For therapists, psychologists, doctors, and wellness practitioners, Facebook Live has become an essential tool to share educational content, support clients, and build community. But starting February 19, 2025, Facebook is updating its Live video storage policy, which means your past and future Live videos are at risk of being permanently deleted.
If your practice relies on Facebook Live videos to deliver value to your audience, now is the time to take action to protect your content, ensure long-term access, and maintain ownership of your professional resources.
What Is Changing with Facebook Live Video Storage?
As part of Meta’s update, Facebook will only store Live videos on your Page or profile for 30 days after they’re published. After this period, videos are automatically deleted from Facebook’s servers unless you download or transfer them to another location.
Here’s a summary of the new policy:
- 30-Day Retention: All Live videos are removed 30 days after publishing.
- Deletion of Existing Videos: Older Live videos are being phased out and deleted.
- Notifications: Facebook will notify you when this change applies to your account.
- 90-Day Grace Period: You have 90 days from notification to download your existing Live videos.
- Postponement: You may delay deletion for up to 6 months, one time only.
Why Facebook Live Deletion Matters for Health & Wellness Providers
Facebook Live has become an invaluable resource for professionals in the mental health, medical, and wellness industries. These videos often provide:
- Educational guidance on topics like anxiety management, nutrition, and mindfulness.
- Supportive resources for clients to revisit after sessions.
- Community engagement tools to foster trust and share expertise.
- Marketing content to attract and retain new clients.
If your videos disappear, so does the long-term value they provide to your community and your practice. Protecting this content ensures that your work continues to serve others, even as platform policies change.
Why You Must Own Your Content
Depending on social media platforms to store your professional content comes with risks. Algorithms shift, policies change, and features evolve. As a health and wellness provider, owning your content guarantees:
- Continuous access to your educational materials.
- Ongoing support for clients who rely on video resources.
- Protection of your intellectual property and professional insights.
- Freedom to repurpose and share your content across multiple platforms.
By downloading and securely backing up your Facebook Live videos, you gain full control over the longevity and accessibility of your work.
How to Download and Save Facebook Live Videos
Meta has provided several ways to secure your existing and future Live videos. Here’s how to take action:
Single Download
- Download an individual live video from your profile, Page or Meta Business Suite.
- On a profile or on a Page on your device, find the Videos tab. On a Page, if you’re on the web, find the Live tab. You may need to click More to see the Live tab.
- Choose the video you want to download.
- Open the full screen view, then click […] and choose “Download video.”
- You can also download one or more live videos from your Page or profile’s Activity Log. To download your live videos, select “Your live videos,” then choose a date range to see videos available to download.
Bulk Download
- On your computer or device, tap the notification to enter into the download flow.
- Tap “Download live videos.”
- Decide the location (computer or device) to download to and the date range for the live videos.
- Tap “Create File.”
Transfer Live Videos
- On your computer or device, tap the notification to enter into the download flow.
- Tap “Transfer live videos.”
- Tap “Where” to select the transfer destination.
- Choose your linked cloud storage provider (ex: Dropbox or Google Drive).
- Tap “Save.”
Need More Time? You can Postpone Video Deletion
- On your computer or device, tap the notification to enter into the download flow.
- Tap “Learn more.”
- Tap “postpone the deletion.”
- Tap “Postpone” to confirm.
How to Future-Proof Your Content Strategy
This policy update is a reminder for health and wellness professionals to create a sustainable, long-term strategy for managing video content. Here’s how to future-proof your materials:
- Build a video library on your website to keep resources easily accessible.
- Use a professional video hosting platform with analytics and control.
- Implement a regular process to download and archive new Live videos.
- Audit your content library to keep it organized and up to date.
- Develop evergreen video content that can be reused across platforms.
This approach not only protects your content but also helps establish your authority in your field, supports SEO through original on-site content, and keeps your audience engaged.
Final Thoughts
What to Do Next:
- Audit your Facebook Live videos today.
- Download and back up any videos you want to keep.
- Establish a secure, long-term content management system.
Source:
Meta. (2025). Updating Our Facebook Live Video Storage Policy. Retrieved from https://about.fb.com/news/2025/02/updating-our-facebook-live-video-storage-policy/.
