Facebook Stories allow you to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They appear in a bar at the top of News Feed. If you’ve shared something to your story that you no longer want visible, you can delete it. Here’s how.
Viewing Your Facebook Stories
To view your current Facebook stories:
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap on your name to go to your profile.
- Tap on Stories at the top of your profile.
This will display all the current stories you’ve shared to Facebook in the last 24 hours.
Deleting a Single Story
To delete one specific story:
- Go to your Facebook stories as explained above.
- Tap on the story you want to delete.
- Tap on the More Options button (the 3 dots in the top right corner).
- Tap on Delete.
- Confirm that you want to delete the story.
That story will immediately be removed from your Facebook stories.
Deleting Multiple Stories
You can also delete several stories at once:
- Go to your Facebook stories.
- Tap and hold on the first story you want to delete.
- Tap on each additional story you want to delete.
- Tap on the Delete button at the bottom.
- Confirm that you want to delete the selected stories.
All of the selected stories will be deleted.
Deleting All Stories
If you want to delete your entire story history:
- Go to your Facebook stories.
- Tap on the More Options button in the top right corner.
- Tap on Story Settings.
- Tap on Clear All Stories.
- Confirm that you want to permanently delete all your stories.
This will delete your entire story history from the last 24 hours.
Deleting Expired Stories
Keep in mind that stories automatically delete themselves after 24 hours. So if you want to remove an old story that has already expired:
- You don’t need to do anything. Facebook deletes old stories automatically.
- Just wait 24 hours and the story will disappear on its own.
Deleting Stories vs. Archiving
It’s important to understand the difference between deleting and archiving Facebook stories:
- Deleting removes the story completely.
- Archiving saves the story only you can see it.
So if you want to save a story before it expires, you can archive it rather than delete it.
To Archive a Story
- Go to your Facebook stories.
- Tap the More Options button on the story.
- Tap Archive.
The story will disappear from public view but be saved privately in your archive.
Deleting Stories from Mobile App vs. Desktop
You can delete Facebook stories from both mobile and desktop:
- Mobile app – Follow the steps above to delete from iOS or Android apps.
- Desktop:
- Go to facebook.com and click on your profile icon.
- Click on your name to go to your profile.
- Click on Stories in the left menu.
- Click the X icon on each story to delete.
However, deleting from desktop only removes the story from public view. The story will still live on for 24 hours.
To permanently delete a desktop story faster, go to the Facebook mobile app and delete there.
Why Delete Facebook Stories?
There are a few reasons you may want to delete stories:
- You shared something accidentally.
- You decided a story is inappropriate or embarrassing.
- You want to remove old stories to archive just your favorites.
- You’re concerned about privacy and want full control over your stories.
Whatever your reasons, you have full control over your story history and can remove anything at any time.
What Happens When You Delete a Story?
When you delete a Facebook story:
- It’s immediately removed from your public story history.
- Anyone who tries to view it will get an error.
- If it was shared as a notification, that’s also deleted.
- After 24 hours, it’s permanently deleted from Facebook’s servers.
So deleting a story ensures it can’t be viewed after you remove it.
Can You Recover a Deleted Story?
Unfortunately, no. Once you delete a Facebook story:
- It cannot be recovered or restored.
- The only way to save a deleted story is if you archived it first.
- Otherwise, deleting is permanent and irreversible.
So be certain before you delete!
Who Can See Your Facebook Stories?
By default, your Facebook stories are visible to:
- All your friends.
- Friends of friends.
- Anyone if your profile is public.
You can adjust this in Story Privacy settings:
- Go to Story Settings.
- Tap Story Privacy.
- Choose who can see your stories.
Options include friends, specific friend lists, or only you. This allows you to limit story visibility.
Can You Delete Stories Posted by Others?
You can only delete stories you’ve posted yourself. You can’t delete:
- Stories shared by your friends.
- Stories you’re tagged in by others.
- Stories on other people’s public profiles.
To remove unwanted tagging, you can untag yourself. Or report a story if it violates Facebook’s policies. But you can’t delete stories posted by others.
Beware of Fake “Delete Facebook Story” Apps
You may come across third-party apps claiming to let you delete other people’s Facebook stories. Avoid these, as they are scams designed to steal your login info.
Stick to the official Facebook app or website to safely delete your own stories. Don’t trust shady apps promising the ability to remove stories posted by others.
Conclusion
In summary:
- View your current Facebook stories from your profile.
- Tap the X or Delete option to remove one or more stories.
- Clearing all stories deletes your entire 24-hour history.
- Deleted stories cannot be recovered – archive first to save.
- Adjust privacy settings to control who sees stories.
- You can only delete stories you have posted.
Deleting Facebook stories is easy and ensures you maintain full control over your shared content. Be mindful of what you post publicly. And if you change your mind, just remove the story for instant results.