How to Find an Old Post on Facebook
To find an old post on Facebook, the quickest route for your own posts is Activity log: it lists everything you’ve posted and lets you filter by year and month. For posts by other people, search a keyword, switch to Posts and narrow the results by who posted it and the year. You can also search inside a single profile, group or Page.
Find your own old posts in Activity log
- Open Activity log. On a computer, click your profile picture at the top right, then Settings & privacy and Activity log. In the app, go to Menu, Settings & privacy, Settings, then Activity log under Your activity (Android Authority).
- Open Your Facebook activity, then Posts, then Your posts, photos and videos (TechRadar).
- Tap Filters and choose Date to jump to a year and month, or Categories to narrow the type of activity (AARP).
Still missing? Check Archive and Trash in the same menu. Posts you move to Trash stay there for 30 days before they’re deleted (Meta).
Jump to a year on your profile
Your profile has a Filters button. On a computer it lets you go to a year and month. In the app it filters posts by date, by who posted them, by privacy and by tagged posts (TechCult). Manage posts on your profile has similar filters.
Search for a post
- Type a word you remember from the post into Facebook search.
- Choose Posts: it’s on the left on a computer and a tab in the app.
- Use Posts From (for example, You) and Date posted to narrow the results (Rick’s Daily Tips).
Date posted lets you pick a year, not a specific day or period (GIJN).
- On someone’s profile: tap the three dots (More), then Search, and search only that profile (Make Tech Easier).
- In a group: tap the search icon, type the keyword and choose to search this group. You can filter by most recent, by who posted and by date (Groupboss).
- On a Page: use the Page’s own search icon.
Look through Memories
Open facebook.com/memories, or Menu, then Memories in the app. It mostly shows what you posted on today’s date in earlier years, so it helps when you remember roughly when something happened (Meta).
Last resort: download your information
You can download a copy of everything you’ve posted from Accounts Center: Your information and permissions, Download your information. Pick the date range and the HTML format, and Facebook prepares the files. The download link expires after 4 days (CyberGuy). It’s slow, but it includes your own posts that search doesn’t turn up.
Skip third-party search tools
Apps that promise to search your Facebook history often ask you to log in with Facebook. In 2022 Meta found more than 400 malicious apps built to steal Facebook logins (Meta). Facebook’s own search and Activity log are enough.
Found an old post you’re tagged in and want off your profile? See how to untag someone on Facebook.
FAQ
Can I search Facebook posts by date?
In Facebook search, only by year. Activity log and your profile filters let you go to a specific month.
How do I find a post I liked?
In Activity log, open Your Facebook activity, then Comments and reactions, then Likes and reactions.
Why can’t I find my old post on Facebook?
It may be in your Archive or Trash. Posts stay in Trash for 30 days and are then deleted.
Does Memories show every old post?
No. It mostly shows posts from the same date in past years.