If you’re having issues accessing your Facebook memories, there are a few potential reasons why they may not be working properly. Facebook memories are automated recaps of your posts and activity from years past that get generated and displayed in your News Feed. Here are some troubleshooting tips to get your Facebook memories working again.
You Have Memories Turned Off
The most likely reason your Facebook memories aren’t showing up is because you have the feature turned off. Facebook gives you the option to disable memories if you don’t want to see them. To check if you have memories turned off:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on the “Your Facebook Information” tab in the left sidebar
- Scroll down and click on “Memories”
- Make sure the toggle for “Show Memories” is switched to the on position
If the toggle was off, switching it on should re-enable your memories and they will start appearing in your News Feed again within a day or two.
Your Account is Restricted
If you have restrictions placed on your Facebook account, such as being in Facebook jail, then your memories may be temporarily suppressed. Memories rely on you having full access to your profile information and activity log. If your account is restricted due to violations of Facebook’s terms of service, your memories will be muted until your account restrictions are lifted.
App or Browser Issues
Problems with the Facebook app or browser issues could also potentially disrupt memories from showing up properly. Here are some things to try:
- Force quit and restart the Facebook app on your phone or tablet
- Log out of Facebook and log back in again
- Clear your browser cookies and cache
- Try accessing Facebook from a different web browser
- Update your Facebook app or browser to the latest version
If you were having app or browser problems, resetting things or switching clients may help get your memories loading again.
Your Privacy Settings are Restrictive
The visibility of your posts and profile details can impact what memories get generated. If you have your privacy settings dialed up high and much of your information is hidden, then Facebook has less data to pull from to create your memories. Try checking that your past posts and photos are visible at least to yourself if you want richer memories.
Memory Limitations
Facebook’s memory algorithm has some intrinsic limitations as well. In general, memories tend to be focused on the previous 1-2 years. You may notice fewer memories showing up from 5+ years ago. Very old posts likely won’t be resurfaced. The algorithm also can’t pull from certain types of content like Stories or Facebook Lives. So if your activity is focused on ephemeral content, your memories may be sparse.
How Facebook Memories Work
Understanding how Facebook generates memories can help troubleshoot why they may not be appearing for you.
- Memories are generated by an AI algorithm that analyzes your Facebook activity and profiles details to find relevant moments to highlight from the past.
- The algorithm savors posts with lots of likes, comments, and engagement as they likely were more meaningful moments.
- Major life events like marriages, child births, graduations, birthdays and anniversaries are prominently featured.
- The algorithm identifies photos and videos you are tagged in as likely important memories.
- Locations like trips, restaurants, concerts, special events all can trigger location-based memories.
So in general memories will resurface your old posts and photos around special life moments, highly engaged content, tagged photos, and location history. If much of your activity is private or you’ve changed locations or life stages, it leaves less source material for memories.
Contact Facebook Support
If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting tips and your Facebook memories still are not working, you can reach out to Facebook support for additional help diagnosing the issue. Here are some ways to contact Facebook support:
- Fill out the support form in Facebook’s Help Center explaining the memories issue.
- Tweet @FacebookSupport for help from their Twitter team.
- Use the Get Support option in Facebook Settings to start a live chat with a Facebook rep.
Explaining that you have already tried disabling and re-enabling memories in your Settings but they still won’t generate may help escalate the issue quicker to their technical support team if needed.
Wait for Time to Pass
As a last resort, you can simply wait. Facebook’s algorithms constantly iterate and improve over time. Memories may automatically start working again in the future as the algorithms evolve. Checking back in a few weeks or months may reveal your memories have mysteriously sprung back to life as Facebook’s AI learns and advances.
Conclusion
Facebook memories provide a nostalgic walk down memory lane by resurfacing your old posts, photos, and life events. If your Facebook memories aren’t loading properly, double check your memory settings, account status, privacy controls, apps and browsers. Contact Facebook support if still needed. The algorithm has limits, so be patient. With some debugging, you’ll be reminiscing on old memories again in no time.