By design, Facebook Stories are ephemeral: they self-destruct after twenty-four hours of attracting likes, comments, and views. But what if you want to delete the story before the algorithm automatically sends it into digital oblivion?
The action is super simple and intuitive, plus you can do it as soon as the story is online, thus avoiding possible embarrassing situations. This article will give you a proven method to get rid of history. And there are also other tips on how to use this disappearing feature.
Delete a Facebook story
This quick guide assumes you’re already logged into your Facebook account on a desktop or mobile app. Speaking of which, the action is the same on computers and mobile devices. Therefore, there is no need to include additional steps.
Note: When you use Facebook on your desktop, the story may not immediately appear in your Feed. If this happens, click “See All” and select your username. There is also a notification that you have an active story.
Step 1
Once your Story is online, click or tap it and select the three horizontal dots in the top right corner of the screen.
This action reveals a More menu and you must choose “Delete Photo” to remove the Story from the Feed. If you used a video, the option will say “Delete Video.”
Step 2
After clicking or tapping the designated option, a pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your decision. Select “Delete” to confirm.
Anyway, the More menu offers many options besides “Delete video/photo”. The “Something went wrong” feature is there to help you fix Story issues.
You should briefly describe the problem and perhaps include a screenshot of the problem. But this should only be used when there is some serious problem with the system.
For example, you can use this query if Facebook is still not publishing your Stories, both on desktop and in the mobile app. The same thing happens if all Stories appear black or do not play when loaded.
Otherwise, it’s much easier to delete the story and try to post it again. With this in mind, Facebook responds very quickly to your query and you may get to the bottom of the problem within hours.
Delete a story before publishing it
There is no reason or option to delete a story before publishing it; Facebook does not save your story as a draft. If you are not happy with the result, use the edit menu to make it look better. Or you can simply tap or click the left arrow button and choose the “Discard History” option to exit to the main menu.
How to extend the life cycle of a story
Now that you know how to permanently delete a Story, it’s time to see how to keep it for more than twenty-four hours. But there is one thing you should know.
When you enable Facebook Stories Archive, all your stories end up there. There is no way to program the social network to automatically preserve some Stories and delete others. And if you decide you no longer need the Archive, all saved Stories will be deleted.
Again, the same steps apply to Facebook desktop and the mobile app, so there’s no need for separate guides.
Step 1
If you’re on the mobile app, tap your profile photo and select three horizontal dots next to “Add Story.” Desktop users should choose their username and click the three horizontal dots below the cover photo.
Step 2
Tap “Archive” and then “Stories Archive” on the next screen.
Step 3
You will now see all the stories you have archived. On the desktop, click “Settings” and then “Turn on story archiving.” On a mobile device, press the three horizontal dots at the top of the screen, then select “Settings.” From here, you can activate the Archive.
The good thing about this feature is that it also saves all the reactions and comments to your Stories.
Delete an archived story
This action is similar to deleting active stories. But this time you’ll be taken to the Archive instead of the Stories feed.
So press the three dots to enter the More menu and choose “File” and then “Stories Archive.” Now, choose the Story you want to delete and press the three horizontal dots again.
Select “Delete video/photo” from the drop-down menu and confirm your choice in the pop-up window. That’s it, the archived story is gone.
In general, the menus for managing stories are very good and intuitive. The only thing that could be better is choosing which stories to archive. Something like an option to save only the stories that have the most reactions or comments.
Frequent questions
Can I share a story with selected friends on Facebook?
Yes. Unfortunately, the process is not as seamless as Instagram Story. When you’re on the editing page, tap the “Privacy” option in the bottom left corner.
You can make your story public, share it with friends, or use the “Custom” option to share it with specific people.
If you only want some of your friends to see your Story, use the Privacy option to control who can see it.
What does history tell you?
In addition to the functions described, you can also filter the users who can see your Story. Before posting, there is a Privacy button to focus on the people who will appreciate your post. Be careful if you choose Public, anyone with Messenger or Facebook will be able to see it.
How often do you post Stories on Facebook? Are your Facebook stories different from the ones you post on Instagram? Share your preferences in the comments section below.
