How to Rewind Facebook Live

Ever jump into a Facebook Live stream ten minutes late and realize you missed the most important part? It’s a common frustration, but there's an easy fix. You can actually rewind a live broadcast while it's still happening, and you can always watch the full recap once it’s over. This guide will walk you through exactly how to do it, whether you’re a viewer trying to catch up or a creator looking to make the most of your replays.

Can You Rewind a Facebook Live While It's Still Live?

Yes, you absolutely can! This is a fantastic feature that many people don't even know exists. When a creator is broadcasting live, Facebook is actively recording it. As a viewer, this means you can scrub backward in the timeline to catch anything you might have missed without having to wait for the entire stream to end. The moment you join, you have access to the full recording up to that point.

So, the next time you get a notification that a creator you love has gone live but you can't join right away, don't worry. Jump in when you can and use the scrubber to go back to the beginning. Here's how to do it on desktop and mobile.

How to Rewind a Live Video on a Computer

Catching up on a desktop or laptop is incredibly straightforward. The video player has simple controls built right in that look just like a standard YouTube or Vimeo player. Follow these steps:

• Step 1: Join the live video stream. You’ll see a red box with the word "LIVE" in the top-left corner, letting you know the broadcast is currently happening.
• Step 2: Hover your mouse over the video player. This will make the control bar at the bottom appear.
• Step 3: Locate the progress bar. You’ll see a timeline representing the duration of the stream so far. A small circle, the playhead, shows your current viewing position. At the far right of the timeline is the current live moment.
• Step 4: Click and drag the playhead backward. Simply click on the circle and drag it to the left to go back in time. You can go all the way back to the very beginning of the broadcast if you want.
• Step 5: Catch back up to the live moment. When you're ready to jump back to what's happening in real-time, just click the "LIVE" button on the left side of the progress bar. You'll instantly be synced with the current broadcast.

Pro Tip: When you rewind, the comments you see in the sidebar will be the ones that were posted at that specific moment in the video, not the live comments. This helps you follow along with the audience's real-time reaction.

How to Rewind a Live Video on Your Phone (iOS & Android)

The process is just as simple on the Facebook mobile app, with only a slight difference in how you access the controls. Since a phone screen is smaller, the interface is designed to stay out of your way until you need it.

• Step 1: Open the live video in the Facebook app. The stream will immediately start playing from the live moment.
• Step 2: Tap the screen once. This action reveals the playback controls, including the timeline scrubber at the bottom of the screen.
• Step 3: Drag the progress dot to the left. Similar to the desktop experience, a small dot on the timeline indicates where you are in the video. Touch and hold the dot, then drag your finger to the left to move backward in the stream.
• Step 4: Return to the live broadcast. Once you've rewound the video, a button labeled "LIVE" will appear on your screen, usually in the top right or bottom right corner. Tap it to immediately return to the real-time feed.

Where to Find and Watch Facebook Live Replays

Rewinding during a broadcast is useful, but most often you'll be catching up on a live video after it has already finished. When a creator ends a live stream, Facebook gives them the option to post the entire video to their Page or profile. Assuming they've done that, the replay becomes available for anyone to watch, just like a regular video.

Finding these replays is easy once you know where to look. While you might stumble upon it scrolling through your main feed, there are much more efficient ways to find exactly what you're looking for.

Finding a Live Replay on a Page or Profile

The most reliable method is to go directly to the source: the Facebook Page or profile of the creator who hosted the live stream.

1. Navigate to the creator's Facebook Page or personal profile.
2. Look for a series of tabs below the profile picture and name. These tabs usually include "Home," "About," "Photos," etc. Click on the "Videos" tab.
3. In some cases, Facebook separates live content even further. If you see a dedicated "Live" tab, click that for a list of all their past live broadcasts. This is the fastest way to filter out every other type of video content.
4. Scroll through the videos until you find the one you're looking for. They're typically sorted from newest to oldest.

Once you click play on a replay, you have all the standard video controls. You can pause, scrub forward and back, adjust the volume, and watch at your leisure. The original comments and reactions will appear as they happened during the live broadcast, giving you an authentic experience of what it was like to be there.

For Creators: Making the Most of Your Facebook Live Replays

For brands, entrepreneurs, and content creators, "going live" is just the beginning. The replay is a valuable content asset that can continue to deliver value long after the cameras are off. Here’s how to manage your replays for maximum impact.

First and foremost, always share the replay. After you end your broadcast, Facebook prompts you with a choice: share the video to your Page/Profile or delete it. Unless you made a serious error during the stream, always choose to share it. This makes it instantly available to anyone who missed it.

Trimming the Start and End of Your Video

Almost every live video starts with a few minutes of waiting for people to join. There might be an "Is this thing on?" or some awkward silence. Similarly, the end can trail on as you say your goodbyes. This dead air can turn off replay viewers.

You can trim these parts out to create a cleaner, more professional replay.

• Go to your Meta Business Suite and navigate to the "Content" section.
• Find the live video you want to edit and click on it.
• Select "Edit Post," then look for the trimming or editing tools. You’ll be able to drag handles to set a new start and end point for your video, cutting out the fluff without affecting the core content.

Repurposing Your Live Video for Maximum Impact

A single one-hour live video can be the source of a week's worth of content if you repurpose it strategically. This content recycling approach respects your time and lets you share your message with audiences who might not have seen the original stream.

• Create Short-Form Clips: Scan your video for highlights - a great tip, a compelling story, a funny moment, or an answer to a common question. Cut these 30-60 second clips out and post them as Reels on Facebook and Instagram, or to TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
• Pull Quote Graphics: Did you say something particularly insightful or quotable? Turn it into a text-based graphic for your feed. It's a highly shareable format that captures a key idea from your broadcast.
• Pin the Post: To increase its visibility, pin the live replay to the top of your Facebook Page's feed for a few days immediately following the broadcast.
• Embed it in a Blog Post: Write a blog post that summarizes the key points of your live session. Embed the replay at the top of the post for those who prefer to watch, and then write out the deeper details for those who prefer to read.

Troubleshooting: Why Can't I Rewind a Facebook Live?

If you're having trouble rewinding a live video, it's typically due to one of a few common issues. Here are the most likely culprits when this feature isn't working as it should:

• The Broadcast Just Started: You can only rewind content that has already happened. If you join a stream the second it goes live, there's no footage to scrub back to yet. Give it a few minutes to build up some playable history.
• Creator Settings: While it's very rare for standard Facebook Live, broadcasters on some platforms do have the ability to disable DVR-like functionalities. However, for a user on a standard Page or Profile, this is almost never an issue.
• A Browser or App Glitch: Technology isn't perfect. If the controls aren't appearing or reacting, the problem might be a small glitch. Try refreshing your browser page or restarting the Facebook app on your phone. Also, make sure your app is updated to the latest version.
• Poor Internet Connection: A spotty connection can make it difficult for the player to buffer previously streamed content, which can interfere with the rewinding functionality.
• The Replay was Deleted: If you're looking for a video after a broadcast has ended and you can't find it under the Page's "Video" or "Live" tabs, the creator likely chose not to share it or has since deleted it. In that case, the video is no longer available.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're joining a stream late or catching up on it days later, Facebook makes it simple to watch live video on your own terms. We've gone over how to rewind a live broadcast on desktop and mobile, where to locate replays after they're finished, and how creators can best manage and repurpose their live content to extend its reach.

Repurposing live videos into short-form content and other assets is core to building a strong social media presence without burning out. At Postbase, we designed our visual calendar to make this exact process effortless. Our platform allows you to plan out your big live events, and then easily schedule all of the smaller clips, graphics, and posts that you create from them, ensuring your content plan is integrated and consistent across all your social channels.