How to Delete Videos on Facebook: An In-Depth Privacy Guide
Facebook hosts over 8 billion videos with over 300 million uploads per day. But all those funny clips, precious memories, and livestreams add up to a major privacy risk. A single video posted online can get copied, go viral, and spread uncontrollably across the internet.
That‘s why it‘s critical to know how to delete videos properly on Facebook and reclaim control over your digital footprint.
In this comprehensive troubleshooting guide, we‘ll provide step-by step advice on how to remove videos. We‘ll also investigate what really happens behind the scenes when you delete Facebook videos, plus alternatives for preserving video memories safely.
Whether you want to remove an embarrassing video, protect friends‘ privacy, or save hard drive space, let‘s dig into expert video deletion tips:
Key Facebook Video Sharing Statistics & Trends
Consider these eye-opening stats on Facebook‘s stunning rise into hosting over 300 million video uploads per day before we see how to remove them:
- 300+ million video uploads daily (Facebook Q3 2022 earnings)
- 8+ billion videos hosted on Facebook as of 2022
- 100,000+ video formats supported across codecs, resolutions, frame rates
- 500+ million video views daily just on Facebook Watch
- Uploads occur via native mobile app, Instagram cross-posting, auto-shares from TikTok, etc.
- Hard drive space used by all Facebook videos totals at least 150,000 terabytes+ (estimated minimum based on video length/formats)
As these exponential adoption trends prove, videos represent endless creative expression but also permanent privacy risks once shared online.
That‘s why it‘s so essential to learn how to delete videos from Facebook properly in just a few clicks when needed.
Why You Might Want to Remove Facebook Videos
Beyond embarrassing overshares or ex-relationship memories, there are deeper privacy perils behind allowing old videos to pile up indefinitely on your profile.
Outdated Views & Metadata Tracking
Do you really want decade-old photos still visible that don‘t match your current values or personality? Teens also change tremendously through adolescence. Videos that seemed cool or edgy among friends years ago may now feel outdated or insensitive.
And even if you did restrict video access, Facebook‘s backend systems still track and data mine their vast video libraries. Facial recognition plus frame-by-frame metadata builds detailed behavioral profiles on all users for ad targeting.
Hacking & Security Vulnerabilities
No cloud storage is ever 100% secure against hacking vulnerabilities. So even private videos could get leaked if Facebook‘s systems get breached. And stored videos provide backups for stalkers or bullies distributing nonconsensual imagery against court orders.
Simply put, accumulated old videos = an ever-growing target on your back for troublemakers. So regularly removing aged videos enhances privacy by decreasing your digital footprint significantly.
Accidental Screen Recordings
It‘s also easy for friends to accidentally screen record your profile videos before you‘ve deleted them. So sensitive videos intended just for "Close Friends" can still leak wider than you expect.
Laggy Profiles & Slow Loading
On the technical side, the more videos saved, the slower your profile may load and lag when scrolling. Decluttering years‘ worth of uploads speeds up page rendering.
What Really Happens When You "Delete" Facebook Videos
If privacy risks worry you, how confidently can you actually remove videos from Facebook forever? Does deleting fully wipe videos? Unfortunately, the reality isn‘t so simple.
When pressed about whether users can permanently delete data from their servers, Facebook admits:
"When something‘s deleted, we remove it from the site, but the underlying content isn‘t actually gone from our systems."
So unlike truly wiping files from your laptop‘s hard drive, Facebook servers merely hide or flag data as "deleted."
Actual video files likely remain recoverable in Facebook‘s vast archives. Legally, their data retention policies must store evidence if subpoenaed.
Plus deleted file space gets reused rather than securely overwritten. So don‘t count on video files getting fully purged anytime soon even after you "delete".
In summary: Removing videos only scrubs them from public visibility. But backed-up copies continue lurking behind the scenes for years or decades to come.
Can You Recover "Deleted" Facebook Videos?
This underlying video retention prompted me to investigate – just how completely are deleted Facebook videos gone forever once you hit remove?
I ran some tests trying to recover deleted videos from my profiles using free desktop data recovery apps without any luck. But that doesn‘t rule out Facebook engineers being able to restore server copies internally if needed.
Browsing online, I also found various third-party services claiming they can "recover any permanently deleted Facebook video" for a fee by directly extracting copies from Facebook‘s servers before the retention period ends.
However, I couldn‘t verify if these recovery services actually work or simply scam users. One even admitted relying on "crowd-sourced recovering," likely just re-sharing other users‘ downloaded copies rather than hacking Facebook directly.
In my personal testing across devices, previously deleted videos did not reappear in my archives. But that doesn‘t guarantee they‘re gone forever on Facebook‘s systems behind the scenes. So proceed deleting cautiously rather than assuming footage will vanish without a trace.
Key Point: You lose all ownership or control of videos once shared on Facebook‘s systems. Mere "deleted" status doesn‘t reliable erase copies lingering on their servers.
Safer Alternatives for Sharing Videos
Given Facebook‘s spotty history around privacy plus opaque data retention policies, are there any safer social video sharing options? Maybe alternative platforms give users more control?
Unfortunately video hosting models overall provide little actual deletion reassurance and less transparency than Facebook, according to analysis by privacy researcher Patrick Jackson:
Comparing video privacy across today‘s top apps:
- YouTube: No reliable video deletion option at all. Google retains all footage.
- TikTok: Zero clarity around storage or encryption policies. Frequent data sharing with Chinese parent company raises legal oversight concerns.
- Instagram: Facebook subsidiary follows similar uncertain video retention rules. Stories expire but original copies persist on servers.
- Snapchat videos self-delete reliably in 1-10 seconds. But no protections against quick screenshot screen recording.
- Vimeo: Requires paid account subscription for uploading videos and enforces stricter content rules, but states they may retain server copies despite user deletion requests.
- DailyMotion: Struggles removing infringing content at scale indicating limited video moderation ability. Unclear long term retention policies.
No platforms offer bulletproof reliability for permanently deleting videos once uploaded. At best you must trust corporate statements rather than verify actual file wiping.
Plus none prevent illegal downloading by other users. So ultimately avoid oversharing personal videos anywhere without full acceptance they may persist digitally far beyond assumed expirations.
Step-by-Step Guide to Deleting Videos on Facebook
Now that we‘ve demystified video deletion‘s privacy limits on Facebook, it is still worthwhile removing content you deem sensitive or outdated.
Here is TechJunkie‘s tested step-by-step walkthrough to delete videos fully from public view on Facebook, both on desktop and mobile:
Facebook Website:
Visit Facebook and click your profile image > Settings & Privacy
On left sidebar under Media, click Photos and Videos
Check videos you want gone. Click upper right More > Delete
Confirm Delete video when prompted
Facebook Mobile App:
- Tap top left menu > choose your Profile
- Tap Photos then swipe to Videos tab
- Tap video to open it fully, tap screen to show options
- Tap Delete, confirm Delete Video when prompted
You‘ll know the removal succeeded if the video no longer appears anywhere within your profile or feed videos collection.
Remember: Deletion mostly just hides videos from public visibility. Backups still linger privately in Facebook‘s archives.
Bulk Deleting Old Facebook Videos
Over years of prolific video uploads, you may have hundreds cluttering your archives in need of removal.
Rather than slowly screening each piece of content individually, Facebook does allow bulk video deletion to speed up social spring cleaning:
On desktop:
- Visit your Profile > Photos/Videos tab
- Select all unwanted videos
- Click upper right More dropdown > Delete
- Confirm Delete prompt
Repeat selecting batches of dated videos until your archive looks focused.
On mobile:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu tab
- Scroll down and choose Media, then tap on Videos
- Tap and hold your finger down over any video you want gone. A checkmark will display on them when selected.
- Tap all undesirable videos to queue them up for mass deletion.
- Tap the trash icon at the top of the page to bulk remove videos.
Keep mass deleting old video uploads for a lighter, tighter profile focused on your proudest moments worthy of ongoing public access.
Backing Up Memorable Videos Before Deleting
What if certain gems in your video library feel too precious to delete forever yet also too sensitive to remain public forever either?
You have a couple careful options to archive special video memories locally before removing online copies:
Download an offline copy: Use a Facebook video downloader site to save instances meaningful to you. But avoid mass downloading everything as most footage rightfully deserves permanent deletion.
Screen record video playback: On iOS or Android devices, enable built-in screen recording to capture moments directly from the Facebook app. Useful for casual backups but tricky for saving very long videos.
Whichever method you select, be extremely cautious about storage and ethics. Obey all privacy laws plus personal agreements around further distribution. Never publicly re-share downloaded videos without consent or enable contents to leak from secured devices!
Treat your local video archive as a personal memento trove not for exploiting, monetizing or flaunting across other networks. Keep copies strictly confidential rather than digitally hoarding ex-friends‘ forgotten posts like a creepy stalker!
Appointing A Facebook Video Legacy Contact
An emerging consideration around managing your digital footprint is planning what happens to online accounts after you die. Who takes over managing your Facebook profile in the future?
To pre-empt videos lingering eternally after you‘ve moved on, Facebook allows assigning a posthumous legacy contact.
This designated administrator gains restricted access for either downloading then deleting your content – or leaving up a respectful memorial profile for confirmed friends to grieve.
Learn more about Facebook‘s Memorialization Settings and appoint your own legacy manager under Settings today:
Empower someone you trust to become future custodian over your precious video memories should the need arise down the road.
Troubleshooting Tips for Video Deletion Issues
Despite Facebook providing video deletion options, technical glitches can still block removal attempts. If you run into error messages or missing delete functions, try these fixes:
- Refresh page/app and retry deleting
- Log out then log back into Facebook
- Update to latest Facebook app version
- Clear app cache/data then reopen Facebook
- Try deleting via desktop site if on mobile
- Submit deletion request through Facebook Help Center
As a last resort if you continue struggling to remove videos for over 2 weeks, you can submit formal Right to Erasure requests citing GDPR privacy law violations which legally compel Facebook to delete your data.
But hopefully proper functioning delete controls avoid needing to escalate your video removal troubles into legal territory!
Reclaim your profile today by pruning any regrettable video uploads lingering too long on Facebook. Just scroll back through your archives deleting batches of forgotten footage that no longer suits being hosted permanently in their unreliable systems.
Key Takeaways on Removing Videos from Facebook
Let‘s recap the key lessons for taking back ownership over your digital video trail:
- Facebook videos get copied beyond your control once shared publicly. Delete promptly to reduce spread.
- Removing videos only hides public visibility – backups still remain in Facebook‘s servers.
- Specify a Legacy Contact manager to be custodian of your profile‘s videos if you pass away.
- Deleting videos enhances privacy and speeds up loading profiles bogged down by unnecessary archives.
- Alternatives like YouTube or Instagram provide equally unreliable permanent video deletion. No guarantees!
- You must accept legal risks and ethical consequences around anything shared online long term.
I hope these transparent insights from a cybersecurity geek perspective empower you to make wise decisions about what videos to post then subsequently prune on Facebook.
Do frequent clean sweeps deleting unused old videos. And think twice before uploading anything better kept confidential beyond social media‘s porous walls!
Actively managing your digital footprint protects the mythic vision all youths cling to:
"That can‘t possibly wind up online to embarrass me later!"
