For some time now, Facebook has offered its users the possibility to manage their publications in a more convenient and flexible way. Users can move posts and videos they have published to the Recycle Bin or the Archive.
Content in the Recycle Bin does not disappear from the account immediately. They cease to be visible in the profile immediately, but are retained in the Recycle Bin for a period of 30 days. Only after one month, they are automatically deleted.
The situation is slightly different when moving publications to the Archive. In contrast to the Recycle Bin, the Archive is a place where content is stored until the user deletes it.
Content that is archived, as in the case of moving to the Recycle Bin, immediately disappears from the user’s Facebook feed and is no longer visible to the user’s audience.
In my today’s post, you will find out what Facebook’s Archive and Recycle Bin folders are used for and where they are located.
What are the Facebook Recycle Bin and Archive used for?
As I mentioned earlier, the Recycle Bin and Archive folders were created to help users manage their own content on Facebook. Internet users often publish and delete their social media content under the influence of emotion and the moment.
The ability to move a publication to the Recycle Bin and Archive allows the user to consider what to do with a post or story before permanently deleting it.
Archiving content is a good way to ensure that you do not lose easy access to content that you no longer want to show to your friends and other audiences. You can return to archived posts, stories, photos and videos at any time, while being confident that they will remain visible only for you.
What’s more, if you need to, you can restore the publication back to your feed at any time. If you decide that there is no longer any point in keeping it, you can also move it to the Recycle Bin, where it will be permanently deleted after 30 days.
What are the benefits of Facebook’s Recycle Bin folder? Why is content not simply deleted? The Recycle Bin folder protects us from ill-considered decisions and mistakes. The option to move a publication to the Recycle Bin gives the user an extra 30 days of reflection before the post disappears from their profile forever.
Furthermore, the Recycle Bin prevents content being lost if it is deleted by mistake. Of course, it is also possible to permanently delete all content from the Recycle Bin.
Where are the Recycle Bin and Archive on Facebook?
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, i.e. instructions for going to the Facebook Recycle Bin and Archive. Both folders are located in the Activity Log section. They can be opened both from the browser on your computer and from your smartphone.
Where is the Recycle Bin on Facebook?
Below you will find two instructions for navigating to the Facebook Recycle Bin folder – the first is for computer users and the second is for those using the app on their phone.
I. Navigating to the Recycle Bin folder from a computer:
- Log into Facebook in your computer browser,
- click on your profile picture / avatar in the top right corner of your screen,
- go to Settings & Privacy,
- select Activity log,
- in the list of options on the left, locate and select Recycle Bin.
II. Navigating to the Recycle Bin folder from the app on your phone:
- Log in to the Facebook app on your phone,
- click on the three horizontal dash icon (menu) located in the top right corner of the screen,
- expand Settings & Privacy and click Settings,
- scroll down the list of options and in the Your Information section, locate and select Activity Log,
- select the Trash button at the top of the screen.
Done! You will see the publications you have moved to the Recycle Bin. To restore, archive or permanently delete any of them, select it and then choose the option that is right for you.
Where is the Archive on Facebook?
The Facebook Archive is also located in the Activity Log. So to access the Archive, follow steps 1 – 4 from one of the instructions above (depending on which device you are using). Then, in step #5, select the Archive folder instead of the Recycle Bin folder.
As you can see, using Facebook‘s Recycle Bin and Archive folders is very convenient and gives you the flexibility to manage your content. Thanks to these features, you don’t have to think long about whether or not to remove certain posts, photos and videos from your feed.
If you are not sure about some content, simply move it to the Archive. Then your audience won’t have access to them and you can return to them at any time. If you move the content to the Recycle Bin, you will have 30 extra days to make a final decision. What’s more, from the Recycle Bin, you can restore publications to the feed, place them in the Archive or delete them outright. So there are plenty of options.
The answer to the question of where the Recycle Bin and Archive are on Facebook is easy, so you should have no difficulty returning to your content. It’s worth remembering that, no matter what device you use (computer or phone), you will find the Recycle Bin and Archive folder in your Activity Log.
