Facebook shortcuts allow you to quickly access different parts of the Facebook app. While shortcuts can be convenient, you may eventually want to remove some to declutter your home screen. Deleting Facebook shortcuts on iPhone only takes a few taps.
What Are Facebook Shortcuts?
Facebook shortcuts are app icons that provide quick access to specific sections of the Facebook app. For example, you may have separate shortcuts for Facebook News Feed, Facebook Messages, Facebook Notifications, etc. Tapping a shortcut icon will open the Facebook app directly to that page.
Shortcuts help you bypass navigating through the Facebook app to get to the area you want. They also allow you to access different Facebook features without having the main Facebook app icon on your home screen.
How to Add Facebook Shortcuts
Before learning how to delete Facebook shortcuts, it helps to understand how they are added in the first place.
To create a Facebook shortcut on iPhone:
- Open the Facebook app and go to the page you want a shortcut for, such as News Feed or Messages.
- Tap the “More” tab (three horizontal lines icon) at the bottom right.
- Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen.”
- You can edit the name if desired.
- Tap “Add” at the top right.
This will add the shortcut icon to your home screen. Repeat the steps to create multiple Facebook shortcuts.
Finding Your Facebook Shortcuts
Before deleting your Facebook shortcuts, you’ll need to locate where they are on your iPhone’s home screens:
- Home Screen – Swipe left and right on your home screen to see if any Facebook shortcuts are mixed in with your regular app icons.
- App Library – Open the App Library by swiping left from your last home screen. Scroll down to the “Facebook” folder which contains all of your Facebook shortcuts.
How to Delete a Single Facebook Shortcut
If you only want to remove one or two Facebook shortcuts, follow these steps:
- Find and long-press the Facebook shortcut icon you want to delete until the icons begin to wiggle.
- Tap the “X” that appears in the upper-left corner of the shortcut icon.
- A confirmation prompt will appear. Tap “Delete” to confirm.
- The Facebook shortcut will be removed from your home screen.
That’s all there is to it! Use this method to delete Facebook shortcuts one by one.
How to Delete All Facebook Shortcuts
If you have multiple Facebook shortcuts and want a quick way to delete them all, do this instead:
- Open the App Library on your iPhone.
- Locate and long-press on the “Facebook” folder containing your shortcuts.
- Tap “Delete Apps” at the top of the screen.
- Tap “Delete” on the confirmation prompt to remove all Facebook shortcuts.
This will simultaneously remove every Facebook shortcut you have on your iPhone. The only Facebook icon remaining will be the core Facebook app.
Deleting Facebook Shortcuts vs. Deleting Facebook App
When you delete a Facebook shortcut, it only removes that specific shortcut icon from your home screen. It does not delete or uninstall the main Facebook app.
You can continue using the Facebook app normally. The only difference is you’ll have fewer shortcuts to access specific sections quickly.
To completely delete Facebook from your iPhone, you would need to long-press and delete the primary Facebook app icon itself. This would remove the app and all of its data.
Re-adding Facebook Shortcuts
If you change your mind later on, you can easily readd Facebook shortcuts using the same method as when you first created them:
- Open the Facebook app.
- Navigate to the page you want a shortcut for.
- Tap “More” then “Add to Home Screen.”
- Customize the name if desired.
- Tap “Add” to add the shortcut to your home screen.
Feel free to recreate shortcuts for News Feed, Messages, Notifications, or any other part of Facebook you want quick access to.
Other Facebook App Management Tips
In addition to adding and removing shortcuts, there are a few other tips for managing the Facebook app on your iPhone:
- Clear cached data and cookies to free up space.
- Force quit the app if it’s freezing or unresponsive.
- Update to the latest version for new features and fixes.
- Disable background app refresh to improve battery life.
Taking steps like these can help keep the Facebook app running smoothly on your iPhone and tailored to your preferences.
Conclusion
Facebook shortcuts provide easy access to specific features, but can clutter your home screen over time. When you’re ready to remove them, simply long-press and delete each shortcut or remove them all at once through the App Library. Just remember deleting shortcuts doesn’t uninstall Facebook itself. You can recreate the shortcuts again later if needed.