Delete a video from your own Facebook profile or page
To remove a video you posted, go to your profile or page and find the video in your timeline. Click or tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post. A menu will appear with options including "Delete." Click "Delete" and confirm when Facebook asks if you're sure. The video and the post disappear immediately from your profile, your friends' feeds, and Facebook's servers — though Facebook may keep a backup copy for a limited time for legal or safety reasons.
If you posted the video to a group or event instead of your own timeline, the process is the same: find the post, click the three dots, select "Delete," and confirm. Group admins or event organizers can also delete videos posted by other members, but regular members can only delete their own.
On mobile, the three-dot menu may appear as three vertical dots or as a menu icon depending on your phone's operating system. The location is always in the top right corner of the post itself, not the video player.
Key Takeaways
- Click the three dots on any video post you created and select "Delete" to remove it permanently from your profile and your friends' feeds.
- Deletion happens immediately, but Facebook retains backup copies for a period of time for legal compliance and safety investigations.
- You can only delete videos you posted yourself unless you are a group admin or event organizer with permission to remove others' content.
- If you want to hide a video without deleting it, you can change its privacy settings to "Only Me" or delete just the post while keeping the video in your account.
The difference between deleting and hiding a video
Deleting removes the post entirely. Hiding keeps the video in your account but changes who can see it. If you click the three dots and choose "Edit Privacy" instead of "Delete," you can set the video to "Only Me," which means only you can see it on your profile. Friends and followers will no longer see it in their feeds or on your timeline, but the video still exists in your account.
Hiding is useful if you might want to share the video again later or if you want to keep it private without losing it. Deleting is permanent and is the right choice if you don't want the video to exist on Facebook at all.
What happens after you delete a video
Once you delete a video, it stops appearing on your timeline, in your friends' feeds, and in search results within minutes. Anyone who saw the video before deletion may still remember it, but they cannot find it on Facebook anymore. If someone shared your video before you deleted it, their copy of the post remains on their timeline — deleting your original does not remove shares.
Facebook keeps deleted content in its backup systems for a limited period. This backup is not visible to you or anyone else, but Facebook uses it for legal holds, law enforcement requests, and to investigate reports of abuse. After that retention period, Facebook deletes the backup copy as well. The exact length of the retention period varies and is not publicly specified.
Deleting videos from a Facebook page you manage
If you manage a Facebook page for a business, organization, or public figure, the process is identical to deleting from a personal profile. Find the video post on the page timeline, click the three dots, and select "Delete." Only page admins and editors can delete videos from a page. Other roles with posting permission cannot remove content once it is posted.
If multiple people manage the page, any admin can delete any video, regardless of who posted it. There is no way to see who deleted a video or when it was deleted — the action log does not record deletions, only edits and new posts.
Recovering a deleted video
Facebook does not provide a way for you to recover a video you deleted. Once you confirm the deletion, it is gone from your account. If you have the original video file on your computer or phone, you can upload it again, but Facebook will treat it as a new post with a new timestamp.
If you deleted a video by mistake and need it back urgently, your only option is to re-upload the file if you still have it. Facebook's support team cannot restore deleted videos for personal accounts. Pages and groups have slightly different policies — contact Facebook through the Help Center if you manage a page or group and believe a deletion was made in error.
Removing videos others tagged you in
If someone else posted a video and tagged you in it, you cannot delete the video itself. You can only remove yourself from the tag. Click the three dots on the post, select "Remove Tag," and you will no longer appear in the video or in notifications about it. The video stays on the other person's timeline.
If the video violates Facebook's policies — for example, it contains nudity, harassment, or hate speech — you can report it instead. Click the three dots and select "Report Video." Facebook will review it and may remove it if it breaks the rules. Reporting does not may provide removal, but it alerts Facebook's moderation team.
Bulk deletion and archiving options
Facebook does not have a built-in tool to delete multiple videos at once. You must delete them one at a time. If you want to hide a large number of old posts without deleting them, you can use the Archive feature instead. Click the three dots on a post and select "Archive." Archived posts disappear from your timeline but stay in your account under a separate archive section that only you can see.
Archiving is useful if you want to clean up your profile without permanently losing content. You can unarchive posts later to make them visible again. Deletion is permanent, so use it only when you are certain you do not want the video to exist on Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a video I posted if someone else shared it?
Deleting your original post removes it from your timeline and stops it from appearing in new feeds, but it does not remove copies that other people shared. If someone else shared your video before you deleted it, their post remains on their timeline. You cannot delete content from someone else's profile.
Does Facebook notify people when I delete a video?
No. Facebook does not send notifications when you delete a post or video. People who saw the video before deletion will simply notice it is no longer on your profile or in their feed. There is no notification, no alert, and no record visible to others that the video was deleted.
What if I delete a video but Facebook still shows it in search results?
Search results usually update within minutes, but occasionally a cached version may appear for a few hours. If you see your deleted video in search results, wait a few hours and search again. If it persists after a day, you can report it to Facebook through the Help Center, though this is rarely necessary.
Can I delete a video from a group if I am not an admin?
No. Regular group members can only delete videos they posted themselves. If you want to remove someone else's video from a group, you must be a group admin or ask an admin to remove it. Admins can delete any post or video in the group regardless of who posted it.
Is there a way to delete all my videos at once?
Facebook does not offer a bulk delete feature for videos. You must delete them individually by finding each post, clicking the three dots, and selecting "Delete." If you want to hide multiple videos without deleting them, you can archive them instead, though this also must be done one post at a time.