How to Create a Facebook Story

To create a Facebook Story, open Facebook under the personal profile you want to post from, find the option labeled Create story, Add to story, or similar, choose a photo or video, review the audience, and share it. Some versions also offer a text Story or other creative tools. The exact buttons differ between the app, mobile browser, and desktop site, so use the labels you see rather than looking for one particular plus icon.

The audience check is the step most worth slowing down for. A Story is available to the people you select for about 24 hours. It is not automatically friends-only for every account, and the end of that viewing window does not necessarily mean every copy of the content has been deleted. This guide covers a Story shared from a personal Facebook profile; a Page can have different publishing and access controls.

How to make and share a Story

1. Check your posting identity. If you manage a Page or have more than one profile, confirm that Facebook is showing the personal profile from which you intend to post. A Story shared as a Page is a different publication decision.
2. Open the Story composer. Look near the Stories area of Feed or your profile for Create story, Add to story, or a similar control. If your version does not show it there, use Facebook’s own search or Help rather than a third-party login site.
3. Choose the material. Select a photo or video from your device, capture a new one if the camera option is available, or choose a text option if your composer offers it. You can stop here and choose a different file if the preview is wrong.
4. Check the preview. Make sure the intended part of the image or video remains visible. Text placed near the edge may be covered by Facebook’s profile, reply, or navigation controls. If a frame contains a street address, badge, child’s school, or somebody else’s private information, crop or replace it before sharing.
5. Set the audience before sharing. Open the privacy or audience control shown for Your story. Read the audience displayed after you save your choice. Do this for each sensitive Story rather than relying on what you think an earlier post used.
6. Share and verify. Use the composer’s Story sharing button. Once Facebook shows the Story as posted, open your own Story to check that the image, text, and audience are as intended. If the upload fails, check the app’s connection and permissions before starting over.

If the update needs a lasting place on your profile, a regular Facebook post may serve it better.

Choose who can see your Story before posting

Facebook lists Stories under its Audience and visibility settings. Depending on your profile and device, the Story composer may also show an audience choice while you create the post. Look for the currently selected audience, open it, and choose the group you actually want to reach. The choices available to one account may differ from those on another, including accounts subject to age or regional settings.

Consider whether people shown in the photo are comfortable with the selected audience. An audience choice cannot stop a viewer from recording what they have seen.

Avoid assuming that a change in your Feed-post privacy automatically changes Story privacy, or that your Story has inherited a friends-only setting. Review the Story’s own audience. If you cannot find an audience control, hold the post until you can inspect the applicable Story settings in Facebook’s privacy controls. This is especially sensible for sensitive photos, location details, and information about other people.

Pick a format that fits the update

A photo works when the scene itself tells most of the story. Add only enough text to explain a detail the image cannot show. A short video can show an action or a quick sequence. Watch it with sound off before posting: if the point disappears without audio, add a brief caption where the composer permits one. Text-only Story options, when available, can suit a short reminder or announcement that does not need an image.

Facebook may offer stickers, filters, music, or other editing controls. They are optional, and their availability can vary. Before adding music, check whether the option is present for your account and whether the chosen track fits the post. The separate guide on adding music to a Facebook Story covers that specific task. Do not rely on a named effect, such as Boomerang, being available in every composer.

Use readable text against the final background. For an event, include its date and time plainly. These are clarity choices, not guaranteed ways to increase views or interactions.

What happens after 24 hours?

Facebook Stories are designed for a roughly 24-hour viewing period for the selected audience. After that period, the Story should no longer appear as an ordinary active Story. That is different from saying the content has been permanently removed from Facebook or from every device that viewed it.

Facebook has a Story Archive feature for revisiting Stories you have shared. Whether a particular Story is saved depends on your account’s archive settings and the conditions Facebook applies. If keeping a copy matters, inspect Story Archive and its save setting before you post, and keep the original photo or video on your device. Do not assume an expired Story will always be recoverable, especially if you removed it early. The Facebook Story archive Help is the right place to check the current controls when it is available to your account.

For information people need after the Story expires, use a lasting format as well. Someone may have viewed or captured it during the 24-hour window.

Review, change or remove a live Story

Open your own live Story after sharing. Facebook may offer controls to see its audience, change privacy, or remove that Story. The available actions and labels vary by device and account, so read what the menu says before confirming a change. For a wrong or sensitive upload, use the remove option if available, then check whether the Story has disappeared from the live view. Do not count on changing the audience after publication to undo what earlier viewers saw.

If you share a corrected version, recheck its audience. A repost is a new publication; it does not undo earlier views.

If you cannot find Create Story

First confirm that you are on the intended Facebook profile and that you are looking in Facebook, not an unrelated app or account. The desktop site, standard mobile app, Lite app, and mobile browser may place Story controls differently. Refresh the page or reopen the app, then look near the Stories area of Feed and on your profile. If the option still does not appear, check Facebook Help from within the app for your device and account type.

Page publishing may require the right access level. If a selected photo will not upload, check your connection and Facebook’s photo permission. Avoid giving your password to another site that promises to post Stories.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone see my Facebook Story?

That depends on the audience selected for that Story and on your account settings. Read the audience shown in the Story composer before posting. Do not assume that every Story is friends-only.

Does a Facebook Story get deleted after 24 hours?

It stops being an ordinary active Story after about 24 hours. It may still be available through Story Archive if the applicable save setting was enabled, and someone who saw it could have kept a copy. Do not describe the viewing-window end as guaranteed permanent deletion.

Can I make a Facebook Story from a computer?

Facebook has offered Story creation on desktop, but available formats and button labels can differ from the mobile app. Look for the Story creation option in the current desktop interface and verify its audience before sharing. If your needed format or effect is absent, check the mobile app rather than assuming the feature exists on both.

Do I need music or stickers for my Story?

No. A clear photo, video, or available text Story can communicate the update on its own. Add optional effects only when they help people understand it and are offered in your composer.