You can delete your own video from Facebook in under a minute
Go to your profile, find the video you want to remove, click the three dots in the top right corner of the post, and select "Delete." Facebook removes it from your timeline, your friends' feeds, and its servers within a few minutes. If the video is shared in a group or someone else reposted it, deleting your original does not remove those copies — you would need to ask the group admin or the person who shared it to take those down separately.
The process is the same whether you posted the video directly to Facebook, uploaded it from your phone, or shared a link to a video hosted elsewhere. Once you delete it, the post is gone from your account history, though Facebook may keep a backup for a limited time for legal or safety reasons.
Key Takeaways
- Click the three dots on your video post and select "Delete" to remove it from your timeline and your friends' feeds within minutes.
- Deleting your video does not remove copies that other people or groups have shared — you must contact them separately to take those down.
- If you want to hide a video without deleting it, you can change who sees it or move it to a private album instead.
- Videos you delete may remain in Facebook's servers temporarily for backup or legal purposes, but they are no longer visible to anyone.
Step-by-step: Delete a video from your timeline
Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture. Scroll down to find the video post you want to delete. Hover over the post with your mouse (or tap and hold on mobile) until you see a three-dot menu icon appear in the top right corner of the post.
Click or tap the three dots. A menu will appear with several options. Select "Delete" from the list. Facebook will ask you to confirm — click "Delete Post" or "Delete" again to finish. The video disappears from your timeline and from your friends' feeds when ready, though it may take a few minutes to vanish from search results or cached pages.
If you cannot find the three-dot menu, make sure you are logged into the account that posted the video. You can only delete posts from your own account; you cannot delete someone else's video unless you are a group admin removing it from a group you manage.
What happens to videos you delete
When you delete a video, Facebook removes it from your profile, your friends' News Feeds, and any search results within minutes. The video no longer appears in your activity log or in anyone else's notifications about your posts. If someone had liked, commented on, or shared your video before you deleted it, those interactions disappear too.
Facebook stores deleted content on backup servers for a limited time — typically 90 days — for legal compliance and to recover data in case of system failures. After that period, the video is permanently removed from Facebook's systems. However, this does not affect copies that other people downloaded, screenshotted, or reposted before you deleted it.
Deleting videos that others have shared or reposted
If someone else shared your video on their timeline or in a group, deleting your original video does not remove their copy. You would need to ask that person to delete their post, or ask a group admin to remove it. Send them a message explaining that you want the video taken down, and most people will do so without much back-and-forth.
If a video has been shared widely and you cannot track down every copy, you can report it to Facebook using the three-dot menu on the reposted version. Select "Find support or report post" and choose a reason — Facebook may remove it if it violates their policies, though they will not remove it straightforward because you changed your mind about sharing it.
Hiding a video instead of deleting it
If you are not sure whether you want to delete a video permanently, you can hide it from your timeline instead. Click the three dots on the post and select "Hide from timeline." The video stays in your account and your activity log, but it no longer appears on your profile or in your friends' feeds. You can unhide it later by going to your activity log, finding the post, and selecting "Show on timeline."
Another option is to change who can see the video. Click the three dots, select "Edit post," and change the privacy setting from "Public" or "Friends" to "Only Me." The video remains on your profile but becomes invisible to everyone except you. You can change it back to a wider audience later if you want.
Videos in groups and on other pages
If you posted a video in a Facebook group, you can delete it the same way — click the three dots and select "Delete." However, if you are not the group admin, you can only delete your own posts, not anyone else's. Group admins can delete any post in their group, including videos.
If you posted a video on someone else's page (like a friend's timeline or a business page), you can delete your own post but not the page owner's comments or reactions to it. If the page owner posted the video themselves, you cannot delete it — you can only ask them to do so or report it if it violates Facebook's policies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a video after I delete it?
Not from Facebook directly. Once you delete a post, it is gone from your account. However, if you downloaded the video file to your computer or phone before posting it, you still have that copy. Facebook does not provide a way to restore deleted posts through their platform.
Will people get notified if I delete a video?
No. People who liked or commented on the video will not receive a notification that it has been deleted. They may notice it is gone if they try to find it later, but Facebook does not send them an alert.
What if I delete a video by accident?
If you deleted it within the last few minutes, you might see an "Undo" option appear at the top of your feed. Click it to restore the post. If that option is gone, you cannot recover it through Facebook. If you have a copy of the video file, you can repost it.
Does deleting a video remove it from Google search results?
Google's search index updates over time, but deleted Facebook videos may remain in search results for days or weeks. You can request removal through Google Search Console if you have access to your Facebook domain settings, but the fastest way is usually just to wait for Google to crawl your profile again and notice the post is gone.
Can I delete a video someone tagged me in?
No. You can only delete videos you posted yourself. If someone else posted a video and tagged you in it, you can untag yourself by clicking the tag and selecting "Remove tag," but you cannot delete the video. You can ask the person who posted it to delete it, or report it to Facebook if it violates their policies.