7 little-known Facebook hacks you’ve probably never tried

The average Facebook user spends about 50 minutes every day on the social media network – liking, commenting and sharing things they find interesting.

But there are still some little-known tips and tricks that even longtime users may not know about.

Read more: How to control what happens to your Facebook profile after you die

7 secrets about Facebook and Facebook Messenger

1. Delete your Facebook search history

While only you are able to see your Facebook search history, there are times when you might want to hit the reset button – just like you do with Google. 

• Click on the upside-down triangle in the upper right corner of the screen and select Activity Log.
• Under Filters on the left side, look for the “Search” option. It’s located under Photos, Likes and Comments.
• Remove searches individually or click “Clear Searches” to get rid of them all.

2. Find hidden Facebook photos

Did you know that photos you’ve hidden from your timeline can still be visible in search results?

Using the search bar, type ‘Photos of’ followed by your name or the name of the person whose photos you want to view. Remove the tag from photos so they don’t appear in future search results.

We have a separate step-by-step guide to help stop embarrassing photos from causing you trouble. â€‹â€‹

3. Is someone ignoring your friend request? Cancel it!

If you’ve ever sent a friend request that wasn’t accepted, there’s an easy way to cancel that request and forget that you ever sent it in the first place! 

• Click the Friends icon from the top of any Facebook page.
• Select View Sent Requests.
• From the drop-down list, cancel the requests individually.

4. Access your secret inbox

There’s a chance that Facebook Messenger isn’t showing you all of your messages, especially if people you’re not friends with have been trying to contact you.

In the Messenger app, unlock them by going to Settings > People > Message Requests and click “See filtered requests.”

Read more: 10 tips, tricks and secrets to know about Facebook Messenger

5. Know when someone reads your message

When you send a text message, it can be really frustrating not knowing if the other person has read it. But with Facebook Messenger, there’s no need to speculate. 

 Just look for a small version of your contact’s photo to know they’ve seen it. 

6. Play games

Like chess? Type “@fbchess play” into a chat conversation and press send to get lost in a game of chess with one of your friends.

And to play the hidden basketball game, find the basketball emoji, send it and click on the emoji. We should warn you that this game is addictive.

This guy explains how a ruler can help you get a higher score: 

7. Download your Facebook data

Facebook says most of your data is available from your Activity Log, but you can download an archive of your information if you want to.

It’ll include additional information, like IP addresses and the ads you’ve clicked on.

• Click on the upside-down triangle in the upper right corner of the screen and select Settings.
• Click Download a copy of your Facebook data below your General Account Settings.
• Click Start My Archive.

The download will contain your profile information, so Facebook says you should keep it secure and be cautious about storing, sending or uploading it. 

Read more: Is your birthday on Facebook? Here’s why that’s a bad idea