Facebook has become one of the most popular platforms for sharing and watching videos. With billions of videos uploaded and shared every day, finding a specific video can be challenging. As a digital marketing professional with over 10 years of experience, I’m sharing my best tips on how to quickly find videos posted on Facebook.
Table of Contents
Use Facebook’s Search Function
The easiest way to find videos on Facebook is by using the built-in search function. Here’s how:
- Go to Facebook.com and log into your account
- Type a relevant keyword or phrase into the search bar at the top
- Select the “Videos” tab underneath to only show video results
- Use filters on the left sidebar to narrow results by date posted, people tagged, location, etc.
You can search for videos posted by yourself, your friends, Pages you follow, or the wider public. Refine the results using filters to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Check Video Playlists and Watch History
If you’ve watched or saved a Facebook video before, you can find it again through your video playlists or watch history:
- Click on the ☰ menu in the top right
- Select “Saved”
- Choose the “Videos” tab to access playlists you’ve created
- View watch history under “More” → “History”
This allows you to quickly pick up watching videos where you left off or rewatch ones you enjoyed.
Leverage Facebook Watch
The Facebook Watch tab aggregates recommended, popular, and recent videos based on your interests and activity.
- Click on the Watch icon in the left sidebar
- Scroll through personalized video suggestions
- Search for videos using the magnifying glass icon
Facebook Watch learns what you like over time, making it easier to discover new videos relevant to you.
Use Advanced Search Operators
When searching on Facebook, you can use advanced search operators to find exactly what you want:
- Enclose phrases in quotes to search for an exact match, like “cute cat video”
- Prefix words with HAS: to find videos tagged with specific words
- Use NEAR, BEFORE, or AFTER to search within a date range
- Filter by location using NEAR or WITHIN followed by a place name
See Facebook’s advanced search guide for more tips.
Try Third-Party Tools
Sites like SearchIsBack.com provide an advanced search engine specifically for Facebook video. After logging in with your Facebook account, you can search by keywords, filter by date, sort by various metrics, and more. The tool even searches video captions and comments in addition to titles and descriptions.
While Facebook’s native search has its limitations, third-party tools give you more advanced options for tracking down videos.
Optimize Your Own Videos
To make your own videos easier to find later:
- Give videos a descriptive, SEO-optimized title
- Tag people featured in the video
- Add relevant hashtags so others can find your content
- Provide a full caption summarizing what the video is about
- Set a custom thumbnail image to showcase visually
Videos with complete metadata get indexed better, allowing you and others to search and locate them faster.
Use Bookmarks
If you want to easily reference videos again in the future, bookmark them:
- Click on the ☰ menu while watching a video
- Choose “Save Video”
- Access bookmarked videos from the Saved tab
This gives you a personalized library of videos to reference anytime.
Check Your Activity Log
Your Facebook activity log chronologically archives your video views, likes, shares, posts, and more.
- Click on the ☰ menu
- Select “Activity Log”
- Choose “Videos” from the sidebar
- Filter by date using the calendar icon
Scanning your activity history allows you to rediscover videos you engaged with in the past.
Follow Best Practices
When posting videos yourself, make them easy to find later:
- Upload videos natively instead of sharing YouTube links
- Use targeted keywords in the video title and description
- Tag people, places, or relate hashtags so it appears in searches
- Provide a full caption summarizing what viewers will see
Optimized metadata makes your videos more discoverable by yourself and others.
By leveraging Facebook’s built-in search and filters, using third-party tools, bookmarking videos, and optimizing your own uploads, you can quickly find specific videos posted on Facebook. Let me know if you have any other questions!
