Delete a post from your own timeline

To remove a post you have written, find it on your timeline or in your News Feed, then look for the three dots in the top right corner of that post. Click or tap those dots — Facebook calls this the "options menu" — and select Delete. The post disappears immediately.

On a phone, the three dots appear when you swipe left on the post (iPhone) or long-press it (Android). On a computer, hover your mouse over the post to make the dots visible. Once you delete a post, it is gone from your timeline and from your friends' feeds. Facebook does not send a notification that you deleted it.

If you cannot find the three dots, make sure you are looking at a post you actually wrote. You can only delete posts you created yourself — you cannot delete someone else's post from your own timeline, though you can ask them to remove it or hide it from your view.

Key Takeaways

  • Click or tap the three dots on any post you wrote, then select Delete to remove it permanently from your timeline.
  • Deleted posts disappear from your timeline and your friends' feeds right away, and Facebook does not notify anyone that you deleted it.
  • You can only delete posts you created yourself, not posts other people wrote on your timeline.
  • If you want to keep a post but hide it from certain people, use the privacy settings instead of deleting it.
  • On older posts, you may need to scroll down to find the three-dot menu, or refresh your page if it does not appear.

Hide a post instead of deleting it

If you are not sure whether you want to delete a post permanently, you can hide it instead. Hidden posts stay on your timeline but do not show up in your friends' feeds. To hide a post, open the three-dot menu and select Hide from Timeline. Only you will see that the post is hidden — your friends will not receive a notification.

Hidden posts are useful when you want to keep something for your own records but do not want it visible to others right now. You can unhide a post later by opening the three-dot menu again and selecting Show on Timeline. This is different from deleting, because the post still exists in Facebook's system and you can bring it back.

Delete a comment you made on someone else's post

To remove a comment you wrote, find the comment in the thread, then look for the three dots next to your name. Click or tap those dots and select Delete. The comment disappears from the post, and the person who wrote the original post will not see a notification that you deleted your comment.

You can delete your own comments on any post — your friends' posts, public pages, or groups. You cannot delete comments that other people wrote, even on your own posts, though you can hide them or ask the person to remove them. If you want to edit a comment instead of deleting it, select Edit from the same menu.

Remove a post 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 three dots on the post and select Delete. As the group admin or page manager, you can also delete posts that other people wrote in your group or on your page. Open their post's three-dot menu and select Delete Post.

When you delete a post from a group or page you manage, members or followers do not receive a notification. However, if the post had comments or reactions, those disappear too. If you want to keep the post but remove it from public view, you can hide it instead by selecting Hide from the three-dot menu.

What happens to reactions and comments when you delete a post

When you delete a post, all the likes, reactions, and comments on that post disappear as well. The people who commented or reacted do not get a notification that you deleted the post, and they cannot see it anymore. If someone had shared your post to their own timeline, that shared version stays on their timeline — deleting your original post does not remove the shares.

This is important to know if you are deleting a post that started a conversation. Everyone involved in that conversation loses access to it, so if you need to preserve what was said, take a screenshot before you delete.

Recover a post you deleted by mistake

Facebook does not have a built-in "undo" button for deleted posts, and once a post is gone, you cannot recover it through Facebook itself. However, if you deleted a post very recently — within the last few seconds — you may see an Undo option appear at the bottom of your screen. Tap or click it immediately to restore the post.

If you did not see the undo option or it has already disappeared, the post is permanently deleted. You would need to rewrite and repost it manually. This is why it is a good idea to use the hide feature instead of delete if you are uncertain, since hidden posts can always be unhidden later.

Delete posts in bulk from your timeline

Facebook does not have a feature to delete multiple posts at once. You must delete each post individually by opening its three-dot menu and selecting Delete. If you want to remove many old posts, you will need to go through them one by one.

To make this faster, go to your profile, select the Posts tab to see all your posts in one place, then work through them from newest to oldest. On a phone, tap your profile picture, then tap Posts to see the same view. This shows all your posts in chronological order, making it easier to find the ones you want to remove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a post after someone has shared it?

Yes, you can delete your original post anytime. However, if someone else shared your post to their timeline, that shared version will still be visible on their profile even after you delete the original. You would need to ask them to delete their share separately.

Will people know I deleted a post?

No, Facebook does not send notifications when you delete a post. However, if someone had already seen the post and is looking for it later, they will notice it is gone. People who commented on the post will see that their comments have disappeared.

What is the difference between deleting and hiding a post?

Deleting removes the post completely — it no longer exists on Facebook. Hiding keeps the post on your timeline but removes it from your friends' feeds. Only you can see a hidden post. You can unhide it later, but you cannot recover a deleted post.

Can I delete a post I made years ago?

Yes, you can delete any post you wrote, no matter how old it is. Go to your profile, find the post in your timeline or in the Posts tab, open the three-dot menu, and select Delete. There is no time limit on deletion.

What if the three dots do not appear on my post?

Try refreshing your page or closing and reopening Facebook. On a computer, make sure you are hovering your mouse directly over the post. On a phone, try long-pressing the post (Android) or swiping left (iPhone). If the post is very old, it may take a moment to load the menu.