How to delete every Facebook wall post, wipe your Timeline
by Zack Whittaker | January 2, 2012 6:40am PST | Image 1 of 14
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1. Start with Firefox (or download and install it first)
If you arrive here directly and are somewhat confused, read more about this gallery on ZDNet.
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In this screenshot, you can see that my Facebook wall is full of test Wall posts, but Wall posts nonetheless. I could easily select each one and hit 'Delete' but this will take forever, especially if you have a profile stretching years back.
If you are lucky enough to not have enabled the new timeline, then you have saved yourself a great deal of time -- should this method work for you. If it does not, then never fear. There are other options you can explore.
1. For this, you need to be running Firefox as your web browser, and not Chrome. It's not clear why the 'magic button' does not work on Chrome, but it doesn't.
2. Head to the Mozilla Addons pages from your Firefox browser. You should be looking at a script called Greasemonkey.
Just In
Yeshuafollower: (great user name) What worked for you the script or the macro. If you read my post of Apr 17th I didn't see the script working. I installed Greasemonkey and the right checks seem to be in the right place. Greasemonkey is enabled. And the Facebook Srubber is checked but nothing is happening. So I went to the imacro for Firefox. It works but with the caveat in the post I spoke of above. If you have a moment to read that rather than reposting is all. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, jack
On Facebook.
Facebook came about well after I became wary of putting personal data on the web, and I've been cynical even way before that.
By coincidence I was googling old usernames and email addresses today. I'm seeing things from 2 ISPs ago and before, when my 'web connection' was through an EDU. That's around 1995 or so. Kermit on a UNIX shell, email and news groups was pretty much the extent of the web. What a trip in the way back machine.
Anyhow, Facebook and people posting stuff for the world to find that, in my day, we wouldn't have written in a journal or diary for fear of someone finding it.
So yeah, I can see why some people may really want to scrub their Facebook.
OTOH, twenty something year old teachers being fired from their jobs because they posted a picture of themselves having a beer while on vacation ... I can see us going back to not even writing something in a journal because it might be found.
.
Facebook came about well after I became wary of putting personal data on the web, and I've been cynical even way before that.
By coincidence I was googling old usernames and email addresses today. I'm seeing things from 2 ISPs ago and before, when my 'web connection' was through an EDU. That's around 1995 or so. Kermit on a UNIX shell, email and news groups was pretty much the extent of the web. What a trip in the way back machine.
Anyhow, Facebook and people posting stuff for the world to find that, in my day, we wouldn't have written in a journal or diary for fear of someone finding it.
So yeah, I can see why some people may really want to scrub their Facebook.
OTOH, twenty something year old teachers being fired from their jobs because they posted a picture of themselves having a beer while on vacation ... I can see us going back to not even writing something in a journal because it might be found.
.
@rmhesche Big brother is watching you.
After installing greasmonkey I keep getting a "problem loading page" error at userscripts.org, but it loads fine in other browsers seamonkey. Any suggestions?
(o:
(o:
Aha. Userscripts.org and the https-everywhere plugin don't play well together.
( :
( :
How dumb can people be?
Just make a NEW email and facebook account. If you use gmail then make a new one on yahoo. Or similar. That is massively the easiest way to hide your past, unless you were dumb enough to put in your REAL name somewhere...
NEVER EVER give out the personal one to an employer.
Don't link one to the other.
I knew this back in 1999 when I got my first modern PC...
Just make a NEW email and facebook account. If you use gmail then make a new one on yahoo. Or similar. That is massively the easiest way to hide your past, unless you were dumb enough to put in your REAL name somewhere...
NEVER EVER give out the personal one to an employer.
Don't link one to the other.
I knew this back in 1999 when I got my first modern PC...
How do you find your timeline on Facebook?
@lenstaley
If you haven't signed up for it then you don't have it, yet (until they force it on everyone.)
If you haven't signed up for it then you don't have it, yet (until they force it on everyone.)
@Hatestone Johnson That's what I do. We're smarter than the average bears.
i hit delete posts and nothing happens....why?
If a prospective employer ever asks for your Facebook password, point out two things. First, do they really want to access your page when it might give them answers to questions that the law doesn't allow them to ask (marital status, age, religion, ethnicity, and in some states or cities, sexual orientation), and possibly open them up to EEO violations? Second, since you agreed to the Facebook terms of service that forbid you from giving your password to anyone else, do they really want you to violate that agreement and therefore commit an unethical, and possibly technically illegal, act?
I haven't had to try this yet, but it should put them on the defensive, and maybe even make them consult their lawyers.
I haven't had to try this yet, but it should put them on the defensive, and maybe even make them consult their lawyers.
@Marc Erickson 'fraid not. My apologies.
Works in deleting all wall posts but doesn't delete the recent activities; only option is to hide them with the government 
I went through the whole explanation, but don't see the point of using iMacros. What does it do? I can wipe messages etc on FB itself, don't need this FF app to do so.
When I hit delete all posts it goes to "removing all older posts...click to stop," but then all it does is loads all of my older posts. NO deleting. Am I doing something wrong?
I hope it just takes time... I see it loading my old posts... about 4 years of stuff...
sad...
Hi, where should I click to open "iMacros sidebar"?
I am using Firefox 11.0.
I didnt chose timeline, but today my page on FB appeared on timeline and they say that in April 21t I will be obliged to use it.
I wanna delete all since 2009.
Thanks... I will wait for your answer as soon as possible!
regards
Denise
I am using Firefox 11.0.
I didnt chose timeline, but today my page on FB appeared on timeline and they say that in April 21t I will be obliged to use it.
I wanna delete all since 2009.
Thanks... I will wait for your answer as soon as possible!
regards
Denise
I realized that I had to download iMacros for FF. But I didn find for FF 11.0. The one i used didnt work 
The magic button you speak of now shows up as a little button on the browser itself with a little monkey head and a drop down menu. The top option has ENABLED checked and the bottom says FACEBOOK SCRUBBER (Deletes All Wall Activity) and it is checked. But I don't see any evidence it it enabled or doing anything? Anyone have suggestions? Thanking you in advance. Jack
I have gotten the iMacro solution to work. But it seems to get stuck occasionally on the fact that the DELETE dropdown on the Wall is in different positions in the dropdown options. Is there any way to circumvent this, or an addition to the script that will make it try both ways? Skip it and make another macro for it later? Appreciated any suggestions. Jack
Zak! Are you there? lol I received a newsletter with my comment with recommendations that I can see had no relevance. I downloaded Firefox and used Greasemonkey as you suggested. The monkey program reports enabled and the script Facebook Scrubber is checked. Nothing happens. So I went to using the iMacro feature and it works. Only thing is there are several options DELETE / DELETE COMMENT / UNLIKE / DELETE PHOTO. So the macro stops when it encounters another answer not in the macro. Is there anyway to add to the macro to cause it to make choices such as and/or ... if/then ... etc.
In addition, the macro starts working on the latest posts you have made, to my horror, it had removed all the latest posts I had made to a Facebook Group Page. Is there anyway to start it at an earlier time, for instance, all in 2010?
Here is the way the macro looks for just a simple DELETE:
1 VERSION BUILD=7401110 RECORDER=FX
2 TAB T=1
3 TAG POS=1 TYPE=I ATTR=CLASS:mrs defaultIcon customimg img sp_5rghy8sx_7767e9
4 TAG POS=1 TYPE=SPAN ATTR=TXT:Delete...
5 TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:BUTTON ATTR=NAME:ok&&VALUE:Delete
I removed line 3 which was suggested, just a refresh line. I am appreciative of all the help you have been. jack
In addition, the macro starts working on the latest posts you have made, to my horror, it had removed all the latest posts I had made to a Facebook Group Page. Is there anyway to start it at an earlier time, for instance, all in 2010?
Here is the way the macro looks for just a simple DELETE:
1 VERSION BUILD=7401110 RECORDER=FX
2 TAB T=1
3 TAG POS=1 TYPE=I ATTR=CLASS:mrs defaultIcon customimg img sp_5rghy8sx_7767e9
4 TAG POS=1 TYPE=SPAN ATTR=TXT:Delete...
5 TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:BUTTON ATTR=NAME:ok&&VALUE:Delete
I removed line 3 which was suggested, just a refresh line. I am appreciative of all the help you have been. jack
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