Does Deleting a Facebook Post Delete It Everywhere?

By David Nield

Posts you've created or sent to your Timeline can be permanently deleted.
i Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Facebook allows you to permanently delete any of the posts you've made on the social network, and this process completely removes the content from Facebook. You can also completely remove posts made by others on your Timeline. Posts made by others that are not on your Timeline cannot be deleted, though you can hide the update and remove the tag, if necessary.

Deleting Your Own Posts

To delete any of the posts you've made on Facebook, open your Timeline page and hover over the update in question. Click the "Edit or remove" icon (represented by a pencil symbol) and then choose the "Delete" option from the drop-down menu. Click "Delete" on the confirmation box. The post is then completely removed from Facebook.

Deleting Posts on Your Timeline

If other users have posted photos, updates or links directly to your Timeline, then these can also be deleted by following the same process. Click the "Edit or remove" button above the story in question, then choose "Delete" and click "Delete" again in the confirmation dialog. Alternatively, choose "Hide from Timeline" – this removes the post from your Timeline, but it can still be found via the News Feed or by using the search box.

Removing Tags

Your Timeline also displays updates and photos that haven't been posted directly to your page, but in which you have been tagged by another user. You cannot delete this content, but you can access the "Hide from Timeline" option, as well as selecting "Report/remove tag" to untag yourself. Whichever option you choose, the post remains visible in the News Feed, can be accessed through Facebook search, and will usually appear on the Timeline of anyone else tagged in the post.

Reviewing Posts

Click the "Activity log" button on your Timeline to review all the posts you've made, as well as posts you've been tagged in and posts other people have made on your Wall. Items can be deleted, untagged and hidden from here as well. By clicking "Timeline Review" and then the black cog symbol you can enable the Timeline Review feature – this allows you to approve posts made to your Timeline and tags added by your friends before they appear on Facebook.

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