product” at the top.
- Select the date range you want to view activity from.
- Check the boxes for all activity types you want to see such as Posts, Searches, Reactions and more.
- Click “Apply” to filter the activity log.
4. Select activities to delete
Scan through your filtered activity log and select items to delete:
- Click the check box beside each activity you want to delete.
- Use the “Select All” link to choose everything on the current page.
- Click “Next” to move through additional pages of activity.
5. Delete selected activities
Once you’ve selected the activities to delete, erase them from your account history:
- Click the “Delete” button at the top of the page.
- Confirm that you want to delete the selected activities.
That’s it! The items should now be removed from your Facebook activity history.
Other Ways to Manage Your Facebook Activity
In addition to deleting past activity, there are some other tools to help manage your ongoing Facebook activity:
Limit Past Posts Visibility
You can limit the visibility of previous posts without fully deleting them:
- Click the three dots in the top right corner of a post.
- Select “Edit Privacy” and change it to “Only Me”.
Turn Off Future Activity Tracking
Disable Facebook’s ability to track future activity:
- Go to “Settings” then “Your Facebook Information”.
- Click “Off-Facebook Activity”.
- Toggle the “Future Off-Facebook Activity” switch to off.
Bolster Privacy Settings
Adjust your privacy settings to be more restrictive on who can see your info:
- Go to “Settings” then “Privacy”.
- Review and update the options under “Privacy Settings and Tools”.
- Consider turning on “Limit the Audience for Posts” to further control visibility.
Clearing Activity from Facebook’s Mobile Apps
You can also delete Facebook activity directly from the Facebook mobile apps for iOS and Android devices:
iPhone App
- Tap the menu icon in the bottom right corner.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
- Select “Your Facebook Information” then “View Your Activity Log”.
- Follow steps 3-5 above to delete activities.
Android App
- Tap the three-line menu button in the top right corner.
- Choose “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
- Go to “Your Facebook Information” then “View Your Activity Log”.
- Follow steps 3-5 above to delete activities.
Clearing Search History
Your Facebook search history can reveal a lot about your interests and habits. Here is how to view and delete it:
View Search History
- From your News Feed, click on the search bar.
- Click on “Recent Searches” below the search field.
- A popup will appear showing your recent searches.
Clear Search History
- From the “Recent Searches” popup, click “Clear Searches”.
- Confirm that you want to clear your search history.
How to Delete Facebook Activity on Messenger
Messenger activity includes your messages, calls, stories, and more. Here’s how to view and delete it:
iPhone Messenger App
- Tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Go to “Privacy & Data” then “View Your Activity”.
- Tap “Clear History” to erase everything.
Android Messenger App
- Tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Select “Privacy & Data” then “View Your Activity”.
- Tap “Clear History” to erase everything.
Messenger Website
- Go to messenger.com and sign in.
- Click your profile picture in the top left.
- Choose “Privacy & Data” then “View Your Activity”.
- Click “Clear History” to erase everything.
Clearing Activity From Instagram
Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, they also provide options to view and delete your activity:
Instagram App
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Go to the menu then “Settings” then “Security”.
- Select “Access Data” then “Download Data”.
- Tap “Request Download” to save an offline copy.
- Scroll down and tap “Clear History” to delete activity.
Instagram Website
- Go to instagram.com and login.
- Click your profile picture in the top right then “Profile”.
- Select “Privacy and Data” from the menu.
- Under “Data Download”, click “Request Download” to save a copy.
- Under “History”, click “Clear History” to erase activity.
Does Deleting Activity Also Delete My Facebook Account?
No, clearing your activity history and data does NOT delete your Facebook account itself. All it does is erase the logs and records of your past engagement on Facebook. But your profile, friends, photos, and other account details remain intact.
To actually delete your Facebook account, you would need to visit Facebook’s account deletion page and follow the steps to permanently close your account.
Can You Recover Deleted Facebook Activity?
In most cases, deleted Facebook activity and history cannot be recovered. The data is permanently removed from Facebook’s servers. However, there are a couple exceptions:
- Messenger – Deleted messages can be recovered up to a year later.
- Downloaded data – You may find deleted activity in a downloaded copy of your info.
But if you didn’t save your data beforehand, expect deleted activity to be erased for good.
Does Clearing Activity Improve Facebook Performance?
Deleting old Facebook activity can help slightly improve Facebook’s performance and load times by clearing out excess data. The improvement likely won’t be hugely noticeable, but every little bit helps – especially for lower-end smartphones.
Less data for Facebook to manage also means faster response times when loading your profiles, news feeds, and timelines. So a regular clear-out of your Facebook history can offer minor speed boosts.
Should I Backup Facebook Data Before Clearing History?
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Backing up your Facebook data before clearing your activity has some potential benefits but also downsides to consider. It ultimately comes down to your own privacy priorities.
If retaining a comprehensive record of your Facebook history matters, create a backup download. But if you want a 100% fresh start, wiping without a backup may be preferable.
How to Backup Facebook Data
If you do decide to backup your info, here’s how to download a copy from Facebook:
- Click the down arrow at top right.
- Select “Settings” then “Your Facebook Information”.
- Click “Download Your Information”.
- Choose format: HTML, JSON, or Text.
- Select date range to download.
- Click “Create File”.
- Enter your password to request the download.
- Wait for Facebook email that your archive is ready.
- Download archive and save it securely.
Clearing Activity From Linked Apps and Sites
Many websites and apps allow logging in via Facebook or integrate Facebook services like analytics, ads, and more.
So your Facebook activity can end up collecting across these third-party platforms as well. To comprehensively delete your Facebook activity, you may need to disconnect or clear data from linked services too.
Here are some examples of sites and apps you may want to check and potentially disconnect from Facebook:
- Games and mobile apps using Facebook Login
- Websites using Facebook comment integration
- Sites using Facebook social widgets like Like/Share buttons
- Retail apps connected to Facebook for ads/analytics
- Other social media profiles linked to Facebook
For any integrated platforms, check their privacy settings for options to clear or disconnect Facebook activity and data.
Closing Your Facebook Account Completely
If deleting your activity history still isn’t enough, you can take the more extreme step of permanently deleting your Facebook account altogether. This will:
- Erase all posts, photos, videos, and profile info
- Remove you from your Facebook groups and events
- Disconnect you from Facebook services across all platforms
- Prevent you from ever reactivating your same account
So closing your Facebook is a big decision – be 100% sure before taking this major step. If you do want to proceed, here is how to delete Facebook permanently:
- Click down arrow > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select “Your Facebook Information” in left menu
- Click “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Choose “Permanently Delete Account” then “Continue to Account Deletion”
- Enter your password & click “Permanently Delete Account”
Your Facebook account will now be scheduled for termination. Certain data may still remain on Facebook servers for up to 90 days before being erased.
Conclusion
While deleting your Facebook activity history is possible, it involves navigating through complex account settings across Facebook’s various apps and websites. Setting aside ample time to thoroughly clear your records is key.
Regularly backing up and clearing your Facebook activity enables better privacy by minimizing unwanted data retention. But entirely deleting your Facebook account is an extreme measure with permanent consequences. Evaluate your personal priorities to decide the best approach.