How to delete the video history you watched on Facebook

Just like YouTube and almost any platform for watching videos online, Facebook keeps a record of the videos you watch on the platform; we have already explained how to find the video history on Facebook, perhaps so you can easily return to it, or maybe for another reason related to your data and privacy. If you are wondering about the relationship between privacy and the video history you watch, let us tell you that managing this history is an integral part of controlling your digital presence and to make the suggested videos within the app adapt to your specific interests. No one has the right to access this history except you, whether we are talking about regular users or even the Facebook platform itself. We will discuss this in some detail in the following paragraphs of this article, where we will share with you how to delete the video history watched on Facebook, whether through the app on your phone or the web version.

Adding to what we mentioned in the introduction, companies like Meta (the parent company of Facebook), and others, are very interested in knowing what you watch because it reveals a lot about you; your preferences, hobbies, opinions; the videos you watch reflect all of that. We are not saying that deleting your video history will prevent Facebook from knowing these things, ultimately you are using their platform and everything you do on it is recorded, but what we mean to say is that accessing the video history reveals a lot about your personality, and if this information falls into the wrong hands, it may be exploited badly, such as using phishing techniques (a hacking method)! Another important point, although unrelated to privacy, is that Facebook algorithms use the video history to recommend more similar videos to you and keep you engaged for as long as possible, which can be a double-edged sword; it can help you spend your free time watching videos you like, or it can waste your time on the same videos.

Before we move on to how to delete the video history on Facebook, if you want to keep the videos you watch – to revisit them in the future or for any reason – and at the same time avoid the mentioned problems of privacy violations, you can use the save feature that will not be affected by clearing the history, and which allows you to access saved videos quickly. For those who don’t know how to save videos on Facebook for later, you can do so by clicking on the icon (⋯) above the video and then clicking on the bookmark icon “Save video”. You can go back to the saved videos by clicking on “Saved” in the sidebar.

Now that we understand the importance of deleting the video history on Facebook, let’s discuss the deletion process itself. We start with the app version on Android and iPhone first, then move on to the web version. Start by opening the “Facebook” app on your phone, then go to the profile page by pressing the menu button (☰) in the bottom bar (on iPhone) or top bar (on Android) and then press on your profile name, then press the menu button (⋯) next to the “Edit Profile” button. From the next screen, press on the “Activity log” option, then scroll through the blue tabs at the top until you find “Video watched” and click on it.

A list of all the videos you have watched in the past will be displayed. In fact, if you have some time, you will be able to find the first video you watched on Facebook since creating your account! To delete this history, click on the “Clear video watch history” button and confirm it by clicking “Clear.”

Lastly, for the web version of Facebook; go to the website and then to your profile by clicking on your profile picture in the top bar and then your account name, or by going to the link facebook.com/me and logging into your account if you haven’t done so already. Then, click on the menu button (⋯) and select “Activity log,” then go to “Videos you’ve watched” as usual. You will see a list of all the videos you have watched on the site, and with dates; delete them all by clicking on “Clear video watch history.”

Note that Facebook distinguishes between recorded videos and live broadcast videos that you have watched. To delete the latter, go to “Live videos you’ve watched” (following the above steps), and you will be able to delete any live video from the record.

In the end, whether you consider deleting your video watch history on Facebook important or not, acknowledging that it reveals a lot about personalities is essential. Therefore, if you want to maintain your privacy and keep your personality as confidential as possible, you should delete this history immediately, and the decision ultimately depends on your personal preference.