How to Delete a Facebook Story

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.

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.

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.

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.
   

2. Select More (three dots).
   

3. Select Delete photo (or Delete video if it's a video).
   

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

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.

4. Under Audience and Visibility, tap Stories.

5. Tap Story archive.
   

6. Toggle on Save to Archive.
   

   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.
   

2. Select Settings from the upper-left corner.
   

3. Select Story Archive Setting.
   

4. Select Turn On Story Archive.
   

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.

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.
   

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.

   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.