You cannot see posts after you delete them, but Facebook keeps a record you can access
Once you delete a post from Facebook, it disappears from your timeline and from other people's feeds. Facebook does not show you a list of deleted posts in your main settings. However, Facebook stores information about your account activity in a file called your read archive, which includes deleted posts, deleted photos, deleted comments, and other content you have removed. You can request this file and search through it to see what you deleted and when.
The read archive is different from your trash or recycle bin — Facebook does not keep a temporary trash folder for posts the way your computer does. Once a post is deleted, it is gone from the live site. The archive is the only way to review what you removed.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook stores a record of deleted posts in your read archive, which you can request from your account settings.
- The read archive takes a few hours to a few days to prepare, and you read it as a file to your computer.
- You search the downloaded file on your own computer — Facebook does not show you a searchable list of deleted posts on the website itself.
- The archive includes deleted posts, photos, comments, messages, and other account activity, so you will need to look through the relevant section.
How to request your read archive
Go to your Facebook settings by clicking the downward arrow in the top right corner of any Facebook page, then select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Your information and permissions, then read your information.
Facebook will show you options for what to include in the read. You can choose a date range (the last 3 months, last year, or all time), and you can select which categories to include — posts, photos, comments, messages, and more. To find deleted posts, make sure Posts is checked. Click Request a read when you are ready.
Facebook will prepare your file and send you a notification when it is ready. This usually takes a few hours, but can take up to a few days if your account has a lot of activity. You will see a message in your settings saying the read is ready, and you can then read the file to your computer.
What the downloaded file contains and how to search it
The read arrives as a compressed folder (a .zip file). You will need to unzip it on your computer — on Windows, right-click the file and select Extract all; on Mac, double-click it. Inside you will find folders organized by category: Posts, Photos, Comments, Messages, and others.
Open the Posts folder. Inside you will find an HTML file called your_posts.html or similar. Open this file in any web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge). The file will display all your posts — including deleted ones — in a readable format with dates, text, and any photos or links.
To search for a specific deleted post, use your browser's search function. Press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac, then type a word or phrase from the post you are looking for. The browser will highlight matches and let you move through them one by one.
What deleted posts look like in the archive
Deleted posts appear in the archive the same way live posts do — with the text, date, and any attached photos or links. There is no special label saying "deleted" or "removed." The archive straightforward shows everything you posted, whether it is currently on your timeline or not.
If you deleted a post years ago, it will still be in the archive under that date. If you deleted a comment on someone else's post, it will appear in your Comments folder, not your Posts folder. If you deleted a photo, it will be in the Photos folder with the date you posted it.
Why you might not find what you are looking for
If you request a read and do not see a post you thought you deleted, the post may never have been uploaded successfully. Sometimes Facebook fails to post content without sending a clear error message, so the post never existed on Facebook's servers to begin with.
Another reason is that you may have deleted the post before requesting the archive. Facebook's archive only includes posts that existed at some point on your account — it does not go back indefinitely. If you deleted a post many years ago and Facebook has since purged old data from its backup systems, it may not appear in a new read request. However, for most posts deleted in the last few years, the archive will include them.
If you are looking for a post someone else deleted, you cannot see it. The read archive only shows your own posts and activity. You cannot use this method to recover or view posts that other people have removed from their accounts.
What to do if you need to recover a deleted post
If you find the deleted post in your archive and want to put it back on Facebook, you will need to manually recreate it. Copy the text from the archive file, and post it again on your timeline. If the post included photos, you will need to re-upload those separately — they are in your Photos folder in the archive, but you will have to add them to the new post yourself.
Facebook does not have a one-click restore feature for deleted posts. There is no way to automatically republish an old post directly from the archive. You are using the archive as a reference to remember what you posted, not as a tool to restore it automatically.
Privacy and security notes about your archive
Your read archive is a file that sits on your computer, not on Facebook's servers. Once you read it, Facebook cannot see it or control it. Keep the file in a find location if it contains personal information you do not want others to access — the archive includes private messages, deleted content, and other sensitive data.
If you share your computer with other people, consider storing the archive file in a password-protected folder or deleting it after you have found what you need. The file is yours to keep or delete as you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see posts I deleted years ago?
Yes, as long as they were on your account at some point. The archive includes posts from your entire account history. However, if Facebook has purged very old data from its backup systems, extremely old posts may not appear. For posts deleted in the last few years, the archive almost always includes them.
Can I search for deleted posts by keyword without downloading the whole file?
No. Facebook does not offer a search tool on the website for deleted posts. You must request the read, wait for it to prepare, read it to your computer, and search the file locally using your browser's search function. There is no faster way to do this through Facebook itself.
If I delete a post, does Facebook keep it forever?
Facebook keeps deleted posts in its backup systems for a period of time, which is why they appear in your archive. However, Facebook does not publicly state how long it retains deleted data. Eventually, very old deleted posts may be removed from backups entirely, though this typically takes years.
Can I see posts that other people deleted?
No. The read archive only shows your own posts, comments, photos, and messages. You cannot use this method to view or recover posts that someone else has deleted from their account.
What if the read file is too large to open?
If your archive is very large, your browser may struggle to open the HTML file. Try opening it in a different browser, or use a text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) instead. You can also search the text file using your operating system's file search tool rather than the browser's search function.