How do you delete something you shared on Facebook?

Facebook allows users to share a wide variety of content, including posts, photos, videos, and links. While sharing can be a great way to connect with friends and family, there may be times when you share something and later regret it or want to remove it from your profile.

Can you delete posts you’ve shared on Facebook?

Yes, it is possible to delete posts you’ve shared on Facebook. However, the process depends on a few factors:

If you shared someone else’s post, you can delete your shared post but not the original post.

If you shared a post on your own timeline, you can delete it entirely.
If you shared a post in a Facebook group, you can delete your post but the post will still be visible to other group members.

How to delete a post you shared on your timeline

To delete a post you’ve shared on your own timeline:

Go to your Facebook profile and click on your timeline or activity log.
Find the post you want to delete and click the three dots in the upper right corner.
Select “Delete post” and confirm.

The post will be removed entirely from your profile and will no longer be visible to anyone.

How to delete a post you shared on someone else’s timeline

If you shared something on a friend’s timeline, you can delete it but it will not remove the original post:

Go to the timeline where you shared the post.

Find your shared post and click the three dots in the upper right corner.
Select “Delete post” to remove your shared post.

This will unlink the post from your profile but the original post will still appear on your friend’s timeline.

How to delete a post you shared in a Facebook group

For posts shared in groups:

Go to the group where you shared the post.
Locate your post and click the three dots in the upper right corner.

Choose “Delete post” to remove it.

This will delete the post from the group but other group members may still be able to see it if they were tagged.

How to delete a photo you shared

The process for deleting shared photos is the same:

For photos shared on your own timeline, you can delete them completely.
For photos shared on friends’ timelines or in groups, you can only remove the share, not the original photo.

To delete a shared photo:

Go to the timeline or group where you shared it.
Click the three dots in the top right corner of the photo.
Select “Delete post” to remove your shared photo.

How to delete a video you shared

Shared videos can also be removed by deleting your share:

Go to the timeline, group, or page where you shared the video.
Click the three dots in the top right corner of the video.

Choose “Delete post” to delete your shared video.

As with photos, this will only remove your share, not the original video if you shared it on someone else’s profile.

How long does it take for a deleted post or photo to disappear?

When you delete something you shared on Facebook, it should disappear right away from your profile.

However, deleted content may still be visible in some places:

If others shared or re-shared your post or photo, those shares may still be visible.
If someone was tagged in your post or photo, they may still be able to see it.

The post or photo may be cached in someone’s news feed briefly before disappearing.
If you delete a post in a group, group members may still see it in email or phone notifications.

So while your deleted shares should disappear from public view quickly, remnants may persist temporarily in some places.

Can you delete shares from your activity log?

Your Facebook activity log contains your full sharing history. You can remove individual shares from your log:

Go to your activity log.
Click on the drop-down arrow next to a shared post.

Select “Hide from timeline” to remove it from your log.

This helps clean up your sharing history but does not delete any actual shares that may still be visible to others.

What happens when you delete a shared post or photo?

Here’s a quick summary of what happens when you delete shared content on Facebook:

Content Type	Deleted From Your Profile	Deleted From Others’ Profiles
Post on your timeline	Yes, completely deleted	N/A
Post on someone else’s timeline	Share is deleted	Original post remains
Post in a group	Share is deleted	Post stays visible if others shared it
Photo on your timeline	Yes, completely deleted	N/A
Photo on someone else’s timeline	Share is deleted	Original photo remains
Video on your timeline	Yes, completely deleted	N/A
Video shared elsewhere	Share is deleted	Original video remains

Can you delete shares from someone else’s post?

If someone else shared a post and you reshared it, you can only remove your reshare, not the original share.

To remove your share:

Go to the original post that you reshared.

Click the three dots next to your reshare.
Select “Delete post” to remove your reshare.

This will unlink it from your profile but not delete the original share or post.

What happens when you delete a post on a Facebook page?

If you shared a post as a Facebook page admin, deleting works a bit differently:

As the page admin, you can delete your page’s posts entirely.
The post will be removed from the page’s timeline.

If other users shared your page’s post, their shares will remain.
The post may still appear in page notifications until refreshed.

So deleting a page post removes it from your page, but any shares of that post will persist on users’ profiles.

Can you delete shares from Facebook Messenger?

If you shared something directly in a Facebook Messenger chat, deleting it works like this:

You can delete your message from the chat.
This removes it from your view of the chat.

Recipients may still see the message if they have not refreshed the chat.

So the share will be deleted from your perspective but may briefly persist for others.

How to delete an accidental share

If you accidentally shared something, like a private photo, take these steps:

Delete the share from your profile immediately.
If you shared it publicly or with a group, comment that it was shared by mistake.
Message people who interacted with the share explaining the accident.

Untag yourself if you were tagged in the share.
Report the content as inappropriate if it violated Facebook’s rules.

While you may not be able to permanently erase an accidental share if others have seen it, damage control is still worthwhile.

Can you delete shares from your Facebook memories?

Facebook memories resurfaces your old posts and shares. To remove a share from memories:

Click the three dots above the memory post.
Select “Hide post” or “Hide all from this day.”

Adjust your memories settings to see fewer posts.

Hiding the memory prevents it from reappearing, but does not delete the original share.

How to delete old Facebook shares in bulk

You can delete old bulk shares from your Facebook activity log:

Go to your activity log and click “Manage all your posts and activity.”
Filter by date range or post type.
Select multiple shares and click “Delete.”

This removes them from your log but does not erase the original shares if reposted by others.

Mistakes to avoid when deleting Facebook shares

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Deleting the original shared post, not just your share.

Assuming deleting removes something completely from Facebook.
Deleting a share without explaining, if necessary.
Deleting shares from other users’ profiles.

Trying to delete shares from external sites or apps.

Remember, you can only remove your own shares, not others’ content. And deleted content may persist in some places temporarily.

Conclusion

Here are some key tips for deleting Facebook shares:

You can only delete posts you’ve shared, not original posts.
Delete quickly to limit visibility if you shared accidentally.
Removing a share does not necessarily delete the original post.

Other shares of your post may remain public.
Hide old shares from memories to prevent resurfaces.

While deleting shared posts or photos prevents further exposure, content on social media can spread quickly. Act promptly and thoughtfully when removing regrettable shares.