Delete a Facebook Story in Three Steps
You can delete a Facebook story you posted at any time, whether it is still live or has already expired. Open Facebook on your phone or computer, find your story in the top row of the feed, tap or click the three dots in the corner of your story tile, and select Delete. The story disappears when ready and cannot be recovered.
Stories disappear automatically after 24 hours, but you do not have to wait. Many people delete stories sooner because they changed their mind about what they shared, want to remove something embarrassing, or straightforward do not want it visible anymore. The process is the same whether your story is brand new or has been up for 20 hours.
If you cannot find the three-dot menu, make sure you are looking at your own story, not someone else's. You can only delete stories you created yourself. Stories posted by other people can be reported, but only you can remove your own.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete your own Facebook story at any time by tapping the three dots on your story tile and selecting Delete.
- Deleted stories cannot be recovered, so make sure you want to remove it before you confirm.
- Stories automatically disappear after 24 hours, but deleting manually removes them right away.
- You can only delete stories you posted yourself, not stories from other people.
- Deleting a story does not notify the people who already viewed it that the story is gone.
Where to Find the Delete Option on Mobile
On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Facebook app and look at the top of your feed. Your story appears in a circle with your profile picture inside it. Tap and hold on that circle, or tap the three dots that appear in the corner of the circle. A menu pops up with options including Delete Story.
If you do not see the three dots, try tapping the story circle itself first. Sometimes the menu only appears after you tap once. If you are looking at your story after it has already expired (after 24 hours), you can still delete it the same way — expired stories remain visible to you in your profile until you remove them manually.
On some phones, the menu may say Delete instead of Delete Story, but the result is the same. Tap it, and the story is removed from Facebook.
Deleting a Story on a Computer or Web Browser
On a desktop or laptop, go to Facebook.com and log in. Look for your story in the top row of the feed — it appears as a circle with your profile picture. Hover your mouse over the circle until a three-dot menu appears in the corner. Click the three dots and select Delete Story from the dropdown menu.
The web version works the same way as the mobile app. Your story is deleted when ready, and the page refreshes to show that it is gone. If you do not see the three dots appear when you hover, try clicking directly on your story circle first, which may bring up additional options.
What Happens After You Delete a Story
Once you delete a story, it is gone from Facebook permanently. People who viewed it before you deleted it will not see a notification that the story is gone — they straightforward will not be able to see it if they try to look at your profile or story again. The deletion is silent and does not draw attention to the fact that you removed something.
Deleted stories cannot be restored. Facebook does not keep a backup or archive of stories you remove, so if you change your mind later, you would have to post the content again from scratch. For this reason, take a moment to confirm the deletion when Facebook asks you to — there is no undo button after that point.
Deleting a story is different from hiding it from specific people. Facebook stories do not have a hide option, so deletion is the only way to remove a story from view. If you want to control who sees future stories, you can adjust your privacy settings before posting, but once a story is live, deletion is the only removal option.
Stories That Have Expired After 24 Hours
Facebook stories automatically expire and disappear from your followers' feeds after 24 hours. However, the expired story remains visible to you on your own profile. You can still delete an expired story using the same three-dot menu, even though no one else can see it anymore.
Some people leave expired stories on their profile as a record of what they posted. Others delete them to keep their profile clean. There is no technical reason to delete an expired story — it will not reappear to your followers — but you can remove it if you prefer not to have it sitting in your profile history.
Troubleshooting: When the Delete Option Does Not Appear
If you cannot find the three-dot menu on your story, first check that you are looking at your own story, not someone else's. You can only delete stories you created. If it is definitely your story and the menu still does not appear, try closing the Facebook app completely and opening it again. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to show all options.
On mobile, make sure you are tapping or holding on the story circle itself, not on empty space around it. On a computer, move your mouse slowly over the story circle and wait a moment for the three dots to appear. If the menu still does not show up, log out of Facebook, clear your browser cache, and log back in.
If you are using an older version of the Facebook app, update it from your phone's app store. Older versions sometimes have bugs that hide the delete option. After updating, the three-dot menu should appear normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone see that I deleted my story?
No. When you delete a story, Facebook does not send a notification to people who viewed it. They straightforward will not be able to see the story anymore if they try to look at your profile. There is no record or announcement that you removed it.
What if I delete a story by accident?
Unfortunately, deleted stories cannot be recovered. Facebook does not have an undo feature for stories. If you need that content again, you would have to recreate it and post it as a new story.
Does deleting a story remove it from people's screenshots?
No. If someone took a screenshot of your story before you deleted it, that screenshot remains on their phone. Deleting the story from Facebook does not affect files saved on other people's devices. Only the version on Facebook is removed.
Can I delete someone else's story from my feed?
You cannot delete someone else's story, but you can hide it. Tap the three dots on their story and select Hide Story or Mute to stop seeing their stories without them knowing. To remove it completely, you would need to unfriend or unfollow that person.
Will deleting a story affect my other posts or photos?
No. Stories are separate from your regular posts and photos. Deleting a story does not affect anything else on your profile. Your timeline, photos, and other posts remain unchanged.