Delete a post from your own timeline in three steps

Open Facebook and find the post you want to remove. Hover your mouse over the top right corner of the post — you will see three dots appear. Click those dots, then select Delete from the menu that opens. Facebook removes the post when ready, and it no longer appears on your timeline or in your friends' feeds.

On a phone or tablet, tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post instead of hovering. The same Delete option appears. Tap it, and the post is gone.

Once you delete a post, Facebook does not show it to anyone anymore. Your friends cannot see it, search results do not return it, and it does not appear in your activity history. The deletion is permanent — you cannot undo it after you confirm.

Key Takeaways

  • Find the post, click or tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select Delete to remove it from your timeline when ready.
  • Deleted posts disappear from your timeline, your friends' feeds, and search results, and the action cannot be undone.
  • If you want to hide a post without deleting it, use the Archive option instead, which removes it from your timeline but keeps it in your archive folder.
  • Posts you delete are gone from Facebook's public view within minutes, though Facebook's servers may retain data for their own records.
  • If someone else posted on your timeline, you can delete their post from your timeline without deleting it from their profile.

The difference between deleting and archiving a post

Deleting removes the post entirely — no one can see it, and you cannot retrieve it. Archiving hides the post from your timeline and your friends' view, but stores it in a private archive folder that only you can access. Choose archiving if you might want to look at the post later or if you are unsure whether you want to remove it permanently.

To archive a post instead of deleting it, click the three dots, select Archive, and the post moves to your archive. Your friends will not see it on your timeline anymore. You can view archived posts by going to your profile, clicking the three-line menu, and selecting Archive. From there, you can restore the post to your timeline or delete it permanently.

Deleting posts other people made on your timeline

If someone posted directly on your timeline and you want it gone, you can delete it without affecting their profile. Find the post, click the three dots, and select Delete. The post disappears from your timeline, but it still appears on their profile and in their friends' feeds.

The person who posted it will not receive a notification that you deleted it, but they may notice it is missing from your timeline if they look. If you want to prevent someone from posting on your timeline in the future, you can adjust your privacy settings to review posts before they appear, or block the person entirely.

What happens to comments and reactions when you delete a post

When you delete a post, all the comments and reactions attached to it disappear as well. Your friends' likes, emoji reactions, and written comments all vanish along with the post. If someone had a meaningful conversation in the comments, that conversation is lost.

If you only want to remove some comments but keep the post, you can delete individual comments instead. Hover over a comment, click the three dots that appear, and select Delete. That single comment is removed, but the post and other comments remain.

Deleting posts from a group or page you manage

If you posted something in a Facebook group or on a page you manage, the deletion process is the same: find the post, click the three dots, and select Delete. The post is removed from the group or page when ready.

If you are an admin or moderator of a group, you can also delete posts that other members made. This is useful for removing spam, off-topic content, or posts that violate the group's rules. Members will not be notified when you delete their post, but they may see it is missing if they look for it.

Recovering a post you deleted by accident

Facebook does not offer a way to restore a post after you delete it. Once you confirm the deletion, the post is gone from your account permanently. There is no undo button or recovery folder.

If you deleted a post and want to recreate it, you will need to write it again from scratch. This is why archiving is useful — if you are not certain you want to delete something, archive it first and delete it later if you decide you do not need it.

Bulk deleting multiple posts at once

Facebook does not have a built-in tool to delete many posts at the same time. You must delete posts one at a time by finding each one, clicking the three dots, and selecting Delete. If you have many posts to remove, this takes time, but it is the only method Facebook offers.

If you want to clean up your entire timeline quickly, consider archiving posts instead of deleting them. You can archive multiple posts faster than deleting them individually, and you keep the option to restore them later if you change your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a post if someone else shared it?

You can only delete posts from your own timeline and profile. If someone else shared your post on their timeline, you cannot delete it from their profile. You can ask them to remove it, or you can delete the original post from your timeline — their share will remain on their profile but may show as unavailable.

Does Facebook notify people when I delete a post?

No. Facebook does not send notifications when you delete a post. People will not know you removed it unless they were looking at it when you deleted it or they notice it is missing from your timeline later.

What if I delete a post but someone already screenshotted it?

Deleting a post from Facebook removes it from the platform, but it does not remove copies people may have saved elsewhere. If someone took a screenshot or saved the post before you deleted it, they still have that image. Deletion only controls what appears on Facebook itself.

Can I delete a post from years ago?

Yes. You can delete any post you made, no matter how old it is. Find it by scrolling through your timeline or by using Facebook's search function to locate posts from a specific time period, then delete it the same way you would delete a recent post.

If I delete a post, does it affect my privacy?

Deleting a post removes it from public view on Facebook, but Facebook's servers may retain information about the post for their own records. If you are concerned about your privacy, deleting posts is one step, but you should also review your privacy settings to control who can see your timeline and what information you share.