Dave, Help! I posted a status update to my Facebook Wall, then realized I didn’t want it there, but while I can see the “hide” buttons on other people’s entries on my page, and I’ve seen “delete” buttons on people’s comments on my earlier Wall postings, I can’t see how to delete my own posting. Help! This is important!!
Okay, deep breath. It’s okay, we’ll get this fixed.
Deeeppp breath.
🙂
The secret is that on your main News Feed page in Facebook you cannot delete your own Wall postings (status updates, whatever you want to call them). However, there’s a secret link that lets you jump directly to that Wall post on your Wall page, where you can delete the entry if you know about the secret, hidden button.
Why does this sound like a game, not a well-designed tool?
Let’s get to it before you hyperventilate!
To demonstrate, I’m going to use the example of me creating a Wall update and then realizing I wanted to include a URL, so posting it a second time. The first one, then, I want to delete rather than bother people with the duplicate Facebook update.
On my News Feed page, it looks like this:
Move your cursor around, there are no hidden “delete” or “hide” buttons or anything. Instead, click on the timestamp for the posting you want to delete. In this case, I’ll click on “about a minute ago”, as highlighted.
Now I go to that entry in my Wall area, where I still don’t see a “delete” button, but we’re closer, trust me:
Move your cursor to just under the “options” button and, miraculously, a new button “Remove” appears:
There we go! Click on the “Remove” button to delete this erroneous Facebook Wall update, and it’ll confirm that’s what you want to do:
Click on “Delete” because, well, that is what you want to do, and it vanishes…
Wait a few seconds and Facebook puts you back on your News Feed or do what I do because I’m impatient: click on the word “Facebook” on the top left of that screen to move back.
Done, deleted, no panic. *phew*
Using Kindle Fire. Just today I’ve not been able to find the little arrow at top right of facebook post I want to hide. No amount of clicking, hovering, or fishing around results in a way to remove someone’s post. I saw where it may be one of facebook bugs. So, what to do – just wait to see if it comes back, contact them or what?
Thank you! This was exactly what I needed today. Typo on a friend’s wall I couldn’t remove is now gone. Timestamp. Huh. Who woulda thought? Thanks again!!!
Good point, Carp. I find Facebook pretty buggy, actually. Sometimes I can delete posts, sometimes I can edit them, and other times, the options don’t show or they don’t take effect.
Good post. The only problem is that it doesn’t address those posts that offer a Delete option… but then don’t actually delete when you tell them to.
I have always clicked on Hide or Delete next to a message and done so successfully, but when I do with this particular post, I get the message “The content you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.” and so I cannot delete it! HELP
Tom, actually it’s 99% the same. The only difference is now on the top right of the box that contains your status update is a small pencil icon instead. Click on that and a menu pops up with “Delete…” as one of the options. Same general sequence of events…
It doesn’t work that way any more. Everything has changed. You may want to delete this entire post and start over.
Deleting info from my FB page is very simple (4/2013) by going to the area, on upper right of area tap the downward pointing carat which opens 2 options – hide the post or delete the post. Very simple.
thanks a lot.it worked for me but there is no remove option now it changed to “x” symbol at top right corner.thanks again.
Delete my entry in Facebook
Thank you Dave for your helping instruction.
I remember being able to post pictures on my friend’s wall and deleting them from my wall. Now when I delete it from my wall it deletes it from his wall aswell. What has changed? Is it possible to still do what I’m talking about?
I way to remove everything from our wall/timeline would be awesome!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! worked as described for me.
thank you for the great advice..!
I have a friend who I am trying to help, however all of his postings appear on my wall, Some of his postings and comments from his friends are completely inappropriate for manyy of my elementary and teenage grandkids and others. Can I?
1. Delete a particular post of his that has appeared on my wall because I am his friend
2, Can I prevent any of the postings from his wall from going to mine?
Thanks,
Don
thanksss.. sir
Thanks you so much, I was kinda stuck. You’re a life saver lol
Thanks!! Could delete my post on my own wall successfully! Only needed to click on small icon with icon for ‘your friends’ on right side and the drop down gave options for deleting post instead of options on right as you had shown. Thanks for the help though- the guideline was easy to follow and helped me do the needful!
Thank you sooooo much! This worked perfectly!
Do you know how can I avoid that my friends read my previous FB status updates?
Mark, good news. I wrote about how to solve this:
https://www.askdavetaylor.com/remove_facebook_status_update_wall_post.html
Mark and Robert, are you sure that you’re not looking on your main news feed, but on your own profile page? Click on your name in the top left corner, then see if THAT page lets you delete your status updates. I have an article about how to do this queued up if you can wait a week. 🙂
Same here … followed directions above but NO OPTIONS button appears and it has been over a week that I have been unable to delete my Status Posts.
Like everyone else I can delete Other people’s posts and even Comments I may have made Under the Status posts but cannot delete the status post itself.
Beginning to wonder if this is DELIBERATE on their part!
I rowed with my girlfriend and posted something terrible on my status. Now we’re friends again and I can’t delete it…No option, remove or delete buttons…? HELP!
Gr8 Tips… Even facebook knows these tricks or not!!!
I also had the same problem…. no ‘options’ button…. so no remove button…
where do I go from here?
Hi
I tried to remove a post using your instructions but I don’t get the options button and hence can’t get to a remove button?
Have Facebook changed this?
Regards
Andy
Even if people reply on your status and you delete it,and the same people try to comment again from their profile ( because they will have a link on their profile saying you commented on xyz status) they will get a message saying this page is unavailable. A small error report.