Configure media retention as an administrator

Step by step

1. 1

   In Instances, open Keep media on the card.

2. 2

   Choose Do not keep, Everything on this number or Only chosen conversations.

3. 3

   Under What to keep, select Photos, Videos, Audios, Documents and/or Stickers.

4. 4

   For specific conversations, search and select the desired chats.

5. 5

   Review estimated storage use and click Save.

6. 6

   Under selected conversations, the list shows at most 80 results per search. Refine the name if a conversation is missing. Select at least one conversation and one media type to save this mode.

7. 7

   Cancel, X, Escape or clicking outside discards only unsaved changes. Save leaves the dialog open; check confirmation before starting historical downloads.

What you need to know

• Internal admin-only feature, including API access. Media consumes server storage.
• This setting does not automatically recover old files that have expired at Meta.
• The estimate is approximate and uses loaded/saved configuration; changing conversations without saving does not recalculate all historical data. Do not store disables future retention but is not a command to erase already stored files.