This article explains some strategies for recovering deleted Facebook posts, even though deleting Facebook content removes it from your device, app, and Facebook servers.

What to Know

  • Go to profile page > More > Activity Log > Trash. Tap a post > Restore.Cancel Facebook account deletion: Log in to account within 30 days and select Cancel Deletion.

Use Facebook’s Manage Activity Feature

When you use the Facebook mobile app’s Manage Activity feature to delete a post, you can retrieve it for up to 30 days. This won’t work if you delete a post directly from your newsfeed, however. This functionality is currently available only on the Facebook mobile app.

Here’s how to use Manage Activity to delete and then recover a post.

  • Navigate to your Facebook profile page on the Facebook mobile app and tap More (three dots).
  • Tap Activity Log.
  • Tap Manage Activity.
  • Tap Your Posts.
  • To delete a post, tap to select it and then tap Trash.
  • Tap Move to Trash. Your post has been deleted from your timeline and moved to Trash in Manage Activity.
  • To retrieve the post you just deleted, navigate to More > Activity Log, and then tap Trash from the top menu.
  • You’ll see any posts deleted within the past 30 days via Manage Activity. Tap a post you want to recover and then tap Restore.
  • Select Restore to confirm. The post has been restored to your timeline.

Cancel Your Facebook Account Deletion

If you delete your entire Facebook account, you’ve also deleted all of your Facebook posts and media. If you change your mind and want to salvage your content, you have 30 days to undo the deletion process.

Navigate to your Facebook profile page on the Facebook mobile app and tap More (three dots).

Tap Activity Log.

Tap Manage Activity.

Tap Your Posts.

To delete a post, tap to select it and then tap Trash.

Tap Move to Trash. Your post has been deleted from your timeline and moved to Trash in Manage Activity.

To retrieve the post you just deleted, navigate to More > Activity Log, and then tap Trash from the top menu.

You’ll see any posts deleted within the past 30 days via Manage Activity. Tap a post you want to recover and then tap Restore.

Select Restore to confirm. The post has been restored to your timeline.

If you’re switching to a new device, Facebook posts, media, or messages will automatically be available once you download the Facebook app on your new device and log in.

To cancel, log in to your Facebook account via the mobile app or a web browser within 30 days of initiation, and then select Cancel Deletion.

Strategies for Finding Deleted Facebook Posts

If your deleted posts are gone and unrecoverable via Facebook, here are some workaround strategies to try:

You can’t recover a Facebook account if you started the deletion process more than 30 days ago.

Find the original post

If you shared and then deleted a funny or interesting post someone else created, try tracking down the original content. Use Facebook’s search function or try a Google search using keywords from the post’s text or the title of the web page linked to in the original post.

Check your emails

If you enabled Facebook push notifications for certain posts, you may have a copy of the post you’re looking for in an email in your inbox. If you can remember some of the exact text from the post, try an inbox search. Otherwise, perform a search for the word “Facebook.”

Check your friends’ emails

Some of your Facebook friends with email notifications enabled may have received notifications referencing your post, especially if they’re mentioned or tagged. Ask your friends to search their inbox for the deleted post you’re looking for.

How to Find Deleted Facebook Messenger Posts

If you delete messages on Facebook Messenger, the content deletion is permanent and can’t be undone.

However, while you may have deleted your side of the conversation, it may still exist for other conversation participants. Ask them to search for the conversation and then copy and paste the text and images into a new message or email. Or, ask them to send you a screenshot image of the chat’s contents.

  • How do I find old posts on Facebook?
  • If you’re trying to find a specific old post, try searching for a keyword or phrase you remember from the post. In the search field, type the unique search term and select Posts under Filters.
  • How do I find saved posts on Facebook?
  • Go to your saved Facebook posts section. Or, select Menu > Saved. You’ll see all the posts, videos, and photos you saved for later.
  • How do I schedule posts on Facebook?
  • To schedule posts on Facebook for a Group, go to Groups > New Message > Schedule. For a Page, go to Publishing Tools > Create Post > Schedule Post > Save. You can not schedule posts for personal account posts.

If you’re trying to find a specific old post, try searching for a keyword or phrase you remember from the post. In the search field, type the unique search term and select Posts under Filters.

Go to your saved Facebook posts section. Or, select Menu > Saved. You’ll see all the posts, videos, and photos you saved for later.

To schedule posts on Facebook for a Group, go to Groups > New Message > Schedule. For a Page, go to Publishing Tools > Create Post > Schedule Post > Save. You can not schedule posts for personal account posts.

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