Facebook To Automatically Delete Live Videos After 30 Days

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has announced significant changes to how live videos will be stored on Facebook.

In a recent blog post, Facebook revealed that starting February 19, 2025, live broadcast videos will only be available for replay, download, or sharing for 30 days after the broadcast. After this period, the videos will be automatically deleted, marking a shift from the previous policy of indefinite storage.

The company explained that the majority of live video views happen within the first few weeks of a broadcast. To align with industry standards and improve the user experience, Facebook is updating its live video storage policies.

“Because most live video views occur within the first few weeks of broadcasting, we’re updating how long live videos can be stored on Facebook. These changes will align our storage policies with industry standards and help ensure we are providing the most up-to-date live video experiences for everyone on Facebook,” the company said in the statement.

As part of this transition, all live videos older than 30 days will be deleted in waves over the coming months. Facebook will notify users about the deletion process via email and in-app notifications, allowing users to download their old live videos before they are removed.

Once notified, users will have 90 days to decide what to do with their archived live videos. They can either download the videos to their device, transfer them to cloud storage, or convert them into a new reel.

To help users preserve their live content, Facebook has introduced several tools for downloading and transferring live videos:

• Single download: Users can download individual live videos from their profiles, Pages, or the Meta Business Suite by selecting a video, opening it in full-screen mode, and choosing “Download video” from the options menu.
• Bulk download: Users can select multiple live videos from the Activity Log by choosing “Your live videos,” selecting a date range, and clicking “Create File.”
• Transfer to cloud storage: Users can also transfer live videos to cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. This can be done by selecting “Transfer live videos,” choosing the destination, and tapping “Save.”

For users who want to keep their favorite moments from live videos, Facebook suggests clipping shorter segments and sharing them as reels on their profile pages.

Additionally, Facebook has provided an option for users to extend the deletion deadline by six months. To activate this extension, users must tap the notification about the live video deletion, select “Learn More,” choose “Postpone the deletion,” and confirm the action.

This new policy is part of Facebook’s ongoing efforts to streamline its storage systems and provide users with improved options for managing their content.