Delete a Facebook Story in Three Steps
You can remove a Facebook story you posted at any time, whether it has been up for an hour or is about to disappear on its own. Open Facebook on your phone or computer, find your story in the top row of the feed, tap or click the three dots in the corner, and select "Delete." The story vanishes immediately and no one can see it anymore.
The process is the same whether you posted a photo, video, or text story. Once deleted, the story cannot be recovered — Facebook does not keep a copy. Anyone who screenshotted your story before you deleted it will still have that image, but the story itself is gone from your profile and from everyone's view.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete your own story at any time by tapping the three dots and selecting "Delete" — it takes about five seconds.
- Deleting a story removes it from everyone's view immediately, including from people who have already seen it.
- You cannot delete someone else's story from your own account, but you can report it to Facebook if it violates their rules.
- Stories you delete are gone permanently and cannot be restored, so make sure before you confirm the deletion.
- If you want to hide a story from specific people without deleting it entirely, you can use the "Hide Story From" option instead.
Delete a Story on Your Phone
Open the Facebook app and look at the top of your feed where stories appear in a horizontal row. Find your own story — it will show your profile picture and name, often with a "Your Story" label. Tap and hold on your story, or tap the three-dot menu icon that appears in the corner of your story thumbnail.
A menu will pop up with several options. Tap "Delete" at the bottom of the menu. Facebook will ask you to confirm — tap "Delete" again. Your story is now removed and will not appear in anyone's feed or on your profile.
If you cannot see the three-dot menu, try tapping directly on your story thumbnail first. The menu should appear after you tap it once.
Delete a Story on Your Computer
Go to Facebook.com and log in. Look at the top of your feed for the row of story circles. Your own story will be the first one, labeled with your name and profile picture. Hover your mouse over your story thumbnail until a three-dot menu appears in the upper right corner of the thumbnail.
Click the three-dot menu. A dropdown list will show. Click "Delete Story." Facebook will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click "Delete" again, and your story is removed.
If the three-dot menu does not appear when you hover, try clicking directly on your story first. The menu should then become visible.
Hide a Story From Specific People Instead of Deleting It
If you want to keep your story but prevent certain people from seeing it, you do not have to delete it. Open the same three-dot menu on your story and select "Hide Story From." A list of your friends will appear. Tap or click the names of people you want to hide the story from, then confirm.
The story stays live for everyone else but those specific people will not see it in their feed. You can hide a story from one person or many people. If you change your mind later, you can unhide it by going back to the same menu and selecting "Show Story To" and choosing those people again.
This option is useful if you want to share something with most of your friends but not with your boss, a family member, or someone else. It keeps the story active without the step of deleting and reposting.
What Happens When You Delete a Story
Once you delete a story, it disappears from your profile, from the feed, and from everyone's view within seconds. People who were in the middle of watching your story when you delete it will see it vanish. No notification is sent to people who already viewed it — they simply will not see it if they try to look at it again.
The deletion is permanent. Facebook does not store deleted stories in an archive or trash folder that you can recover from later. If you realize you deleted something by mistake, you would have to create and post it again from scratch.
People who took screenshots of your story before you deleted it will still have those images on their phones or computers. Deleting the story does not remove screenshots that other people saved. If you are concerned about a screenshot, your only option is to contact that person directly and ask them to delete it.
Report or Remove Someone Else's Story
You cannot delete another person's story from your own account. However, if a story violates Facebook's rules — for example, if it contains harassment, hate speech, or explicit content — you can report it. Tap or click the three-dot menu on that person's story and select "Report Story." Choose the reason it violates Facebook's rules and submit your report.
Facebook reviews reported stories and removes them if they break the community standards. This process usually takes a few hours to a few days. You will not be told whether Facebook took action, but if the story was removed, it will no longer appear in your feed.
If someone is repeatedly posting stories that bother you but do not violate Facebook's rules, you can mute their stories instead. Tap the three-dot menu and select "Mute [Person's] Stories." You will not see their stories anymore, but they will not know you muted them.
Troubleshooting: The Delete Option Does Not Appear
If you cannot find the three-dot menu or the delete option, first make sure you are looking at your own story, not someone else's. Your story will have your profile picture and your name. You can only delete stories that you posted yourself.
If it is your story and the menu still does not appear, try closing the Facebook app completely and opening it again. Sometimes the app needs to refresh. On a computer, try a different browser or clear your browser cache and reload the page.
If you are using an older version of the Facebook app, update it from your phone's app store. Older versions sometimes have bugs that hide the delete option. After updating, the three-dot menu should appear normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a story after 24 hours?
Yes. Stories automatically disappear after 24 hours, but you can delete them before that time is up. Once the 24 hours have passed, the story is gone automatically and there is nothing to delete. If you want to remove a story before it expires on its own, delete it manually using the three-dot menu.
Will people know I deleted my story?
No. Facebook does not send a notification when you delete a story. People who saw it before you deleted it will simply not see it if they try to look at it again. There is no way for them to know you deleted it unless you tell them.
Can I undo a story deletion?
No. Once you delete a story, it is gone permanently and cannot be restored. If you want to post the same content again, you will have to create a new story from scratch. Make sure you want to delete before you confirm the deletion.
What is the difference between deleting and archiving a story?
Facebook does not have an archive feature for stories. You can only delete them or hide them from specific people. If you want to save a story before deleting it, take a screenshot or save the photo or video to your phone first, then delete the story from Facebook.
If I delete my story, will it remove comments people left on it?
Stories do not have a comments section like posts do. People can react to stories with emoji or send you a direct message about a story, but those reactions and messages are separate from the story itself. Deleting the story does not delete the messages people sent you about it.