Delete a Facebook Post in Four Steps
You can delete any post you have written on Facebook at any time. The post disappears from your timeline, from your friends' feeds, and from Facebook's search results. Facebook keeps a record of deleted posts in your account data, but the post is no longer visible to anyone else.
The process takes less than a minute. Open Facebook on your phone or computer, find the post, and use the menu that appears when you tap or click the three dots in the corner of the post.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete your own posts from Facebook at any time, and the post will no longer be visible to anyone.
- Find the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the post and select "Delete" from the options that appear.
- Deleting a post removes it from your timeline and from other people's feeds, but Facebook retains a record in your account data.
- If you want to keep the post but hide it from certain people, you can change the privacy setting instead of deleting it.
- Comments and reactions from other people disappear when you delete the post, so you cannot recover them later.
How to Delete a Post on Facebook Mobile
On your phone, open the Facebook app and navigate to your timeline or the post you want to remove. Look for the three dots in the top right corner of the post — this is the menu button. Tap it once.
A list of options will appear. Scroll down until you see "Delete" and tap it. Facebook will ask you to confirm. Tap "Delete Post" in the confirmation box. The post is now gone from your timeline and from everyone else's view.
How to Delete a Post on Facebook Desktop
On a computer, log into Facebook and find the post on your timeline. Hover your mouse over the post, and the three dots will appear in the top right corner. Click on them once.
A dropdown menu will open. Click "Delete" from the list. A confirmation box will appear asking if you are sure. Click "Delete Post" to confirm. The post will be removed when ready.
What Happens When You Delete a Post
When you delete a post, it stops appearing on your timeline and in the feeds of people who follow you. If someone shared your post, their share remains visible on their timeline, but it will no longer link to your original post. Comments and reactions that other people left on the post disappear along with it.
Facebook stores information about deleted posts in your account data for a period of time, but this information is not visible to you or to other users. If you ever want to see what you posted, you can read your Facebook data, which includes a record of deleted posts. However, the post itself is gone from the public platform.
The Difference Between Deleting and Hiding a Post
Deleting removes the post entirely. Hiding a post keeps it on your timeline but removes it from other people's feeds. You might hide a post if you want to keep it for yourself but do not want it showing up in your friends' feeds anymore.
To hide a post instead of deleting it, tap or click the three dots and select "Hide from Timeline" or "Hide Post" depending on your device. The post stays on your profile if someone visits it directly, but it will not appear in feeds or search results. You can unhide the post later by using the same menu.
If You Cannot Find the Delete Option
You can only delete posts that you created. If you are looking at a post someone else wrote, you will not see a delete option — you will only see options to comment, react, or report the post.
If you created the post but the delete option is not appearing, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the Facebook app. If the post is very old, it may have been archived by Facebook, though you can still delete it using the same method. If you are still unable to delete a post after refreshing, log out and log back in.
Deleting Posts You Have Tagged in
If someone else posted a photo or status and tagged you in it, you cannot delete their post. You can only remove yourself from the tag. To do this, tap or click on the post, find your name in the tag, and select "Remove Tag" or "Untag Yourself."
Removing a tag means the post will no longer appear on your timeline or in your tagged photos, but the post itself remains on the other person's profile. If you want the post removed entirely, you can report it to Facebook or ask the person who posted it to delete it themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a post after I delete it?
No, once you delete a post, it is gone from Facebook permanently. You cannot undo the deletion or retrieve the post. If you think you might want the post later, consider hiding it instead of deleting it.
Will people know I deleted my post?
People will notice the post is gone if they were looking at it or had commented on it, but Facebook does not send a notification saying you deleted something. If the post had many comments or reactions, people may ask you about it, but there is no automatic alert.
What happens to comments on a post I delete?
All comments and reactions disappear when you delete the post. The people who commented will see that the post is no longer there, but they cannot recover their comments. If you want to keep the comments, do not delete the post.
Can I delete a post from someone else's timeline?
No, you can only delete posts you created. If you posted something on someone else's timeline and want it gone, you can delete it from your own activity log, but the person who owns the timeline can also delete it themselves.
Does deleting a post remove it from Facebook's servers?
Deleting a post removes it from public view, but Facebook keeps records of deleted content in your account data for legal and security reasons. This data is not visible to other users. If you want to remove all your data from Facebook, you can request a full account deletion instead.