As Facebook has evolved over the years, so have its policies around user photos. When Facebook first launched in 2004, there were limited options for organizing and managing photos. Users could upload pictures and tag friends, but features like albums and privacy settings came later.
So what does happen to users’ old Facebook photos that may have been uploaded before more advanced tools were available? Here are some common questions and answers:
Are old photos still on Facebook?
In most cases, yes. Unless a user has actively gone back and deleted old photos from their profile, any pictures uploaded to Facebook in the past should still be stored on Facebook’s servers. Facebook’s privacy policy states that they store user data for as long as the account is active.
However, just because the old photos are still stored does not necessarily mean they are easy to find. As Facebook has updated its layout over the years, old photos can get buried deep in the profile archives.
Why can’t I find some of my old Facebook photos?
There are a few reasons why old Facebook photos may be harder to locate:
- Older photos may have been uploaded without tags or location data, making them harder to surface in searches or feeds.
- The introduction of tools like albums, groups, and pages decentralized where photos live – they may now be scattered across different parts of the profile.
- Timeline layout changes over the years mean photos are no longer displayed chronologically by default. The algorithmic feed prioritizes more recent activity.
- As privacy settings have been enhanced, some older posts and photos may have visibility limited to only certain audiences like friends, friends of friends, etc.
How can I find my old Facebook photos?
It takes some digging, but there are ways to uncover old Facebook photos:
- Go to your profile page and click “Photos” in the left menu. This will surface photos you are tagged in and have uploaded.
- Try searching your own name in the Facebook search bar – this may bring up old posts and photos you were tagged in.
- Click on the “More” tab under a profile photo album to reveal all photos, including some older archives.
- Use the “On This Day” feature to resurface posts and photos from past years.
- Browse over to the Activity Log and filter by Photos to scan back through your uploads over time.
It may require some scrolling and searching, but old photos should still be retained on Facebook somewhere unless a user has actively removed them.
What are Facebook’s photo storage policies?
According to Facebook’s Data Policy from 2022:
We store data until it is no longer necessary to provide our services and Facebook Products, or until your account is deleted – whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the data, why it is collected and processed, and relevant legal or operational retention needs.
The policy goes on to explain:
For example, when you search for something on Facebook, you can access and delete that query from within your search history at any time, but the log of that search is deleted after 6 months. If you submit a copy of your government-issued ID for account verification purposes, we delete that copy 30 days after review, unless otherwise required to keep it under law.
So in summary:
- Facebook stores user photos and data as long as the account remains active.
- Specific data like search history logs may have a set retention period before being deleted.
- Copies of documents submitted for ID verification are deleted after 30 days.
- Once an account is fully deleted, all associated photos and data should be removed from Facebook’s servers.
What happens when I delete my Facebook account?
When a user initiates account deletion, Facebook’s current process is:
- Account is deactivated for 30 days. User can still reactivate during this time.
- After 30 days, if account remains deactivated, profile, photos, posts, videos, and other account data are permanently deleted.
- Copies of data may remain in Facebook’s backups and systems for up to 90 days before full deletion.
So when a Facebook account is deleted, associated photos are intended to be deleted as well. However, remnants may continue to exist for a period of time in Facebook’s complex systems and backup infrastructure before being fully purged.
Could my old photos appear somewhere else online?
Possibly, for a couple reasons:
- If you shared photos directly to a friend’s Timeline or in a group, that user or group may still retain copies or have reshared them.
- Any photos published with public settings could have been downloaded or reposted by outside parties.
- Facebook data has been illicitly scraped and consolidated into third-party databases in the past.
While Facebook tries to limit unauthorized third-party usage of its data, once photos are shared publicly online it is impossible to fully control or track where they spread. Even after deleting an account, old photos could persist through other users’ accounts or external databases.
How can I delete my old Facebook photos?
To remove old Facebook photos:
- Go to your profile Photos page and filter by Albums.
- Click into each album and select photos to delete.
- You can delete individual photos or full albums.
- Click the 3-dot menu on a photo and select Delete.
- To delete an entire album, click the 3-dot menu on the album cover and select Delete Album.
This will permanently remove photos from your profile and Facebook’s storage. However, any copies shared externally cannot be deleted in this manner.
Can I export my photos before deleting my account?
Yes, Facebook does allow users to download an archive of photos and other account data prior to deletion. To do so:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu.
- Select “Download Your Information” and pick photos as the media type to download.
Facebook will assemble a downloadable archive of your photos which may take a few days to process. This can serve as a backup before deleting your account.
Conclusion
While accessing older Facebook photos requires some digging as platforms evolve, in most cases that old data still resides in Facebook’s systems unless manually removed by a user. When an account is deleted, associated photos and data are intended to be purged as well, though deleted data may persist in backups for a period of time. Users can optionally export an archive of photos and other account information prior to deletion. However, controlling photos that were publicly shared remains challenging, as once online it is impossible to fully eliminate traces of them across the internet.