How Do I Retrieve a Hidden or Deleted Facebook Post?

Introduction

If you've hidden or deleted a Facebook post by mistake, you may be able to recover it. Hidden posts still exist on your profile, while deleted posts are moved to the trash folder for 30 days before disappearing permanently.

Whether you want to recover a status update, photo, or comment, follow the steps below to retrieve a hidden or deleted Facebook post.

Go to the Facebook homepage

The first step in retrieving a Facebook post is logging in to your account. Open a new browser tab, type www.facebook.com in the address bar, and press Enter on your keyboard.

Sign in to your account

Enter your email address or phone number and password in the relevant fields and click Log in.

Open the Settings & privacy menu

You are now in your Facebook profile. Click on your profile picture or the person icon located in the top-right corner. Select Settings & privacy from the menu.

Open the Activity Log

From the new menu, select Activity log.

To retrieve a hidden post, click Archive, then Posts archive

The next step depends on whether you want to retrieve a hidden or deleted post. For hidden posts, scroll down the menu on the left until you find Archive. Click the down arrow and select Posts archive.

If you want to recover a deleted post, skip this and the next step.

Find the post you want to retrieve and choose Restore to profile

All your hidden/archived posts should be listed on the right, including status updates and photos. Locate the one you want to retrieve. If you can't find the content, try filtering the list to a specific date range. Click Date under the Filters heading in the right-hand menu, choose a year and month, and hit Save changes.

Once you've found the post you want to retrieve, click on the three dots to the right, and select Restore to profile. If there is more than 1 post you wish to retrieve, tick the box to the left of each item and use the menu at the top to restore all selected posts.

Your hidden content will now be restored to where you originally posted it and visible to the same audience that could previously view it.

Retrieve a deleted Facebook post

If you made a mistake and deleted a Facebook post, you have 30 days to reverse the deletion and retrieve the post.

After opening the Activity Log, scroll down and choose Trash from the left-hand menu.

Find the post and archive or restore it

Deleted content that can still be retrieved will be listed on the right-hand side. Locate the post you want to recover, click the three dots on the right, and select Restore to profile. If you want to retrieve the content but don't want it visible on your profile, you can choose to archive it instead.

Conclusion

Facebook makes it possible for users to retrieve hidden or deleted content through the Activity Log. Hidden and archived content remains on your profile and can always be recovered, while deleted posts can be recovered from the Trash folder for up to 30 days.

After 30 days, deleted posts, comments, photos, and other content will be permanently removed from your account. If you're struggling to find a hidden post or have any questions, search the Facebook Help Center or contact the customer service team.