Facebook Memories shows you posts, photos, and videos from your past on the platform
Facebook Memories is a feature that surfaces content you shared on previous dates — a post from three years ago, a photo from five years ago, a video from last month. When you open the Memories section, Facebook shows you what you posted on that same date in years past. You can view these memories, share them again, or delete them. The feature appears on both the Facebook website and the mobile app.
Facebook automatically creates these memories from your own posts and photos. You do not have to do anything to generate them — the platform stores everything you share and pulls from that archive. The memories appear in a dedicated section you can visit whenever you want, or Facebook can send you notifications when a memory is ready to view.
Key Takeaways
- Open Memories on Facebook by clicking the menu icon (three horizontal lines on mobile, or the down arrow on desktop) and selecting "Memories" from the list.
- Facebook shows you posts and photos from the same date in previous years, pulled from your own account history.
- You can turn off memory notifications in your settings if you do not want Facebook to remind you about old posts.
- Memories you delete from the Memories section are removed from that feature but stay in your timeline unless you delete them there separately.
- The Memories feature only shows your own content — it does not show memories of other people or memories you were tagged in by others.
How to access Memories on the Facebook website
On a computer, log into Facebook and look for the menu icon in the top right corner — it looks like a down arrow next to your profile picture. Click that arrow and a dropdown menu appears. Scroll down until you see "Memories" and click it. You will land on a page showing memories from today in previous years.
If you do not see Memories in that dropdown, try the left sidebar instead. On some accounts, Memories appears as a shortcut in the left navigation panel. Click it directly from there. Either route takes you to the same Memories section.
How to access Memories on the Facebook mobile app
Open the Facebook app on your phone and tap the menu icon at the bottom right — it looks like three horizontal lines (sometimes called a hamburger menu). Scroll down the menu until you find "Memories" and tap it. The Memories page will open, showing you content from today in previous years.
On some phones, the menu icon appears at the bottom center instead of the bottom right, depending on your device and app version. If you cannot find the three-line menu, look for any icon that opens a navigation menu, then scroll to find Memories.
What you see when you open Memories
When you first open Memories, Facebook shows you posts and photos from today's date in previous years. If you posted something on March 15 in 2019, 2020, and 2022, all three posts appear together on March 15 of the current year. The oldest memories appear first, followed by more recent ones.
If you did not post anything on today's date in previous years, Facebook may show you memories from nearby dates instead. You can also navigate to different dates by clicking the date selector at the top of the Memories page. This lets you browse memories from any date you choose, not just today.
Turning off memory notifications
By default, Facebook sends you notifications when a memory is ready to view. If you do not want these notifications, you can turn them off in your settings. On the website, click the down arrow in the top right, select "Settings and privacy," then "Settings." On the left sidebar, click "Notifications." Look for "Memories" in the notification options and toggle it off.
On the mobile app, tap the menu icon, go to "Settings and privacy," then "Settings." Scroll down to "Notifications" and tap it. Find "Memories" and turn off the toggle. You can still visit the Memories section anytime you want — turning off notifications just stops Facebook from reminding you.
Deleting memories you do not want to see
When you view a memory, you can delete it from the Memories feature. Hover over the memory (on desktop) or tap and hold it (on mobile), and a menu appears with options. Click or tap "Delete from Memories." This removes the memory from the Memories section, but the original post or photo stays on your timeline.
If you want to remove the post entirely from Facebook, you need to delete it from your timeline separately. Go to your profile, find the post, click the three dots in the corner, and select "Delete." That removes it completely. Deleting from Memories only hides it from that specific feature.
Understanding what Memories includes and excludes
Memories shows only posts and photos you created and shared yourself. It does not include memories of other people, even if they tagged you in a photo. It does not show memories you were mentioned in or memories from pages you follow. The feature is limited to your own content archive.
Memories also does not show posts you shared from other sources, like articles or videos from news pages, unless you added your own caption or comment. If you straightforward clicked "Share" on someone else's post without adding anything, it may not appear in Memories the same way a photo you uploaded would.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see memories from a specific year?
Yes. At the top of the Memories page, you will see a date selector. Click or tap it to choose any date you want, and Facebook will show memories from that date in previous years. You can jump to any year your account has been active.
What if I do not want Facebook to show me certain memories?
Delete them from the Memories section by hovering or tapping and holding, then selecting "Delete from Memories." You can also delete the original post from your timeline entirely, which removes it from both Memories and your profile. There is no way to block specific types of memories without deleting them individually.
Do my friends see my memories?
No. Memories is a private feature that only you can see. Your friends cannot view your memories section, and Facebook does not post your memories to their feeds unless you choose to share a memory publicly. Sharing a memory is optional — it works like resharing any other post.
Can I recover a memory I deleted?
If you deleted it only from Memories, the original post is still on your timeline and will reappear in Memories on the same date next year. If you deleted the post entirely from your timeline, you cannot recover it through Memories. Facebook does not have a recovery option for permanently deleted posts.
Why is Facebook showing me memories I do not remember posting?
Facebook pulls from everything you have ever shared on the platform, including posts you may have forgotten about. If you shared something years ago and then stopped using that feature, it can feel surprising to see it resurface. You can delete any memory you do not want to see again.