Finding old Facebook videos you’ve posted or been tagged in can be a challenge, especially if you’ve been on Facebook for many years. With all the photos and videos you’ve likely uploaded or been tagged in, trying to locate a specific video from years past can seem daunting.
The good news is there are a few different ways to track down old Facebook videos you’re looking for. Here are some tips on how to find old videos on Facebook:
Search for Videos on Your Timeline
The easiest way to find old Facebook videos is to search your own timeline. Just go to your profile page and use the search bar at the top to search for keywords, names of people, places, or dates related to the video. This works best if you have some details to go off of, like who you were with or where you were. If you remember even just the year, search for that year and then scroll through to see if you spot the video thumbnail.
Look Through Your Posts by Year
If you don’t have any keywords to search for, you can browse your Facebook timeline by year to hopefully spot the video you’re looking for. On your profile, find and click on the “Posts” tab just under your cover photo. Here you’ll see posts grouped by year. Click on a year and start scrolling to browse all your posts from that time period. Look for the video thumbnail as you scroll through. This may take some time if you have a lot of posts, but it’s possible you’ll stumble across the video you want this way.
Check Your Videos Page
Facebook compiles all the videos you’re tagged in or have posted into one place – the Videos page on your profile. To access it, click on the “Videos” tab on your profile, right next to the Posts tab. From here you can scroll down to browse every video you’ve been involved with on Facebook. Use the search tool here or filter by date posted to find the video quicker.
Look Through Friends’ Profiles
If it’s a video you were tagged in by a friend, check their profile. Search their posts, videos and photos to see if you can spot it. The video might still be up on their page if they haven’t archived or deleted it. Be sure to message the friend to ask if they still have access to the video and can send it to you.
Check the Archives
Facebook lets you archive old posts and photos/videos into one place for safekeeping. If you’ve gone through the archive process before, check your archive for the video. On your profile, click on the triple dot “More” menu in the top right and choose “Settings & Privacy”. Go to “Settings” and click “Your Facebook Information” on the left sidebar. Select “View” next to “Photos and Videos”. This will pull up all your archived media. Browse the videos here or use the search tool to try and locate it.
Use a Third Party App
Several third party apps exist that let you browse your Facebook videos and archives in different ways. For example, the app Timehop lets you jump back in time year-by-year to resurface your old posts and photos/videos. Other apps like Repost for Instagram also connect to your Facebook account and can search archives. These can sometimes surface media you may have forgotten about or have difficulty finding directly on Facebook.
Recover Deleted Facebook Videos
If the video you’re looking for no longer appears on your Facebook because it was deleted, don’t panic. There are ways to try and recover deleted Facebook videos.
First, check your Facebook trash folder. When you delete a post, Facebook hangs onto it in the trash for 30 days before permanent deletion. Go to your profile, click the triple dot menu in the top right, and choose “Settings & Privacy”. Go to “Settings” and select “Your Facebook Information” on the left sidebar. Click on “View” next to “Things You’ve Deleted”, then browse the videos tab to see if your deleted video is still in the trash folder.
You can also try using a third party data recovery app for Facebook. Some examples include Disk Drill, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and iMyFone D-Back. These scan your device’s storage and backups for deleted Facebook file data that may be able to be recovered. Just be cautious only using reputable recovery apps from verified developers.
Ask Friends to Check Their Archives
Reach out to any friends who you remember being tagged in the video or who might have shared it. Ask them to check their Facebook archives, trash folders, and devices for a copy of the video. Chances are if it was a group video, someone else has another copy backed up somewhere. One of your friends may be able to locate the video and send it to you even if it’s gone from your own Facebook account.
Check Other Social Platforms
Is it possible the video was shared across other social platforms? Expand your search to Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites you use. The video may have been cross-posted or saved by another user on a different platform. Use site search features, scroll back through your posts, and check archives/trash folders to see if the video exists elsewhere.
Contact Facebook Support
If you still have absolutely no luck finding the video on your own, you can try reaching out to Facebook’s support team. They likely won’t be able to magically produce the video if it no longer exists in your account or archives. However, they may be able to offer additional tips or access recovery options you haven’t tried yet. To contact Facebook support, go to the Help Center and submit a request describing the video you’re trying to find and efforts made so far.
Use Caution Moving Forward
To avoid losing videos forever in the future, be sure to frequently backup and save important Facebook videos elsewhere. Download videos to your computer or device, back them up on an external hard drive or cloud storage, and share them with friends for safekeeping. You can also turn on the Facebook Archive feature to regularly archive your content. Finally, exercise caution about what videos you choose to post – remember anything uploaded can live on indefinitely!
Conclusion
Locating old Facebook videos you want to rediscover or share again can require some sleuthing, but is typically possible with the right techniques. Search your own timeline and archives, check friends’ accounts, use data recovery services, and contact Facebook as needed. In the future, be diligent about downloading and backing up special videos so they aren’t dependent on any one platform. With the right tools and some persistence, you can usually unearth those nostalgic old videos again.