How to Delete a Facebook Story

Remove photos and videos from your Facebook Story or Story Archive

The concept of stories first started on Instagram, and stories on Facebook are a great way to share short clips of your fun adventures with friends. Create a story on Facebook by sharing still images or short videos, and the content is available to your selected audience for 24 hours.

Here's how to delete a current or archived Facebook Story in the iOS and Android Facebook mobile app, and in the desktop version of Facebook.

How to Delete a Facebook Story Element on the App

Whether your Facebook Story has one or multiple images or videos, it's easy to delete content.

Facebook Stories are available for only 24 hours, but after that, a story can be saved in your Story Archive. Only you can see your Story Archive.

  1. Open the Facebook app and select your Facebook Story at the top of your newsfeed.

  2. Select More (three dots) in the upper-right corner of the story.

  3. Select Delete photo or Delete video, and then select Delete to confirm.

    A Facebook story on the mobile app with Menu (three dots), Delete Photo, and Delete highlighted
  4. Repeat this process to delete more photos or videos from your story, if necessary. After you complete this action, the deleted content is permanently removed.

If you see someone else's story that you don't want to see, mute their story so that it doesn't show up in your Stories section.

Delete a Facebook Story Element on the Desktop

The process of deleting a photo or video from your Facebook Story is similar on the desktop.

  1. Open Facebook in a web browser and select your Facebook Story from the top of your newsfeed.

    Facebook on the desktop with Your Story highlighted
  2. Select More (three dots).

    Facebook Story on desktop with Menu (three dots) highlighted
  3. Select Delete photo (or Delete video if it's a video).

    Facebook Story with Delete Photo highlighted
  4. Select Delete to confirm. The photo or video is removed from your Facebook Story.

    Facebook Story with Delete confirmation highlighted

Enable Your Facebook Story Archive in the App

Though your Facebook stories disappear from public view after 24 hours, maintain access to your content by enabling your Story Archive.

When this option is enabled, all your stories are automatically archived after 24 hours. When this option is disabled, your stories are lost to you and your viewers. Here's how to navigate your Facebook Story Archive settings in the Facebook app.

  1. Open the Facebook app and tap Menu (three lines).

  2. Tap Settings & Privacy.

  3. Tap Settings.

    Facebook app with Menu, Settings & Privacy, and Settings highlighted
  4. Under Audience and Visibility, tap Stories.

  5. Tap Story archive.

  6. Toggle on Save to Archive.

    Facebook app Story settings with Stories, Story Archive, and Save to Archive toggled on highlighted

    Conversely, if you don't want Facebook stories archived, turn off the Story Archive option to permanently delete stories after 24 hours.

Enable Your Facebook Story Archive on the Desktop

It's easy to enable your Facebook Story archive on the desktop, as well.

  1. Open Facebook on the desktop and select your Facebook Story on the newsfeed.

    Facebook on the desktop with Your Story highlighted
  2. Select Settings from the upper-left corner.

    Facebook Story with Settings highlighted on the desktop
  3. Select Story Archive Setting.

    Facebook on the desktop story settings with Story Archive Settings highlighted
  4. Select Turn On Story Archive.

    Facebook Story settings with Turn On Story Archive highlighted

Delete an Archived Facebook Story

You can access your archived Facebook stories through your Facebook profile and delete an archived story if you wish. Here's how it works in the Facebook app.

  1. Go to your Facebook Profile Page and select More (three dots).

  2. Select Archive.

  3. Select Story Archive.

    Facebook app profile page with More (three dots), Archive, and Story Archive highlighted
  4. Tap the archived story you want to delete, and then tap More (three dots).

  5. Tap Delete This Story.

  6. Tap Delete to confirm. The story is permanently deleted from your Story Archive.

    Facebook app archived story with More (three dots), Delete this story, and Delete highlighted

To delete an archived Facebook Story on the desktop, go to your profile page, select More (three dots) > Archive. Select the story you want to delete, click More (three dots), and then select Delete Story > Delete.

Control Who Can View Your Facebook Stories

Users can determine if their stories can be viewed by everyone, friends and other contacts, or only friends. Set custom settings to choose only the people you want to grant access to your stories. You can also choose people from whom to hide a story. Here's how it works in the Facebook app.

  1. In the Facebook app, add a photo or video to your Facebook Story, and then tap Privacy in the lower-left corner.

  2. Decide who can see your story by tapping Public, Friends, or Custom, then tap Save.

    Facebook app in Facebook Story with Privacy and privacy options highlighted

    Public allows anyone on Facebook or Messenger to view your story. Friends lets all Facebook friends have access. Select Custom to share your story only with specific people. Select Hide Story From to exclude people from your story.

  3. Alternatively, to change your Story privacy at any time, tap your Story, tap More > Edit story privacy, and then change your privacy settings.

    Facebook app with More (three dots), Edit story privacy, and privacy options highlighted

To change Facebook Story privacy options using Facebook on the desktop, select your Story, and then select Settings > Story Privacy and choose your new privacy settings.

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