What a Facebook Story is and why you might use it
A Facebook Story is a photo or video that appears at the top of your Facebook feed and disappears after 24 hours. Unlike a regular post that stays on your profile, Stories are temporary — they're meant to show what you're doing right now, not what you want to keep forever. You can add text, stickers, filters, and music to make them more interesting.
Stories are useful when you want to share something casual without cluttering your main timeline. Many people use them to show behind-the-scenes moments, quick updates, or just to stay in touch with friends without posting something permanent. Your friends can see your Story in the Stories bar at the top of their feed, and they can react to it by sending you a message or a quick emoji response.
Key Takeaways
- You start a Story by tapping the camera icon or your profile picture at the top of your feed, then take a photo or video.
- Facebook Stories last for 24 hours and then disappear, so they're better for temporary updates than permanent posts.
- You can add text, stickers, filters, and music to your Story before sharing it to make it more visually interesting.
- Only people you've chosen to share with can see your Story — you control who sees it in your privacy settings.
- You can delete a Story before the 24 hours are up if you change your mind about sharing it.
How to create a Story on your phone
Open the Facebook app and look at the top of your feed. You'll see a row of profile pictures — this is the Stories bar. On the left side of that bar, you'll see your own profile picture with a plus sign or a camera icon next to it. Tap that icon to start creating a Story.
Facebook will open your phone's camera. You can take a photo by tapping the large circle button at the bottom, or hold it down to record a video. You can also swipe up to access photos and videos already saved on your phone. Once you've captured or selected what you want to share, tap the arrow or "Next" button to move to the editing screen.
On the editing screen, you'll see your photo or video in the center. At the bottom and sides of the screen, you'll see icons for adding text, stickers, filters, and music. Tap any of these to customize your Story. When you're happy with how it looks, tap "Share to Story" at the bottom right to post it.
Adding text, filters, and stickers to your Story
To add text, tap the "Aa" icon on the editing screen. A text box will appear where you can type whatever you want. You can change the font, size, and color by tapping the text and using the options that appear. Drag the text box around the screen to position it where you want it.
Filters are visual effects that change how your photo or video looks — they might add colors, blur the background, or create a fun effect. Tap the smiley face icon to see available filters. Swipe left and right through the options and tap one to apply it. You can layer multiple filters by tapping the icon again after you've chosen one.
Stickers are small images or graphics you can place on your Story. Tap the sticker icon (usually a smiley or star) to open the sticker library. You'll see categories like emoji, GIFs, and location stickers. Tap the one you want, then tap again on your photo or video to place it. You can resize stickers by pinching them with two fingers, and drag them around to reposition them.
Adding music to your Story
To add music, tap the music note icon on the editing screen. Facebook will show you a library of songs organized by mood, genre, and trending tracks. Scroll through and tap a song to preview it. When you find one you like, tap it again to add it to your Story.
The song will start playing from the beginning, but you can tap the song title at the top of your Story to choose a different part of the song to start from. This is useful if you want to skip the intro or start at a more interesting moment. The music will play while people watch your Story, and they'll see the song title and artist name displayed on it.
Controlling who sees your Story
By default, your Story is visible to all your Facebook friends. If you want to change who can see it, tap "Share to Story" and look for the privacy icon — it usually shows a globe or a group of people. Tap it to open your privacy options.
You can choose to share your Story with everyone, only close friends, specific people, or exclude certain people. If you select "Close Friends," only people you've marked as close friends can see it. If you select "Custom," you can type in specific names to include or exclude. Make your choice, then tap "Share to Story" to post it with those privacy settings.
Deleting or hiding a Story
If you change your mind about a Story after posting it, you can delete it before the 24 hours are up. Go to your profile and look for your Story in the Stories bar at the top. Tap and hold on your Story (or right-click on desktop), and you'll see a menu with the option to delete it. Tap "Delete" and the Story will be removed immediately.
You can also hide a Story from specific people without deleting it entirely. Tap and hold your Story, then select "Hide Story from" and choose the people you want to exclude. They won't be able to see that Story, but it will still be visible to everyone else for the next 24 hours.
Viewing who has seen your Story
After you post a Story, you can see how many people have viewed it. Tap your Story in the Stories bar, and at the bottom of the screen you'll see a number with an eye icon — that's your view count. Tap that number to see a list of people who have watched your Story.
The list shows viewers in order, with the most recent at the bottom. If someone has watched your Story multiple times, they'll appear once in the list. Note that if someone has hidden their activity status from you, they may still watch your Story but won't appear in your viewer list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can people screenshot my Facebook Story?
Yes, people can take screenshots of your Story without you being notified. Facebook does not alert you when someone screenshots a Story like some other apps do. If you're concerned about privacy, consider limiting who can see your Story through your privacy settings.
What happens to my Story after 24 hours?
Your Story automatically disappears from the Stories bar after 24 hours and is no longer visible to anyone. However, Facebook saves it in your "Stories Archive" for you to look back at later. You can access your archive from your profile settings if you want to review old Stories.
Can I post the same photo as both a Story and a regular post?
Yes, you can share the same photo in both places. When you're creating a Story, after you tap "Share to Story," you'll see an option to also post it to your timeline as a regular post. You can check that box to do both at the same time, or just post it as a Story.
Why can't I see the music option on my Story?
The music feature may not be available in all countries or on all accounts. If you don't see the music icon, your region or account type might not have access to it yet. You can still add music through other methods, like recording a video with music playing in the background.
Can I edit a Story after I've posted it?
No, you cannot edit a Story once it's been shared. If you want to change something, you'll need to delete the original Story and create a new one with the changes you want to make.