Facebook Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They offer a more casual and spontaneous way to share updates than regular Facebook posts. However, sometimes things can go wrong with Facebook Stories, like posting something by accident or needing to edit a story after it’s been shared.
What are some common problems with Facebook Stories?
Here are some of the most common issues that can happen with Facebook Stories:
- Accidentally posting something you didn’t mean to share publicly
- Noticing a typo or error in your story after posting it
- Wanting to edit or update a story after it’s been shared
- Posting a story and having it not show up where expected
- Deleting a story but still seeing it live on your profile
- Having difficulties with Facebook Story settings
Mistakes happen, and with Facebook Stories lasting only 24 hours, there’s limited time to fix any errors or unintended posts. Thankfully, there are solutions for many common Facebook Stories problems.
How can you delete a Facebook Story?
If you post a Facebook Story by accident or simply change your mind, deleting it is easy:
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device and tap on your profile picture in the top left corner to access your stories.
- Find the story you want to delete and tap and hold on it. This will bring up an options menu.
- Tap on “Delete Story” and confirm that you want to delete it.
The story will be removed from your profile immediately. However, if any of your friends have already viewed the story, they’ll still have access to it for up to 24 hours until it expires.
How can you edit a Facebook Story after posting?
Unlike regular Facebook posts, there is no native option to edit a Facebook Story after sharing it. But there are a couple of workarounds:
- Delete the story and repost it with your edits. As mentioned above, simply deleting a story will remove it from your profile but not from the feeds of anyone who already viewed it.
- Cover up errors by posting another story correcting yourself or overlaying text. For minor typos you can post a follow up story acknowledging the mistake.
If you want to make major edits to the content of a story, your best bet is to delete it and repost a new version. Act quickly before too many people have seen the original story.
Why can’t some people see your Facebook Story?
There are a few reasons why someone may not be able to view your Facebook Story:
- You excluded them through your audience selector when first posting the story.
- They don’t follow you on Facebook so your stories do not show up in their feed.
- Your story expired more than 24 hours ago and is no longer viewable.
- There is a technical issue or glitch preventing the story from appearing.
To troubleshoot Facebook Stories visibility, first make sure the story is less than 24 hours old. Then check that you did not unintentionally limit the audience through your privacy settings. If the issue persists, it may be a temporary technical problem.
How do you recover a deleted Facebook Story?
Unfortunately, once you delete a Facebook Story, there is no built-in way to recover it. Facebook does not store deleted Stories on their servers. However, there are a couple recovery options to try:
- Check if you have a saved copy of the story on your camera roll. Stories are saved there automatically when you post them.
- Use a file recovery app to scan your phone’s storage for deleted media files that may include your story.
- Ask any friends who saw the story if they took a screenshot or saved it before it expired.
In the future, consider downloading and backing up stories you don’t want to lose access to. Once a Facebook Story is deleted, consider it gone for good.
| Facebook Story Issue | How to Fix |
|---|---|
| Accidental post | Delete story immediately |
| Notice a typo | Delete and repost, or post a follow up |
| Want to edit content | Delete and repost story |
| Story not appearing | Check audience settings and age of story |
| Deleted story is still visible | It may take up to 24 hours to be removed from all feeds |
How can you adjust Facebook Story settings?
Facebook offers several Story settings you can adjust:
- Audience Selector: Choose who can view your story – friends, family, specific groups, or only yourself.
- Allow Resharing: Permit (or prohibit) others from sharing your story to their own profile.
- See Viewers: View a list of who has seen your story.
- Location Sharing: Turn on/off including your location in stories.
- Auto-Archive: Automatically save stories to your camera roll.
Adjust these settings before posting a story for optimal control. You can also change some settings like auto-archive and allow resharing after the fact, but your audience selector will be locked in once a story is shared.
What happens when you report a Facebook Story?
If you come across an offensive, bullying, false or otherwise problematic Facebook Story, you can report it to Facebook for review:
- Tap and hold on the story to bring up options.
- Tap “Report Story”.
- Select the option that best describes why you are reporting the story.
- Add any additional details to help Facebook review the story.
- Tap “Report Story” to submit your report.
Facebook will not tell you the outcome of your report, but they will review the story to determine if it violates their Community Standards. Possible penalties for confirmed violations include removing the story, disabling the account, or in severe cases, contacting law enforcement.
Conclusion
While Facebook Stories is designed to be an ephemeral sharing experience, mistakes and mishaps can still happen. If you accidentally post something, notice an error, or have an issue accessing a story, there are ways to provide remedies. Act quickly before your 24-hour story expires to delete unwanted posts, re-share any fixes, and troubleshoot visibility issues. Adjust settings before posting to control your audience and sharing abilities. And if you see objectionable content, report stories to Facebook right away to potentially have them removed.