How to Remove a Facebook Post About You

To remove a Facebook post about you, report it to Meta under the rule it breaks, usually bullying and harassment, privacy violations or impersonation, and report it to the group’s admins if it was posted in a group. If the post uses your photo or other work, a copyright report may apply. Meta generally won’t remove a post only because it is negative or unfair, so matching the post to a specific rule is what makes a report succeed.

Often the quickest way to remove Facebook posts is not Meta at all. A group admin can delete a post in seconds, and some posters will take a post down if asked calmly. Meta’s rules also cover Instagram, which our guide to removing an Instagram post about you explains.

Who can remove Facebook posts about you

Facebook content sits in different places, and each has a different set of people who can remove it.

Where it’s posted	Who can remove it	Best first step
Someone’s personal profile	The poster, or Meta	Report to Meta; consider asking the poster
A group (public or private)	The poster, group admins and moderators, or Meta	Report to the group admins, and to Meta if it breaks the Community Standards
A business or public Page	The Page’s admins, or Meta	Message the Page, then report to Meta
A comment on any of the above	The commenter, the owner of the post or Page, group admins, or Meta	Ask the post owner or admins to delete it; report it
A fake profile or Page in your name	Meta	Use the impersonation report

Visibility matters too. A post shared to friends only is seen by fewer people and won’t appear in search engines. A public post, a public group or a Page can be indexed by Google and found by anyone searching your name.

Before you report: save the evidence

1. Copy the link to the post. Click the timestamp on the post to open it on its own page, then copy the URL.
2. Take screenshots of the post, the poster’s name, the date and the worst comments.
3. Note the group or Page name, and whether it’s public or private.
4. Write down anything that identifies you: your name, photo, workplace, address or phone number.

If the post is removed, deleted by the poster or edited, this record is what you’ll need for Google, for any copies elsewhere, or for a lawyer.

Report bullying and harassment

Meta’s Bullying and Harassment policy protects private individuals more than public figures. For private people, Meta says it goes further, including removing content meant to degrade or shame them. Public figures, which Meta defines to include government officials, political candidates, people with large followings and people who get substantial news coverage, are expected to tolerate more criticism.

Some protections only apply when the person targeted reports it themselves. Meta’s policy says certain bullying is removed when it is self-reported, and that it removes Pages, groups and events created to target private individuals when reported by the target or an authorized representative. So report it yourself where you can, rather than relying on a friend.

To report Facebook posts, click the three dots on the post, choose Report post, and pick the option that best fits, such as bullying or harassment. Report abusive comments individually.

Report a privacy violation

Meta’s Privacy Violations policy covers two different problems.

Private information

Meta removes content that shares certain personal information, including Social Security and passport numbers, private residential addresses, other people’s personal phone numbers and email addresses, financial account details, and medical records. If a post publishes your home address or phone number, report it as a privacy violation and say exactly where the information appears.

Photos and videos of you

Meta’s image privacy rules are narrower than many people expect, and they depend on your age and location:

• Children under 13: a photo or video can be removed when reported by the child or a parent or legal guardian.
• Teens aged 13 to 17: removal is possible when reported by the teen themselves.
• Adults: removal is possible when reported by the adult from outside the United States where applicable law may give them rights.
• Incapacitated people: images can be removed on report.

For adults in the US, that means a photo of you that is simply unflattering usually won’t come down on privacy grounds alone. It can still come down under another rule, for example if it’s used to harass you, is intimate imagery shared without consent, or appears on a profile impersonating you. If the image is also showing up in search results, our guide on removing images from Google covers that side.

Report impersonation

If a profile or Page is pretending to be you or your business, report the profile, not individual posts. Open the profile, click the three dots, choose Report profile, and select the option for pretending to be someone. Facebook’s Help Center also has an impostor account report form for people who don’t have a Facebook account. Our guide on what to do if someone is impersonating you online covers warning your contacts and handling fake accounts on several platforms.

Copyright and trademark

If a post uses a photo you took, a video you made, or other work you own, you can file a copyright report through Meta’s intellectual property forms. Businesses can file a trademark report when a post or Page uses their brand in a way that misleads people. These forms are for rights holders only. Being in a photo doesn’t make you its copyright owner, and filing a false claim can create legal liability.

Posts in Facebook groups

Groups have their own moderators, and they are often faster and more flexible than Meta. An admin can remove a post simply because it breaks the group’s rules, even if it doesn’t break Meta’s.

1. Read the group rules. Many local groups ban naming individuals, posting personal disputes or “call-out” posts.
2. Use the report option on the post and choose to report it to the group admins, if the group offers it.
3. If you’re not a member or can’t see the post, message an admin directly. Admins and moderators are listed in the group’s member section.
4. Also report it to Meta if it breaks the Community Standards, since that review is separate from the admins’.

Hi, I’m the person named in a post in your group from [date] (link below). It includes my full name and the street I live on, and I’ve had messages from people I don’t know since it went up. Your group rules say members shouldn’t post personal information. Would you be able to remove it? Thank you for looking.

Pointing to the group’s own rule gives the admin an easy reason to act. Keep the tone neutral; admins get many complaints and respond better to calm, specific ones.

Asking the poster directly

If you know the poster and the post came from anger rather than malice, a private message can work. Acknowledge the disagreement, make one specific request (delete it, or remove your name or photo), and don’t threaten. If they refuse or ignore you, stop there. Further messages can become screenshots in the next post.

Don’t ask the poster to take something down in exchange for money or favors, and don’t create fake accounts to argue in the comments. Both tend to make the situation worse and can break Meta’s rules.

If it’s your own post, or you’re tagged in it

If you wrote the post, you can delete it yourself: click the three dots on the post and choose the option to move it to trash or delete it. Facebook typically keeps items in trash for 30 days before deleting them permanently, and you can empty it sooner from your activity log. If you’d rather keep a post but hide it, you can archive it or change its audience to Only me. To remove everything at once, see how to delete a Facebook account.

If someone else posted it and tagged you, you can remove the tag from the post’s options menu. That takes the link to your profile off the post, but the post itself stays up, so use the reports above if it breaks a rule.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case.

A contractor finishes a kitchen remodel, and the homeowner is unhappy with the timeline. The homeowner posts in a large public community group: a photo of the contractor’s truck with the license plate visible, his full name, and a caption saying people should “let him know what you think” at his home address, which is included.

1. He saves the post link and screenshots, including the address and plate.
2. He reports the post to the group admins, pointing to the group rule against sharing personal details, and to Meta as a privacy violation for sharing his home address.
3. He reports the comments that repeat his address or insult him.
4. He doesn’t reply in the thread.

The admins remove the post the next day. Had they not, Meta’s privacy rule on home addresses gives him a strong case. What likely would not have come down is a post that only described the delays and gave the business a poor review. He could respond to that, calmly and briefly, and fix the underlying issue with the customer.

What Meta won’t remove

• Negative opinions or reviews of you or your business, even if you think they’re unfair.
• Criticism of public figures, within Meta’s limits on severe attacks.
• Accurate information that doesn’t fall into a protected category.
• Photos of adults in the US that aren’t harassing, intimate or impersonating.

Meta, like other platforms, is generally protected by Section 230 from liability for what users post, which is one reason it removes content based on its own rules rather than on whether a post is fair.

When it’s a legal matter

If a post makes specific false statements of fact that damage your reputation, you may have a defamation claim against the poster. Opinion, even harsh opinion, generally isn’t defamation. Our guide on defamation vs. opinion explains the line. Talk to a lawyer before sending a demand or filing anything. A lawyer can tell you whether a claim is realistic, and a court order finding content unlawful gives you something platforms and search engines are more likely to act on.

If the post is part of a campaign across several sites, or has reached Google results for your name, our content removal service can assess each route for you.

Common mistakes

• Arguing in the comments. It keeps the post active and puts it in front of more people.
• Choosing a vague report reason. “Something else” or “false information” rarely helps with a post about an individual.
• Relying on a friend to report bullying. Some protections only apply when you report it yourself.
• Blocking before saving evidence. Once you block someone, you can no longer see their posts. Screenshot first, then block.

Frequently asked questions

Will the person know I reported their Facebook post?

Meta doesn’t tell people who reported their content for breaking the Community Standards. Intellectual property reports are different, as the rights holder’s details may be shared with the person who posted.

Can I get a photo of me removed from Facebook?

It depends on your age, where you live and what the photo shows. Meta removes photos of children under 13 on request from a parent, and of teens when they report it themselves. Adults in the US usually need another reason, such as harassment, intimate imagery or impersonation.

What if the post is in a private group I can't see?

Ask a member of the group to report it to the admins and to Meta, and give them any screenshots you have. You can also message the group admins directly and explain the problem.

Should I block the person who posted about me?

Blocking stops them contacting you and hides your profile from them, but it doesn’t remove the post, and it stops you seeing it. Save your evidence and file your reports first, then block if it helps.