How to see old facebook status

How to Find Old Posts on Your Facebook Timeline

By Ali Arslan

Updated May 20, 2022

You don't have to scroll down your timeline endlessly. Here's how to find old Facebook posts quickly and easily.

Finding an old post on your Facebook timeline can be hard and may involve a lot of scrolling. You might even resort to using third-party apps and tools for this purpose. However, there is an easy way of searching through your timeline, and you don't need to compromise your privacy by using external apps.

Third-party apps and tools can potentially breach your privacy by gaining access to everything on your account. Only use apps that you trust to avoid getting hacked.

Here's how to use Facebook's search function to find old posts on your timeline, plus a few tips to get the best out of the tool.

How to Find Your Old Posts on Your Facebook Timeline

You can use Facebook's default search function to look for your old posts. If you've missed this functionality, it is understandable, as it is somewhat hidden in the options. You can follow along on your PC or phone to find stuff on your timeline.

The first thing to remember is that if you search for "My Posts", the search results that pop up are either the ones you've posted yourself or the ones posted by others that you've seen in the past. But you can add a keyword after this search term to refine the results further. For example, we searched for "My Posts Rumi", and the following old posts appeared as a result.

This is just a very basic search, though. In order to refine it more, you have to tinker with some filters. First, you might want the search results to show only the posts published by you, and to do that, go to Posts under Filters. Then click on Posts From and select You in the dropdown menu. Now, all the posts it shows have been posted by you.

If you still can't find the post you are looking for, you can further refine the search results by year. To do that, again go to Posts under Filters, and click on Date Posted. Here, you can choose the year of that post, and it will show results from that particular year only.

Apart from Posts From and Date Posted, you also have the option to filter results by Recent Posts, Posts You've Seen, and Tagged Location. If you're looking for a recently published post, you can select Recent Posts to narrow down the search results. If the post was published by someone else, you can try selecting Posts You've Seen. And lastly, you can refine the search results based on the location by selecting Tagged Location.

If you want to find a photo or a video on your timeline, you'll find those options under Filters. The method of searching for photos and videos is pretty much similar to the method mentioned above. However, these two options have fewer filters as compared to Posts, modified according to the requirements of the content type. Here, you might also want to check out how to download Facebook photos and videos.

By experimenting with these options and filters, you can pretty much search for any post on your timeline. Try out different filters to optimize and personalize the search results.

While performing these searches, we have found out that it is always better to post stuff with a caption or description. These captions and descriptions are really helpful while searching for old posts on your timeline, as the search algorithm looks for keywords in these sections of the post. Moreover, you can stop others from posting on your timeline to keep it clean.

Easily Search for Your Old Facebook Posts and Photos Using This Method

The methods mentioned above can help you find anything on your Facebook timeline, whether it's a plain text post, photo, or video. You can apply the filters, if required, to further narrow down your search results.

The only difficulty you'll face is when you search for posts without captions or descriptions. For example, if you had posted a photo without any accompanying text, it might be challenging to find. However, you can search by year to increase your chances of coming across that particular photo.

How To Go to a Specific Date on Facebook Timeline?

When Facebook rolled out the Timeline feature, it changed the disorganized profiles of Facebook users into something aesthetically pleasing.

Your Facebook Timeline has everything that you ever did on Facebook. One of the best things about Facebook Timeline or profile page is that it organizes all your posts in reverse chronological order.

This meticulous orientation helps you find anything from way back in the past. If you wonder how, then we got answers for you!

Let’s dive in to understand everything about the activity log and filters on Facebook to help you find the ghosts of your Facebook past.

Table of Contents

How To Find My Facebook Timeline?
How To Jump to a Specific Date on Facebook Timeline?
- Method #1: Activity Log
  - On the Mobile App
  - On the Desktop Version
  - Categories in Activity Log
- Method #2: Using Timeline Filters
- Method #3: Using the “Manage posts” Feature
The Bottom Line

How To Find My Facebook Timeline?

Facebook timeline is the combination of your profile and wall on Facebook.

The timeline has everything you ever posted on Facebook — your post, pictures, videos, games played, comments, and likes on posts and the posts someone tagged you in.

Similarly, it contains the profile portion of the user, like their profile name, picture, cover photo, the place they live, work or study, friends list, and life events.

Your timeline consists of all the actions or your footprints on Facebook.

Then, there is the Activity log that Facebook rolled out in 2011, along with the timeline that maintains the history of all your Facebook activities.

Now, the question is how to find it! It is pretty simple to navigate your Facebook timeline.

You can find your timeline by tapping your profile picture in the top left corner on any device.

Once you find your timeline, you will find all your activity on Facebook in reverse chronological order, meaning the latest will be on top.

You can navigate any post on your Facebook timeline by scrolling. Similarly, Facebook offers the activity log feature to find something specific on Facebook.

So, if you feel nostalgic, know you can search your past shenanigans easily on Facebook. You can jump to any day or year to find anything you ever did at that time on Facebook.

Now, the question is how? Let’s try to figure that out!

How To Jump to a Specific Date on Facebook Timeline?

There are three methods to jump to a specific date on your Facebook Timeline. We’ll explain each below.

Method #1: Activity Log

The steps for this method are a bit different depending on your device.

On the Mobile App

Follow these steps to jump to a specific date on your Facebook timeline by using the activity log on the Facebook mobile app:

Open the Facebook app on your mobile device.
Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
Tap the three dots next to the “Edit profile” button.
Select “Activity log.”
Scroll down and select “View Activity History.”
Tap the “Filters” option at the top.
Select “Date.”
Specify the date. If you wish, you can also filter by category.

Now you will see all the posts on that particular date, which you can scroll and tap to open.

On the Desktop Version

Follow these steps to jump to a specific date on your Facebook timeline by using the activity log on the Facebook desktop version:

Navigate to Facebook on your favorite browser.
Click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
Select “Settings & privacy.”
Click on “Activity log.”
Click on “Activity history” or any category you are interested in.
Tap the “Date” button at the top left.
Select the year and month.
Click the “Save changes” button at the bottom.

Now you will see every activity in the selected month and year.

If you tap on any other activity in the left panel, it will show you the list of that activity on the specified date above. You can also change the date.

Categories in Activity Log

You can view the history of all your activities in the Activity Log. The categories include:

“Your posts” shows all the photos, videos, and status updates you shared on Facebook.
“Activity you’re tagged in” helps help you find all the posts and comments someone tagged you in.
“Interactions” shows all your likes, reactions, com, etc.
“Groups, Communities, Events, and Reels” shows all your activities in groups, activities related to the events, Reels, and much more.
“Profile information” gives a sneak peek into all the times you made changes to your profile, e.g., changing your profile picture, cover photo, or any information.
“Connections” logs are all about the friends’ requests sent or received, pages that you liked or followed, etc.
“Logged actions and other activity” shows your search history, login history, and watched videos.

Now, if you are interested in only jumping to a particular post you shared or were tagged in your timeline, these two methods are for you.

Method #2: Using Timeline Filters

Follow these steps to jump to a specific date on your timeline using timeline filters:

Open Facebook on any device.
Click on your profile picture in the top left corner.
On your timeline, tap the “Filters” button.
Choose the date.
Click the “Done” button.

The timeline will show content only until that particular day you specified.

Method #3: Using the “Manage posts” Feature

Follow these steps to jump to a specific date on your timeline using the “Manage posts” feature:

Open Facebook on any device.
Click on your profile picture in the top left corner.
Tap on the “Manage posts” button.
Click on “Filters.”
Enter the correct date.
Tap the “Done” button.

The Bottom Line

Facebook has made it easy for you to navigate the ghosts of your past with its carefully designed “Activity log” feature.

When you find any of your activity from the past, it not only takes you down memory lane but also shows you how far you have grown as a person.

Try this out and have fun discovering your Facebook ghosts from the past.

Viewing the Facebook Stories Archive

Help Center

Using Facebook

Stories

We are updating the mobile version of Facebook.com. More

The posts in your Facebook story are only available to the selected audience for 24 hours. After this period, they can be added to the archive.

When the history archive is enabled, your photos and videos are automatically stored there after they disappear from the history. The history archive is visible only to you. You can turn it on or off at any time. nine0003

To find the stories archive:

Mobile Classic

Go to the Stories section at the top of the Feed.

Click on your archive in the upper right corner of the screen.

New version for mobile browser

Click the icon in the upper right corner of the Facebook window, and then select your name.

Click below the cover photo.

Select Archive and click Archive Stories at the top of the screen. nine0003

The archive can be enabled or disabled.

To do this:

Classic version for mobile browser

In the archive of stories, click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Next to Save to archive, click Enable or Disable.

New version for mobile browser

In the archive of stories, click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen and select Settings.

Press or to enable or disable the Save to archive function. nine0003

Note. Photos and videos deleted from the story before it disappears are not added to the archive.

Learn more about stories on Facebook.

Was the article helpful?

How do I turn the Facebook story archive on or off?

Viewing archived and hidden conversations on Facebook

How do I view the history of another person on Facebook?

Enable or disable Facebook Page 9 story archive0003

Information

Confidentiality

Conditions and rules

Advertising preferences

Vacancies

Create an ad

Create page

90,000 hidden Facebook functions, about which you should know - Ain.ua

08 08 February, 2015 , 16:00

234366

More than a billion people use Facebook every day, but not everyone knows what this friendly site is really capable of. It is constantly updated, and no one, except for the “Facebook gods” themselves, can keep track of how the social network algorithms change. Time journalists have named the hidden features of Facebook that will allow you to always be in control of this game. nine0003

In 2021, the editors of AIN.UA decided to update this text. We've added new instructions to Facebook's hidden features, as well as a few new features that the company has implemented since its 2020 redesign.

Find the very first message

You can go back in time without endless scrolling of the message feed. The easiest way to find your first message to a friend is to download all of your Facebook data. Facebook's hidden features offer to do just that. nine0003

To do this, go to settings, select "Your information on Facebook" and click "Download information". On the Browse tab, add the categories of data you want to upload to the query and click Create File.

Search by correspondence

The easiest way to do this is in the Facebook Messenger mobile app. Open the conversation with the right person and click on his name at the top of the screen. In the "More actions" section, select "Search in conversation." Here you can enter any word or phrase you want to search for in the dialog. nine0003

Disable read receipts

Trying to ignore someone? Then you're obviously not a fan of read receipts - that little "Seen" or "Seen" label that appears below a message when you click on it.

You cannot turn off notifications in Facebook itself - there is no such option. But there are options. For Chrome, you can install the Facebook Unseen App. There is also Crossrider's Chat Undetected, which works not only with Chrome, but also with Firefox and Internet Explorer. You can also block read receipts in the new version of AdBlock Plus. You can enable this feature in the extension settings. However, Facebook does not approve of such actions on the part of the user and warns about this in its privacy policy. nine0003

Hide Activity History

Facebook's mobile messenger has another category of notifications that privacy advocates may not like. This is an activity notification like "Active 1m ago" or "Last activity 1 min".

In order to hide the online status, you need to go to messages, click on the ellipsis at the top of the screen and click "Turn Off Online Status". It is noteworthy that previously the functions of Facebook did not provide for this possibility. nine0003

Maximize photo privacy

What do you think people will see first when they get to your profile? To do this, go to your profile and click on the images of the eye, and then - "View as".

Now you are looking at your profile through someone else's eyes. You may have noticed that if you search “Photos of John Doe” on Facebook, you will even see those photos of him that he has hidden. And all because he could be tagged in photos of friends with public access. And you could too. nine0003

If you are tagged in photos with public access or with visibility settings for "Friends of Friends", then your photos can be seen by people you don't know. How to find out which indecent photos could be on public display? Go to "Photos", and then pay attention to the "photos with you" tab and see which photos are available to everyone, which ones are only for friends, and which ones are for friends of friends.