Facebook allows users to view their watch history and find videos they’ve recently watched. This can be useful for finding a video you want to watch again or share with friends. Here are the steps to find your recently watched videos on Facebook.
Viewing Watch History
The easiest way to see your recently watched videos is to view your watch history. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click on “Settings”
- Select “Videos”
This will open your video settings. At the top you’ll see a section called “Watch History” – this contains your recently watched videos.
Watch History Privacy
Keep in mind your watch history is private by default. This means other people can’t see what you’ve been watching. You have the option to turn on “Watch History for You” – this makes your watch history visible to you when logged into your account.
Finding Videos on Your News Feed
In addition to your watch history, you may also be able to find recently watched videos right on your News Feed. Here’s how:
- Scroll through your News Feed
- Look for a box titled “Videos You’ve Watched”
- This will contain thumbnails of recently watched videos
- Click on a video to play it again
Facebook displays this section when you’ve watched multiple videos in a short time period. It’s meant to make it easy to find those videos again later. This section only appears on your own News Feed – other people won’t see it.
Turning Off Video Recommendations
If you don’t want Facebook showing you recommendations based on your watch history, you can turn this feature off:
- Go to “Settings” then “Videos”
- Turn off “Videos for You” – this will remove video recommendations from your News Feed
Searching for Videos
You can also manually search for a specific video you recently watched. Here are two options:
Search Box
- Go to the top of your Facebook page
- Type keywords into the search box related to the video you watched (title, people tagged, etc)
- Select “Videos” under the search box
- This will show results only from videos
Advanced Video Search
- Go to the search bar at the top and click on it
- Select “Videos”
- Use filters like date range to narrow your search
Using keywords from the video in the main search box or video advanced search gives you the most options for tracking down a recently watched video.
Using Your Browser’s History
If you watched the Facebook video directly on your browser, you can also try finding it in your browser history:
- Open your browser history (Ctrl+H in Chrome)
- Sort by date to see most recent at the top
- Look for Facebook.com links
- Click a link to open the video again
This allows you to search your full browser history for the Facebook video. Just note that clearing your history will remove the videos.
Recent Searches on Mobile
On the Facebook mobile app, you can view your recent searches to find videos:
- Tap the search bar at the top of the app
- Tap on your profile picture in the search bar
- This will show your recent searches – look for videos
- Tap a recent search to perform it again
Recents searches on mobile can help you rediscover videos without having to type the full search again.
Facebook Viewing Activity Page
Facebook has a dedicated page where you can manage your off-Facebook activity. This includes videos you’ve watched.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy”
- Select “Settings”
- Click on “Your Facebook Information”
- Select “Viewing Activity”
- Review videos you’ve recently watched
This page shows videos and posts you’ve viewed or interacted with while logged into Facebook. You can remove items from this log if desired.
Using Facebook Viewing History Data
You can download your personal Facebook data, including your video viewing history.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Your Facebook Information”
- Click “Download Your Information”
- Select date range and media type
- Click “Create File”
Once the file is ready, open it and go to the “videos” folder. This lists every video you’ve watched on Facebook during the time period selected.
Remembering Video Details
Trying to remember details about the video can also help track it down:
- What page/profile was it from?
- Who was tagged or mentioned in it?
- What was the video about?
- When did you watch it?
Using these details in searches or browsing through your history can help trigger your memory and locate the video.
Conclusion
In summary, here are some effective ways to find recently watched videos on Facebook:
- Check your Facebook Watch History
- Look for videos in your News Feed recommendations
- Search for keywords related to the video
- Check your browser history (if watched on a browser)
- View recent mobile searches
- Look through your Facebook Viewing Activity
- Download your Facebook data and search videos folder
- Try to remember useful details about the video
Using a combination of these methods makes it most likely you’ll be able to track down that recently watched video. The more details you can remember about the video, the easier it will be to find. Facebook’s tools are designed to help you rediscover videos at any time.