How to Remove Reels from Facebook Step by Step

You’re on Facebook, vibing with friends, when—boom!—a Reel smacks you with some random dance or puppy video. Posted a Reel you’re cringing over? Or just done with these clips taking over? I feel you—those auto-playing videos drive me nuts. Want to ditch Reels or at least chill them out? You’re in the right spot. Facebook won’t let you zap them entirely, but you can delete your own, hide the rest, kill those pesky notifications, and save keepers with Toolsmart’s downloader. Let’s clean up your feed!

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Part 1: Remove Your Own Reels from Your Facebook Profile

Shared a Reel you’re kinda cringing about now? Like that late-night lip-sync you thought was hilarious at 2 a.m., or a video that just feels off on your profile? Getting rid of your own Reels is super easy, but it only works for the ones you posted—not the random stuff from friends or pages. Here’s how I ditched a Reel that was making me blush every time I saw it.

Steps:

Step 1: Fire up the Facebook app and tap your profile pic at the top to jump to your profile.

Step 2: Scroll down a bit to spot the “Reels” tab right under your bio—that’s where your posted Reels hang out.

Step 3: Pick the Reel you want to ditch, tap it to open, and hit the three dots in the top-right corner.

Step 4: Tap “Delete,” confirm you’re sure, and—poof!—it’s gone from your profile for good.

Heads up—once you delete a Reel, it’s gone for good, no take-backs on Facebook. If you want to keep a copy, check Part 4 for how to download it first. Just know this only clears out your own Reels; the ones from friends or random pages will still clutter your feed unless you do more.

Getting rid of my Reel was super easy—took like 30 seconds, and my profile felt cleaner. But, man, it was annoying that it didn’t stop everyone else’s Reels from flooding my feed. It’s a solid move if your own posts are making you wince, but you’ll need more tricks to deal with the rest.

Part 2: Hide Reels from News Feed (Limit Exposure)

Facebook’s obsessed with Reels, so they won’t let you totally turn them off, which is super frustrating. But you can give their algorithm a little hint to show fewer by hitting “Not Interested” on ones you don’t like. It’s not a perfect solution, but it did help me see less of those random videos that kept hijacking my feed. Here’s how I made it work.

Steps:

Step 1: Open the Facebook app and scroll until you hit the “Reels and short videos” section in your feed.

Step 2: Find a Reel you don’t care for and tap the three-dot menu next to it (or at the top of the section).

Step 3: Choose “Hide Reel” or “Not Interested” to tell Facebook you’re over this kind of content.

Step 4: Keep doing this for any Reels you don’t want—over time, the app should start showing you less of them.

Don’t expect a quick fix—you’ll have to hit “Hide” or “Not Interested” on a bunch of Reels to get Facebook’s algorithm to chill. It took me about a week of being choosy to see a change, though a few Reels still snuck in. Try doing this on both your phone and computer since your settings carry over. On an iPhone, it’s the same process, but the menu might look a tad different.

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Hiding Reels felt like a game of whack-a-mole at first—kept tapping “Hide” to make any progress. It’s not ideal, and I’m annoyed Facebook doesn’t just let us switch Reels off for good. But after sticking with it, my feed had fewer random videos and more stuff from friends. It’s worth a shot, but you gotta be patient.

Part 3: Turn Off Reel Notifications (Silence the Buzz)

Reel notifications can drive you up the wall—your phone’s buzzing nonstop because someone’s Reel got likes or comments, and you’re like, “I didn’t sign up for this!” I turned these off when I was getting pinged left and right, and it was such a relief. Here’s how to shut them down.

Steps:

Step 1: Pop open the Facebook app and hit the menu (three lines) in the top-right corner if you’re on Android, or bottom-right on iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down to “Settings & Privacy” and tap “Settings” to dive in.

Step 3: Look for “Notifications” in the list, tap it, then pick “Video” from the options.

Step 4: Switch off “Allow Notifications on Facebook” for Reels, or tweak which alerts you get, like likes or comments.

If you’re on an iPhone, you might also want to check your phone’s notification settings for Facebook to double-down on the quiet. I turned off all video notifications, not just Reels, because I was done with the constant alerts. Your changes save automatically, so you’re good to go once you toggle it off.

Turning off Reel notifications was a quick fix that took me less than a minute. My phone finally stopped blowing up with updates about videos I barely cared about. It doesn’t hide Reels from your feed, but it sure makes Facebook feel less like a nagging friend. Highly recommend this one.

Part 4: Save Reels Before Deleting — Use Toolsmart’s Facebook Video Downloader

Want to keep a Reel before you delete it or just save one you love from someone else? Toolsmart’s Facebook Video Downloader is a free, web-based tool that downloads Reels (or any Facebook video) as MP4 files. It’s safe, doesn’t ask for your login, and works on any device. I used it to save a friend’s travel Reel before they took it down, and it was so easy I was amazed.

Pros:

• No ads or pop-ups to dodge—clean as a whistle.

• Downloads in HD (up to 1080p) for sharp, clear videos.

• Works on your phone, tablet, or computer.

• No software or account needed—just a browser.

• Transparent privacy policy, so you know your data’s safe.

Cons:

• Can’t download multiple videos at once.

• Only saves videos, not audio as MP3.

Steps:

Step 1: In Facebook, find the Reel you want, tap “Share,” and copy the link.

Step 2: Open your browser, go to Toolsmart.ai, and click “Facebook Video Downloader.”

Step 3: Paste the Reel link into the input box and hit “Download.”

Step 4: Pick your quality (up to 1080p) and save the MP4 file to your device’s download folder.

Make sure the Reel is public—private ones won’t work. I saved my file to my “Downloads” folder, but you can choose wherever you want. If you’re on an iPhone, check your storage first; I had a download fail once because my phone was full. Toolsmart’s process is the same whether you’re on Android, iPhone, or a computer.

Toolsmart’s downloader was a total lifesaver. I grabbed a Reel in seconds, and the HD quality was perfect for viewing later. No ads, no weird links—just a smooth experience. It’s awesome for saving Reels you love before deleting them or keeping someone else’s before they vanish. I’m keeping this tool bookmarked!

FAQs

Q1: Can I completely remove Reels from my Facebook feed?

Not really—Facebook doesn’t offer a way to turn Reels off entirely. But tapping “Hide Reel” or “Not Interested” on unwanted Reels can reduce how many you see over time.

Q2: Can I download Facebook Reels before deleting them?

You bet! Toolsmart’s Facebook Video Downloader lets you save Reels as MP4 files, so you can keep a copy before you hit delete.

Q3: Is there a way to stop getting notifications about Reels?

Yup, head to Settings > Notifications > Video and toggle off Reel notifications to keep your phone quiet.

Q4: Is Toolsmart’s Facebook Video Downloader safe to use?

Absolutely. It’s a web-based tool that doesn’t need your login or any software, and they’re upfront about keeping your data secure.

Q5: Can I archive Reels instead of deleting them?

Nope, Facebook doesn’t let you archive Reels—they’re either public or gone. Use Toolsmart to download a copy if you want to keep it.