Facebook allows users to save post drafts so they can come back later and finish writing a post. Post drafts are useful when you don’t have time to complete a post in one sitting or want to save your work before publishing. Here are the main ways to access and manage your Facebook post drafts.
Viewing Drafts in the Status Composer Box
The easiest way to find your draft posts on Facebook is to look in the status composer box, which is where you normally write new posts. When you click on the box to write a new status, you will see a list of any existing drafts you have saved.
The drafts will be listed at the top of the composer box, above where you write a new status. They will say “Draft” and show a brief preview of the text. Simply click on any draft you want to continue writing or edit.
On Desktop
On the desktop version of Facebook, the status composer box is centered at the top of your News Feed or timeline. Drafts will display at the top of this box when you click into it.
On Mobile
On the Facebook mobile app, the status composer is accessed by tapping the square icon with a pen or plus symbol at the top. Your drafts will then be visible at the top when you open it.
Viewing Drafts in Your Profile Menu
You can also find your drafted Facebook posts in the menu attached to your profile icon. This allows you to see and manage drafts even when you aren’t in the status composer.
On Desktop
On desktop, click the down arrow next to your profile picture at the top right of any page, then select “Drafts” from the dropdown menu. This will open your drafts in a separate pop-up window.
On Mobile
On mobile, tap your profile icon at the bottom right, then tap the three horizontal lines or “hamburger” icon to open the menu. Choose “Drafts” to see your list of unfinished posts.
Viewing Drafts on Facebook Lite
If you use the Facebook Lite mobile app, your drafts can be accessed from your profile menu just like the main Facebook app. Tap your profile picture, then tap the “More” tab, and choose “Drafts.”
Where are drafts saved?
Facebook drafts are saved on Facebook’s servers rather than locally on your device. This means you can access your drafts from any device by logging into your account.
The contents of your drafts are encrypted and only visible to you. They will remain available in your drafts list until you either publish the post or delete the draft.
How long do drafts stay available?
Facebook drafts do not have an expiration date and can stay in your drafts list indefinitely. However, if you remain inactive on Facebook for an extended time, any unpublished drafts may be deleted.
To ensure your drafts remain available, simply log into your Facebook account periodically, such as once a month. As long as you maintain some activity, your drafts should persist.
Can I save a published post as a draft?
No, Facebook does not allow you to revert a published post back to a draft state. Once you publish a post, it becomes live on your profile and cannot be changed back to a draft.
If you need to edit a published post, you can use the “Edit Post” option to make changes after publishing. But this will not remove the post from your timeline – it will remain public.
How many drafts can I save?
Facebook allows you to store an unlimited number of drafts. There is no set limit on the number of drafts you can accumulate in your drafts list.
Even if you have hundreds of unfinished posts saved as drafts, they will remain available. The only limit is how difficult it might become to manage a very high number of drafts.
Can I view drafts from my computer?
Yes, your Facebook drafts are synced across devices and locations. If you write a draft on your phone, you’ll be able to access it on a computer as well.
Simply log into Facebook on your desktop or laptop and click the down arrow next to your profile picture. Select “Drafts” to see the same list of unfinished posts from your mobile app.
Can I view someone else’s drafts?
No, you cannot view another person’s unpublished Facebook drafts. Drafts are only visible to the original poster who created them.
Even if you are friends with someone on Facebook, you will not have access to any posts they have started but not published. Drafts are private to each individual user.
Can I auto-save drafts?
There is no dedicated auto-save feature for drafts on Facebook. Your writing will not be saved as a draft automatically while typing.
To save a post as a draft, you must manually click the “Save Draft” button before closing the status composer box. Otherwise, any unsaved writing will be lost.
How do I manage a lot of drafts?
If you have accumulated many drafts, it can become tedious to sort through them. Here are some tips for managing a large number of unpublished posts:
- Review old drafts periodically and delete any you no longer need.
- Give your drafts titles or opening lines that summarize the content, so they are easier to identify.
- Organize drafts into categories using Facebook Lists or folders.
- Bookmark important drafts you want to prioritize writing.
- Use the search bar to quickly find drafts by keywords.
Can I export my drafts?
Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to export your Facebook drafts outside of the platform. The drafts remain exclusively available on Facebook.
However, you have a couple options to save copies of your drafts off Facebook:
- Copy and paste the text of your drafts into a document or email draft to save it elsewhere.
- Use your device’s screenshot function to save images of your drafts that you can reference.
Recovering deleted drafts
If you accidentally delete a Facebook draft, it can be difficult to recover it. Deleted drafts are permanently removed from your drafts list.
However, you may be able to restore the text of deleted drafts using the following methods:
- Check your email if you had emailed a draft to yourself previously.
- See if the text is cached in your web browser’s history or autocorrect.
- Try recovering data from your device’s automatic backups or snapshots, if enabled.
- Use data recovery software to scan for and restore lost document files.
Conclusion
Facebook drafts provide a handy way to save your partial posts for finishing later. You can access your drafts from the status composer, profile menu, and Drafts list on mobile or desktop. Drafts remain available indefinitely so long as you log into Facebook periodically. While you can’t view drafts created by others, you can manage a large number of drafts by deleting old ones, organizing with lists, and bookmarking important drafts. There is no built-in draft auto-save, so remember to manually save any writing you don’t want to lose.