How to Find the Cached Version of a Facebook Page
By Randall Blackburn
Finding a cached version of a Facebook page on the Web is a bit trickier than locating cached pages from other sites. Most sites are indexed in the Internet Archive, a nonprofit agency dedicated to preserving the history of the Web. Facebook, too, at one time was indexed by the archive. As of January 2011, the Internet Archive no longer indexes Facebook, so cached versions of Facebook pages are no longer available via the popular Wayback Machine, the Internet Archive search tool. You must now rely on your search engine savvy to locate a cached version of your desired page. Fortunately, many Facebook pages have cached versions available through Bing and Google.
Step 1
Open a Web browser and navigate to your favorite search engine.
Step 2
Type the following command into the Search input box:
site:facebook.com
Step 3
Type a space after the command given in Step 2, then type the Facebook profile name of the person or business. For example, to search for a cached version of the John Doe’s Pizza Facebook page, type:
site:facebook.com John Doe’s Pizza
Step 4
Click the “Google Search” button if you are using Google, or click the “Search” icon if using Bing. You can also press the “Enter" key to execute the search in both search engines. Notice that all records returned in the search results, with the exception of the paid ads, are Facebook sites. Nearest matches to your request will be located toward the top of the results.
Step 5
Locate the entry for the desired Facebook site in search engine results page.
Step 6
Click the “Cached” link on the right side of the record in the Google search results. In Bing, click the tiny downward-pointing arrow on the right side of the record to show a context menu. Click “Cached Page" in the menu. A cached version of the page opens. The page is stamped with the date captured.
References
Tips
- Search the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine for older versions of sites other than Facebook (see Resources).
Warnings
- Not all Facebook pages will have a cached version in search results.
- Some images and page elements may not be available in the cached version of a Web page.
Writer Bio
Randall Blackburn has worked for several Fortune 1000 companies as a technical writer over the past seven years. He has produced a wide variety of technical documentation, including detailed programming specifications and research papers. Randall has also acquired several years' experience writing web content. Randall lives and works in Austin, TX.