Quick Answer
There are a few main reasons why you may not be able to hide a post on Facebook:
- You don’t have the option to hide the post – Some types of posts like ads or posts from Pages you follow cannot be hidden.
- The post is authored by you – You cannot hide posts that you have authored yourself.
- The post is too old – Facebook only allows you to hide posts that are less than 30 days old.
- A technical issue – Sometimes a glitch could prevent the option to hide a post from showing up.
So in summary, if you don’t see the option to hide a post, it is likely because of one of those reasons – the type of post, the post author, the post age, or a technical problem. Keep reading for more details on troubleshooting and hiding posts on Facebook.
What Types of Posts Can You Hide on Facebook?
Not all posts can be hidden on Facebook. Here is an overview of what types of posts can and cannot be hidden:
Posts You CAN Hide
- Regular posts from friends and connections
- Posts in Groups you are a member of
- Photos and videos
- Posts less than 30 days old
As long as the post was created by a friend or member of a Group you belong to, and is less than 30 days old, you should be able to hide it.
Posts You CANNOT Hide
- Ads or suggested posts
- Posts from Pages you follow
- Posts you have authored/shared yourself
- Posts older than 30 days
Posts like ads, posts from Pages, your own posts, and older posts cannot be hidden. You’ll notice the option to hide simply does not appear on these types of posts.
So in summary, the ability to hide a post depends on who authored it and how old it is. Keep this in mind as you try to hide posts moving forward.
Troubleshooting When You Can’t Hide a Post
If you encounter a situation where you expect to be able to hide a post but the option is not there, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Refresh the Page
Sometimes the option to hide a post may fail to load properly. Try refreshing the page and seeing if the option appears after a refresh.
Check the Post Author
Make sure the post was not authored by a Page or yourself, as you cannot hide these types of posts.
Check the Post Age
Verify the post is less than 30 days old. There is no option to hide older posts.
Try Hiding from a Different Device
If accessing Facebook from a mobile browser, try hiding the post from the Facebook app instead, or vice versa.
Report the Issue
If you still cannot hide a post that meets the criteria, report the issue to Facebook so they can investigate any potential bugs.
Temporarily Unfollow or Block the Poster
As a workaround, you can temporarily unfollow or block the author of the post so you do not see their content for a while.
Following these troubleshooting tips should help resolve most issues that prevent hiding a post.
How to Hide a Post on Facebook
If you’ve verified a post meets the criteria for hiding, here is how to actually hide it:
On Desktop
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post.
- Select “Hide Post” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to hide the post by clicking “Hide Post” again.
On Mobile App
- Tap the three dots at the top right of the post.
- Tap “Hide Post” from the menu.
- Tap “Hide Post” again to confirm.
The post will then be hidden from your News Feed temporarily.
In Facebook Groups
- Hover over the post and click the X icon.
- Select “Hide this post” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to hide the post.
That’s all there is to it! With one click (or tap), you can easily hide a post temporarily on Facebook.
What Happens When You Hide a Post?
When you hide a post on Facebook, here is what happens:
- The post is hidden from your News Feed temporarily.
- The post may reappear if the original poster interacts with it. For example, if they comment on their post later, it could show up in your News Feed again.
- You can still find and see the post by going to the original poster’s Timeline.
- Other people are unaffected and can still see the post.
- You can undo the action and unhide the post.
So in essence, hiding a post just removes it from your feed temporarily, unless that post receives engagement later. Others will still be able to see and interact with the hidden post as normal.
Unhiding a Post
If you change your mind, you can easily undo hiding a post by following these steps:
On Desktop
- Go to the poster’s Timeline/profile.
- Locate the post you had hidden.
- Click the three dots in the corner and select “Unhide Post”.
On Mobile
- Go to the poster’s Timeline.
- Find the hidden post.
- Tap the three dots and choose “Unhide Post”.
This will make the post visible in your News Feed again.
Why Can’t You Hide Certain Posts?
As mentioned earlier, some types of posts simply cannot be hidden on Facebook. Here’s an explanation of why:
Ads and Suggested Posts
Facebook does not allow you to hide ads or posts that are suggested based on relevance algorithms. This is because these posts are inherent to their ad-based business model. Hiding ads could allow people to avoid seeing content that advertisers paid for.
Posts from Pages
Page posts also cannot be hidden, likely because Pages can pay Facebook to promote their content. Again, allowing Page posts to be hidden could mean advertisers’ paid content might not be seen.
Your Own Posts
Hiding your own posts could allow you to hide interactions you regret or don’t want associated with your account, so Facebook does not allow this.
Older Posts
The 30 day limit prevents people from hiding too much of their history. Facebook likely wants to maintain a reasonable archive of user content when possible.
So in summary, many types of restrictions on hiding posts relate to maintaining the user experience and business model of Facebook overall.
Should Facebook Allow More Hidden Posts?
There is some debate over whether Facebook should allow users to hide more types of posts. Here are some perspectives:
Arguments For More Hidden Posts
– It would improve users’ ability to customize their feed and block content they do not wish to see.
– It could lead to less offensive/upsetting content being visible.
– People should have the right to curate the content on their own feeds.
– Advertisers could opt-in specifically to allow their content to be hidden.
Arguments Against More Hidden Posts
– It could allow greater spread of misinformation if facts can be hidden.
– Advertisers may not want to pay if posts could just be hidden.
– People may over-hide benign content, leading to “filter bubbles.”
– Facebook’s advertising model depends on paid posts remaining visible.
There are good points on both sides of the debate. Ultimately Facebook must balance user experience, advertiser satisfaction, and platform integrity when considering any changes to content visibility rules.
Other Ways to Control Your Feed Content
If you want to customize your Facebook feed, hiding posts is just one option. Here are some other ways to control the content you see:
- Unfollow people or Pages so their posts don’t show up.
- Use Lists to organize friends into groups like “Close Friends” to highlight some content.
- Snooze friends, groups, or pages for 30 days to temporarily hide their posts.
- Use filters on the News Feed to see less of certain post types, like public posts.
- Adjust News Feed preferences to see more or fewer posts that Facebook suggests.
Combining these controls provides powerful ways to tailor your News Feed beyond just hiding individual posts.
Conclusion
Hiding posts is a straightforward way to remove something temporarily from your Facebook News Feed. Just be aware of the restrictions – you can only hide friends’ posts less than 30 days old. Troubleshooting options like checking the post age or refreshing can help if issues arise. While controversial, the limits Facebook enforces are to maintain its business model and integrity as a platform. But with all the other customization now available, you still have many options to improve your News Feed experience.