Accidentally deleted a Facebook post, video, or photo? You're not alone—and the good news is: recovery might still be possible. Whether it was an old photo that vanished, a live video you can’t find anymore, or a post you removed too quickly, Facebook offers several ways to retrieve your content.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
Official Facebook recovery tools
Tips for restoring specific content types
Solutions when there's no backup available
Ways to find hidden or archived content
This guide is especially helpful for iOS users who want to recover Facebook data without prior backup. Let’s get started.
Part 1. How to Recover Deleted Facebook Posts
Method 1. Use the “Download Your Information” Tool
💡 Best for: Backing up and recovering deleted posts, photos, and videos directly from Facebook.
If you’ve accidentally deleted a Facebook post and are wondering how to retrieve deleted posts on Facebook, your first stop should be the “Download Your Information” tool. This is Facebook’s official method for exporting all your data—including posts, photos, videos, and comments—into a downloadable file.
Here’s how to access it:
Step 1. Open Facebook and go to Settings
Step 2. Tap Settings & Privacy
Step 3. Navigate to Account Centre
Step 4. Find Your information and permissions
Step 4. Click Download Your Information
Step 5. Choose the type of data you want (e.g. posts, photos, videos)
Step 6. Set a date range, then tap Create File
Once the file is ready, you’ll receive a download link via email or notification. This is particularly useful if you're trying to recover deleted Facebook posts or locate older content you thought was lost.
✅ Tip: Even if you can't undo the deleted post on Facebook immediately, you might still find it inside this backup file—especially if the deletion was recent.
Method 2. Check the “Recycle Bin” or “Manage Posts”
💡 Best for: Recovering recently deleted posts within 30 days.
Facebook gives users a short window to restore deleted posts before they’re permanently erased. If you've recently deleted something and want to get a deleted post back on Facebook, there’s a chance it’s sitting in your account’s Recycle Bin.
Here’s how to check:
Step 1. Go to your Facebook profile
Step 2. Tap the three dots (•••) next to "Edit Profile"
Step 3. Select Activity Log
Step 4. Scroll down to Manage Your Posts
Step 5. Open the Recycle Bin section
Posts you’ve deleted in the past 30 days will appear here. From this screen, you can either permanently delete them or restore them back to your timeline.
🔁 Want to undo a deleted post on Facebook? As long as it’s still in the Recycle Bin, you’re just one tap away from restoring it.
Part 2. How to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos
Accidentally lost a Facebook photo or video? Whether it was a precious memory or something you saved to watch later, there’s still hope. This section walks you through the best ways to recover deleted photos from Facebook, retrieve videos, and even bring back saved or synced media.
Method 1. Check Your Device’s “Recently Deleted” Folder
💡 Best for: Photos or videos downloaded from Facebook to your phone.
If you downloaded or saved a Facebook photo or video to your phone, there’s a chance it’s sitting in your device’s Recently Deleted album—even if you’ve removed it from the Facebook app.
Here’s how to check:
On iPhone (iOS):
Step 1. Open the Photos app
Step 2. Scroll down to Albums
Step 3. Tap Recently Deleted
Step 4. Look for the Facebook image or video and tap Recover
On Android:
Step 1. Open the Gallery or Google Photos app
Step 2. Tap Library → Trash / Bin
Step 3. Find the deleted Facebook content and restore it if available
This is a simple but often overlooked step. Many users search for complex methods to recover deleted Facebook pictures, not realizing they might still exist locally on their device.
Method 2. Check Cloud Backup Services
💡 Best for: Synced Facebook content stored outside the app.
If you use automatic cloud backups like iCloud, Google Photos, or Dropbox, you might be able to restore your deleted Facebook photos or videos even if they're no longer on the app or your device.
Check iCloud (iPhone Users):
Step 1. Visit icloud website, go to Photos, and look for the deleted file.
Step 2. You can also check the Recently Deleted album within iCloud.
Check Google Photos:
Step 1. Open the app → Tap Library → Trash
Step 2. Deleted items are kept for up to 60 days unless permanently removed
These services often save a copy of Facebook media you viewed or downloaded—offering another chance to recover deleted Facebook videos or images.
Method 3. Retrieve Saved Videos on Facebook
💡 Best for: Videos you previously saved but can’t locate now.
Facebook allows you to save posts, including videos, for later viewing. If you can’t find a video you saved before, it may still be available in your Saved folder—even if it's no longer in your feed.
How to Find Your Saved Videos:
Step 1. Open Facebook
Step 2. Tap the Menu (bottom right)
Step 3. Scroll down and tap Saved
Step 4. Filter by Videos to quickly locate what you’re looking for
This method is especially effective when you’re trying to retrieve saved videos from Facebook—no extra tools or backups needed.
Method 4. Recover Deleted Facebook Live Videos
💡 Best for: Live videos that were removed or lost.
When a Facebook Live video is deleted, it can’t be viewed publicly again. However, if it was saved to your account before deletion, you may still be able to retrieve the live video through a data request.
Your best option is to use Facebook’s Download Your Information tool (as explained in Part 1). Make sure to include:
Videos
Live Video Comments
Activity Log
Once downloaded, check the "videos" folder for any archived live streams.
⚠️ Facebook does not keep deleted Live videos on its servers forever. If it’s not included in your backup file, it may be permanently gone.
Part 3. What If There's No Backup? (Permanently Deleted Content)
So, what happens if the Facebook content you deleted—whether it’s a video, post, or photo—isn’t in your Recycle Bin, can’t be found via the “Download Your Information” tool, and wasn’t saved to your phone or cloud?
This is where many users panic. But don’t worry—there’s still a chance to recover your data, especially if you're using the right tools.
3.1 Understand the Limits of Facebook Recovery
💡 Why “no backup” doesn't always mean “no hope.”
Facebook only stores deleted content temporarily—usually for up to 30 days. After that period, or if you delete a post permanently (e.g., from the Recycle Bin), the content may be wiped from Facebook’s servers completely.
At this point, the platform cannot help you recover permanently deleted Facebook posts or videos. If you also don’t have local or cloud backups, your only option is to try a third-party recovery tool that scans your mobile device directly.
3.2 Try Gbyte iOS Recovery (for iPhone Users)
💡 Best for: iPhone users who deleted Facebook videos, photos, or messages without backup.
Gbyte iOS Recovery is a professional iPhone data recovery tool designed for situations just like this. It performs a deep scan of your iPhone’s internal storage to retrieve files that have been deleted—even if they’re no longer accessible through Facebook or iCloud.
Key Features:
Recover permanently deleted Facebook videos, photos, posts and messages
Works without iTunes or iCloud backup
Also supports recovery of iMessages, WhatsApp chats, contacts, and more
Offers a free scan so you can preview recoverable data before purchase
How It Works (3 Simple Steps):
Step 1. Download & install Gbyte iOS Recovery on your computer
Step 2. Connect your iPhone and launch a deep scan
Step 3. Preview & recover deleted content—including Facebook media
This is one of the most effective solutions if you’re struggling with how to recover deleted Facebook videos on iPhone when there’s no backup available.
3.3 Try EaseUS MobiSaver (for Android Users)
💡 Best for: Android users who need to recover deleted Facebook videos or photos.
If you're using an Android device, EaseUS MobiSaver is a reliable alternative. It can scan your phone memory to retrieve lost Facebook data—especially if the deleted file had been cached locally or downloaded to your device.
Key Features:
Recovers deleted photos, videos, messages, and app data
Supports Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and more
Available for Windows, macOS, and Android directly
Also offers a free preview of recoverable files
⚠️ Note: For deep-level scanning, root access may be required on Android devices.
Whether you’re using an iPhone or Android, these tools can be your last resort when trying to recover deleted Facebook content without backup.
Part 4. Bonus Tip| How to Find Hidden or Archived Facebook Content
Sometimes, your Facebook post, video, or photo isn’t really deleted—it’s just hidden from your timeline, archived, or lost in the feed. Before assuming it's gone forever, try these official ways to find old Facebook content you thought was deleted.
4.1 Find Your Uploaded Videos (Even If Hidden from Timeline)
📹 Best for: Recovering hidden Facebook videos or previously uploaded media.
If you uploaded a video to Facebook but can’t find it anymore, chances are it’s still stored in your Videos tab—even if you removed it from your timeline.
How to Check:
Step 1. Go to your Facebook profile
Step 2. Scroll down and tap the Photos section
Step 3. Switch to the Videos tab
Step 4. Browse through your uploads
Even hidden videos or clips removed from your feed often remain in this section unless they’ve been permanently deleted.
🔑 Tip: You can also use Facebook search with your name and keyword (e.g., "Yuan cooking 2023") to locate old videos.
4.2 Find Archived Posts and Stories
🗂️ Best for: Finding old Stories and archived Facebook posts.
Facebook lets you archive Stories and some posts instead of deleting them. This means they’re hidden from others—but still fully recoverable.
To check your Archive:
Step 1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone
Step 2. Tap your profile, then the three dots
Step 3. Choose Archive
View:
Story Archive
Post Archive
Live Archive
From here, you can restore, repost, or save any archived item.
💡 Pro tip: Enable Story Archive in advance so all future stories are automatically saved.
Part 5. Conclusion
Losing Facebook posts, videos, or photos can feel frustrating—especially when they hold precious memories or important information. But the good news? Not all is lost.
Here’s what you should remember:
Check the obvious first—your Activity Log, Recycle Bin, or Facebook Archive may still hold your content.
Download your Facebook data—this is the safest way to retrieve hidden or recently deleted posts.
Use reliable tools—if you're an iPhone user, Gbyte iOS Recovery can help retrieve deleted videos and images even without a backup. Android users can try EaseUS MobiSaver.
Understand the limits—permanently deleted content may not be recoverable via Facebook alone, but your phone or cloud backup might still have it.
Stay proactive—enable archives, sync your content, and consider regularly downloading your data to avoid future data loss.
Part 6. FAQs
Q1. How to recover deleted videos from Facebook?
You have a few options:
Check your Video uploads (See Part 4.1)
Look in the Archive section for old Stories or Lives
Download a copy of your Facebook data to see if the video is still included (See Part 1.2)
For iPhone users, Gbyte iOS Recovery may detect deleted media files synced from Facebook
🔍 Tip: Act fast—older videos are less likely to be retained in app cache or device memory.
Q2. Are permanently deleted Facebook photos gone forever?
If you manually deleted a photo and confirmed the deletion, it’s usually gone from Facebook servers.
Still, there are workarounds:
Check if the photo was backed up in iCloud, Google Photos, or your device gallery
Use Gbyte iOS Recovery to scan for deleted image files from Facebook's cache on iPhone
Ask a friend who was tagged or shared the image—they may still have a copy
Q3. Can I retrieve deleted Facebook stories?
Yes—if you have Story Archive enabled, deleted or expired stories can be recovered anytime:
Step 1. Go to your profile
Step 2. Tap Archive
Step 3. Open Story Archive
If the archive wasn’t enabled, the story is likely gone unless saved elsewhere.
Q4. What's the best tool to recover deleted Facebook data on iPhone?
The most effective tool is Gbyte iOS Recovery. It specializes in:
Scanning deleted app data
Recovering photos, videos, and messages from social apps like Facebook
Working even without a backup
🧩 Bonus: It also supports WhatsApp, Messenger, and iMessage recovery.
