With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms for sharing life events, connecting with friends and family, and expressing opinions. However, many users eventually regret posting certain content publicly and want to remove it from their profile.
Deleting Facebook posts can be tricky because content is rarely ever fully erased from the platform. When you remove a post, it is no longer visible on your timeline but still exists in Facebook’s database. There is also no easy way to mass delete old posts. You have to go through them manually one by one.
So is there an easy way to delete Facebook posts? There are a few methods that can help streamline the process, but fully and permanently deleting all your old posts requires some persistence and know-how.
Deleting Individual Facebook Posts
If you just want to delete a few individual posts here and there, Facebook does provide a simple option to remove posts from your profile. Here are the steps:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click on “Posts” in the left sidebar.
- Scroll to find the post you want to delete. Hover over it and click on the three dots that appear in the top right corner.
- A dropdown menu will show up. Click on “Delete post.”
- A confirmation box will appear asking “Are you sure you want to delete this post?” Click “Delete” to confirm.
The post will be immediately removed from your profile and will no longer be visible to anyone else. However, it will still exist in Facebook’s database unless it is more than 90 days old.
Deleting Posts from Facebook Apps
You can also quickly delete recent posts without having to go to your profile. Here’s how:
- In the Facebook app on your phone, tap on the three line “hamburger” menu in the top right corner.
- Select “Your posts.”
- Find the post you want to delete and tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Tap on “Delete post” then confirm when prompted.
Again this will immediately remove the post from your profile. The process is the same if you are accessing Facebook through a browser on your phone or computer.
Deleting Posts Using Facebook’s Activity Log
Facebook also provides an “Activity Log” tool that shows your entire history of posts, comments, reactions, and searches within Facebook. You can use this to bulk delete multiple posts at once.
- On desktop, click on the arrow in the top right corner and select “Activity log.” On mobile, tap on the hamburger menu then “Activity log.”
- On the left sidebar, click on “Your posts.”
- This will display a complete history of everything you’ve posted on Facebook. Use the filters at the top to narrow down posts by date range or keyword.
- Once you’ve filtered the posts you want to remove, select them then click “Delete” at the top.
This is an easy way to clean up your old posts in bulk rather than individually. However, posts over 90 days old will still remain in Facebook’s database.
How to Permanently Delete Old Facebook Posts
If you want posts older than 90 days to be permanently gone for good, it requires completely deleting your Facebook account. When you delete your account, all your posts, photos, videos, comments, and any other content you’ve shared on Facebook is erased from their servers after 90 days. However, this also means losing access to Facebook entirely.
Here are the steps to permanently delete your Facebook account:
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings.”
- Go to the General Account Settings page and click “Manage account.”
- Scroll down and click on “Deactivate your account” then “Continue to account deactivation.”
- Select “Delete account” and click “Continue to account deletion.”
- Enter your password and click “Permanently delete account.”
Facebook will take up to 90 days to complete the deletion. Once your account is fully deleted, all your old posts and data should be removed from their systems and servers.
Downsides of Deleting Facebook Account
While this achieves the goal of erasing your Facebook presence and old posts for good, it also means you lose access to Facebook’s services. Here are some downsides to consider:
- You won’t be able to stay in touch with connections on Facebook.
- You’ll lose access to any photos or videos you’ve uploaded.
- Groups you are a member of will no longer be accessible.
- You can’t reactivate the account – signing up again means starting fresh.
For many people, the benefits of deleting old posts outweigh losing their account. But be sure to download any data or content you want to keep before deleting Facebook for good.
Using Third-Party Tools to Delete Posts
If you don’t want to fully delete your Facebook account but need to purge old posts, another option is using third-party Facebook post delete services.
These tools let you automate and schedule the deletion of large batches of your Facebook posts without having to manually go through and delete each one:
Social Book Post Manager
- Browser plugin available for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.
- Analyzes your Facebook activity and lets you filter/select posts to delete.
- Schedule mass deletions or set auto-delete preferences.
- Free version available with limited functionality.
Faceplex
- Android and iOS mobile app for managing Facebook posts.
- Can bulk select posts by date or keyword filters.
- Paid subscription plans starting at $6/month.
Fbpy
- Python library for deleting Facebook posts and comments.
- Lets you script custom post filtering and deletion rules.
- For developers/coders comfortable with Python.
The main benefit of these tools is convenience – you can mass delete posts from your entire Facebook history. However, they rely on accessing your Facebook data, so be sure to check reviews and ratings for legitimacy before using third-party Facebook services.
Conclusion
While Facebook doesn’t offer a true “delete all” option for your posts, there are a few effective strategies to remove content from your profile:
- Delete individual posts using the Facebook app or Activity Log.
- Permanently erase all posts by deleting your Facebook account.
- Use a third-party deletion tool to automate scrubbing old posts.
The best approach depends on how much of your Facebook presence you are willing to eliminate. Deleting a few regrettable posts can be handled natively through Facebook’s tools. Removing your entire post history requires taking more extreme measures like deactivating your account or using external post managers.
Whatever solution you choose, be sure to download what you want to keep for your records before deleting. And if you decide to delete your Facebook account, be aware that it means losing access to Facebook’s services after 90 days.