Facebook begins deleting live videos after 30 days under new storage policy

Facebook has started automatically deleting live video replays 30 days after broadcast, citing that most live viewing happens in the first few weeks. The policy, effective February 19, applies to pages, personal profiles, and groups, and to streams broadcast natively or through third-party tools.

Creators have several options to preserve their content: download individual live videos any time within 30 days of the stream; bulk-download past recordings using Facebook's native tool or the Download Your Information feature; transfer videos directly to Dropbox or Google Drive; or request a six-month deferral on the download or transfer of archived lives. For previously broadcast videos, users have 90 days from the date they receive Facebook's notification before automatic deletion.

Marketing practitioners recommend clipping short segments from live recordings and reposting them as Reels before the originals disappear, noting the change fits Facebook's broader push toward short-form vertical video, and suggest multi-streaming to YouTube and LinkedIn through tools like Ecamm Live, StreamYard, BeLive, or Restream so archives exist elsewhere.

Separately, Social Media Marketing World 2025 runs March 30 through April 1 at the San Diego Convention Center with a live-streaming option, and a 30-seat Facebook business briefing and brunch is scheduled for April 2 at the University Club atop Symphony Towers downtown.