Your every interaction on Facebook—whether it’s liking a post or viewing a video—is meticulously recorded in the background. If the idea of your digital trace sticking around makes you anxious, there’s no need to fret; you have the ability to delete it. This comprehensive guide will show you how to remove either select bits or your entire Facebook history.
Follow these effective methods to restore your privacy.
How to Delete Your Facebook History on PC
To begin reviewing your Facebook activity, launch the site in your preferred browser and click on your profile picture located in the top-right corner. From the drop-down menu, select Settings & Privacy.
Next, click on Settings.
On the left-hand menu, scroll until you locate the Your Activity and Permissions section, then click on Activity Log.
On the right side of the screen, you can now view your activity history. Facebook tracks a variety of your activities, including:
- Your live videos
- Videos you searched for
- Videos you watched
- Your search history
- Comments you’ve made
- Posts and comments in groups
- Stories activity
- Pages you like and interests
- Active sessions
- Relationship info
It’s important to note that Facebook doesn’t provide an option to delete all your history in one fell swoop. You’ll need to individually review each section and decide what to erase.
For instance, within the Videos You’ve Watched section, you’ll find a comprehensively indexed list of videos you’ve previously viewed. If you’d like to reminisce, you can always select the View button to re-watch.
To delete specific videos, click the three dots adjacent to the video and select Delete. If you wish to erase your entire viewing history, simply scroll to the top and click on Clear Video Watch History.
Removing Saved Facebook Stories and More
For additional stored data, venture to the Activity Log menu on the left and select Your Facebook Activity.
You’ll encounter a variety of categories such as Comments, Posts, Groups, Pages, Polls, and more.
It’s crucial to scrutinize each category thoroughly to determine if the information is benign enough to retain. You may discover entries that warrant deletion.
For example, Facebook automatically archives the Stories you post. If you’d rather not keep these, navigate to the Stories section and select it.
Here, you can review your Story Activity and delete anything you don’t wish to keep. To delete all at once, simply check the box at the top and click Remove.
To stop Facebook from saving your stories in the future, head back to Settings & Privacy > Settings and locate the Audience and Visibility section. Click on Stories and disable the Archiving your stories option.
How to Delete Your Facebook History on Mobile
There’s no need to access Facebook through your PC to manage your history; the mobile app conveniently allows for this as well.
Open the app and tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
Next, select Settings & Privacy, followed by Settings.
Find the Your Activity and Permissions section and tap on Activity Log.
Swipe through the blue tags to review your complete Facebook activity, including Live Videos, Page Likes, Story Activity, Search History, and more.
To delete an individual activity, tap the three dots and choose Delete.
For complete removal within a section, locate the option at the top, like Clear Video Watch History.
Managing Archived Facebook Stories and More
On the Activity Log screen, find the Your Facebook Activity section directly beneath the tags in blue.
Press the Manage button to modify any relevant sections. Be sure to review each one carefully.
You can delete individual entries or the whole list (though this option might not be available for all categories, such as Stories) by following the same steps illustrated earlier.
To access your story archive, select the Stories category.
Tap on Archived Stories to remove any saved memories.
Is It Possible to Disable Facebook History Permanently?
You might be curious whether there’s an option to completely disable Facebook’s activity tracking to prevent the app from monitoring your every move. Unfortunately, Facebook currently lacks a built-in feature for this purpose. Regular checks of your Activity Log will be necessary for maintaining your privacy.
Armed with the knowledge of how to cleanse your history, you may also want to explore further options to enhance your Facebook privacy, ensuring that your online footprint remains as minimal as possible.
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