The fastest way depends on what you remember about the post
Facebook's search function finds old posts, but it works best when you remember specific words from the post itself. If you search for a phrase that appeared in the text, Facebook will return matching posts in reverse chronological order — newest first. The search bar at the top of your Facebook page accepts text searches, hashtags, and the names of people who posted.
If you remember roughly when the post appeared, you can scroll through your timeline or someone else's timeline manually. This is slower but works when you only remember the general timeframe — "sometime in 2019" or "last summer". Facebook timelines load older posts as you scroll down, so you can keep going back in time until you find what you're looking for.
For posts you made yourself, Facebook's archive tool lets you jump to a specific month and year without scrolling through everything in between. This is the most direct route if you're searching your own history.
Key Takeaways
- Search for specific words or phrases from the post using the search bar at the top of Facebook — this returns results fastest when you remember what the post said.
- Scroll backward through a timeline to find posts from a specific month or year if you remember when it was posted but not what it said.
- Use Facebook's archive tool on your own profile to jump directly to a specific month without scrolling through years of posts.
- Hashtags and people's names work in Facebook search, so you can search for #hashtag or a person's name to narrow results to posts that mention them.
- Facebook's search does not find posts that were deleted, and it may not return very old posts if they were made before Facebook's current search system was built.
Using Facebook's search bar to find posts by text
Click or tap the search bar at the top of your Facebook page — it says "Search Facebook". Type a word or phrase you remember from the post. Facebook will show you posts, people, pages, and groups that match your search, with posts appearing in a section labeled "Posts".
The search works best with specific phrases. Searching for "birthday party" will return thousands of posts; searching for "Sarah's 30th birthday party at the lake" will narrow the results much more. If you remember the name of a person in the post or a hashtag that appeared with it, include that in your search too.
Results appear in reverse chronological order, so the newest matching posts show first. If you don't see what you're looking for in the first few results, scroll down to see older matches. Facebook's search goes back to the beginning of your account history, though very old posts may not appear if they were posted before Facebook's current search system was implemented.
Scrolling through a timeline to find posts from a specific time period
Go to your own profile or the profile of the person whose post you're looking for. Scroll down through their timeline — Facebook loads older posts automatically as you scroll. This method works when you remember roughly when the post appeared but not what it said.
Scrolling is slow for finding posts from years ago, since you have to move through every post in between. But if you're looking for something from a few months back or you want to browse through a specific season or event, scrolling can be faster than searching for words you don't quite remember.
On a mobile phone, you can scroll faster by tapping the person's name at the top of their profile, which sometimes shows a month-and-year selector. On a computer, there is no built-in month selector for other people's profiles, so scrolling is your only option.
Using the archive tool on your own profile
If you're searching for a post you made yourself, Facebook has a tool that lets you jump to a specific month without scrolling. On your profile, look for the three-line menu icon (sometimes called a hamburger menu) and select "Archive" or "Your Activity". This shows your posts organized by month and year.
Click on the month and year you think the post appeared in, and Facebook will show you all the posts you made during that time. This is much faster than scrolling through your entire timeline, especially if you're looking for something from several years ago.
The archive tool only works on your own profile. To find posts on someone else's profile, you'll need to use search or scroll through their timeline.
Finding posts by hashtag or by a specific person
If the post included a hashtag, search for that hashtag in the search bar. Type the hashtag exactly as you remember it — #FamilyReunion or #VacationPhotos — and Facebook will show all posts that use that hashtag. This works across all of Facebook, not just your own posts or your friends' posts.
You can also search for a person's name to see posts that mention them or were posted by them. If you remember that your friend Sarah posted about a trip, search for "Sarah" and filter the results to show only posts. This narrows the results to posts that involve Sarah in some way.
Hashtag and name searches are useful when you remember who was involved in the post but not the exact words used. They cast a wider net than phrase searches, so you may see more results, but they can help you find posts you'd miss with a more specific search.
What to do if you can't find the post
If your search returns no results, the post may have been deleted — either by the person who posted it or by Facebook itself if it violated Facebook's policies. Deleted posts cannot be recovered through search or any other method on Facebook.
Very old posts, especially those from the early years of Facebook, may not appear in search results even if they still exist. Facebook's search system has changed over time, and some older posts were not indexed in a way that makes them searchable today. If you're looking for something from 2008 or 2009, try scrolling through the timeline instead of searching.
If you're looking for a post on someone else's profile and their privacy settings are set to hide their timeline from you, you won't be able to find their posts through search or by scrolling. You would need to ask them directly or have them share the post with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I search for Facebook posts by date?
Facebook's search bar does not have a date filter, but you can narrow results by searching for words that were likely only used on a specific date — like "Happy New Year" for January 1st posts. For your own posts, the archive tool lets you jump to a specific month. For other people's posts, scrolling through their timeline is the most direct way to find posts from a particular time.
Will Facebook search find posts that are set to private?
No. If a post is set to private and you don't have permission to see it, Facebook search will not return it in your results. You'll only see posts that are set to public or that are shared with you directly. If you're looking for a private post someone made, you'll need to ask them to share it with you or change its privacy settings.
Can I find posts I deleted?
No. Once you delete a post, it's gone from Facebook and cannot be recovered through search or any other method. If you think you might want to find a post later, consider archiving it instead of deleting it — archived posts are hidden from your timeline but still exist and can be unarchived.
What if I only remember a photo but not the words in the post?
Facebook does not have a reverse image search tool built into the site. If you remember roughly when the photo was posted, scroll through the timeline during that time period. If you remember who posted it, go to their profile and scroll. You can also try searching for the name of the place or event in the photo if you remember those details.
Does Facebook search work the same way on mobile and desktop?
The search function works the same way on both, but the layout is slightly different. On mobile, the search bar is at the top of the screen. On desktop, it's also at the top. Both versions return the same results, though mobile may show fewer results per screen before you need to scroll to see more.