The basic steps differ by platform, but the process is usually quick

Deleting a post works the same way on most platforms: find the post, tap or click the menu icon (usually three dots), and select delete. On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, the delete option appears in a dropdown menu next to or above the post. On LinkedIn, you tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post card. On Threads, you swipe left on the post (mobile) or hover and click the three dots (desktop). The post disappears from your profile and feed immediately, though it may take a few minutes to vanish from other people's feeds and search results.

The main difference between platforms is where the menu button sits and whether you need to be on your own profile to delete. On most platforms, you can delete your own posts from anywhere — your feed, someone else's profile, or a search result. Some platforms let you delete comments on other people's posts if you wrote them, using the same menu process.

Key Takeaways

  • On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, tap the three dots above or next to the post and select delete from the menu.
  • On LinkedIn and Threads, the process is identical — find the three-dot menu and choose delete.
  • Deleted posts disappear from your profile immediately but may take a few minutes to clear from other people's feeds and search results.
  • You can delete your own posts from anywhere on the platform, but you can only delete comments you wrote on other people's posts.

How to delete a post on Facebook

Open your profile or find the post in your feed. Hover over the post (desktop) or tap and hold it (mobile). A menu will appear with options including "Delete." Tap or click "Delete," then confirm when prompted. The post is removed from your timeline and your friends' feeds.

If you cannot see the three-dot menu, make sure you are logged into the account that posted it. You can only delete posts you created, not posts other people made on your timeline.

How to delete a post on Instagram

Find the post on your profile or in your feed. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post. Select "Delete" from the menu. Confirm the deletion. The post disappears from your profile and the feed.

If the post is a Reel, the process is the same — tap the three dots and select delete. Stories delete automatically after 24 hours, but you can delete them manually by tapping the three dots on the story itself and selecting "Delete."

How to delete a post on TikTok

Go to your profile and find the video you want to delete. Tap the three dots on the right side of the video thumbnail. Select "Delete" from the menu. Confirm when prompted. The video is removed from your profile and the For You feed.

Deleted videos cannot be recovered, so make sure you want to remove it before confirming. If you want to keep the video but hide it from others, you can set it to "Private" instead of deleting it — tap the three dots and select "Private."

How to delete a post on X (Twitter)

Find the post on your profile or in your feed. Tap or click the three dots in the top right corner of the post. Select "Delete" or "Delete Post" from the menu. Confirm the deletion. The post is removed from your profile and the timeline.

On X, deleted posts disappear quickly from most feeds, but they may still appear in search results or cached versions for a short time. If you want to edit a post instead of deleting it, X Premium subscribers can use the edit feature — tap the three dots and select "Edit Post."

How to delete a post on YouTube

Go to your channel and find the video in your uploads. Tap or click the three dots next to the video title. Select "Delete video" from the menu. Confirm the deletion. The video is removed from your channel and YouTube search.

Deleted videos cannot be recovered after 30 days, so YouTube gives you a grace period. If you delete a video by mistake, you can restore it within 30 days by going to your channel settings, selecting "Advanced Settings," and looking for recently deleted videos.

How to delete a post on LinkedIn

Find the post on your profile or in your feed. Tap or click the three dots in the top right corner of the post card. Select "Delete" from the menu. Confirm when prompted. The post is removed from your profile and your connections' feeds.

LinkedIn posts are indexed by search engines, so deleting a post removes it from LinkedIn search but may not remove it from Google search immediately. If you want to keep the post but make it private, you can edit the post and change the visibility setting to "Only you" instead of deleting it.

What happens after you delete a post

The post disappears from your profile and your followers' feeds within seconds on most platforms. However, the removal is not always instant everywhere. People who already saw the post may still have it in their memory or screenshots. Search engines may take hours or days to remove the post from their index. If someone shared or retweeted your post before you deleted it, the original post is gone but the share or retweet may still exist.

On some platforms, deleting a post also deletes comments and likes associated with it. On others, like X, the retweets and quote tweets may remain even after you delete the original post. If you want to remove a specific comment someone left on your post, you can delete that comment individually using the same three-dot menu process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a post after I delete it?

Most platforms do not let you recover deleted posts. YouTube is the exception — you can restore a deleted video within 30 days through your channel settings. On other platforms, once you delete a post, it is gone permanently. If you want to keep a post but hide it, look for a "Private" or "Archive" option instead of deleting.

Will people still see my deleted post if they shared it?

If someone retweeted, shared, or reposted your content before you deleted it, their version may still be visible. You can only delete posts you created. If you want to remove a post that someone else shared, you can ask them to delete their share, but you cannot force them to.

Does deleting a post remove it from Google search?

Deleting a post from the platform removes it from that platform's search, but Google may still have a cached version for a while. You can ask Google to remove the page from search results by using Google Search Console, but this takes time. On most platforms, Google removes cached versions within a few days to a few weeks.

Can I delete someone else's post?

No, you can only delete posts you created. You can delete comments you wrote on other people's posts, and you can report posts that violate the platform's rules, but you cannot delete someone else's post. If a post violates the platform's terms, you can report it and the platform may remove it.

What is the difference between deleting and archiving a post?

Deleting removes the post permanently from your profile and the platform. Archiving hides the post from your public profile and your followers' feeds, but you can still see it in your archive. Not all platforms offer archiving — Instagram, Facebook, and some others do, but TikTok and X do not. Archiving is useful if you want to keep the post but do not want it visible.