Yes, you can search your Snapchat memories to find old snaps and stories. Snapchat introduced a search feature in 2019 that lets you look back through your memories more easily.
How to search Snapchat memories
Searching your Snapchat memories is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Snapchat app and go to your profile page.
- Tap on “Memories” at the top of the screen.
- Tap on the search icon at the top right of the Memories page.
- Type in a keyword or phrase to search for snaps, stories, and other memories.
You can search for specific words, names of friends, locations, dates, and more. Snapchat will show results that match your search query.
What can you search for in Snapchat memories?
Snapchat’s search tool lets you look through your memories for:
- Keywords or phrases – Search for words or phrases that might have been in a caption or mention in a snap.
- Friend’s names – Find snaps and chats with specific friends.
- Locations – Search for snaps tagged with certain locations or places.
- Dates – Look for memories from specific dates or time periods.
- Events – Search for event names like birthdays, concerts, trips, etc.
- Filters and lenses – Find all snaps that used a particular lens or filter.
Pretty much anything that was captured in your snap or tagged can be searched for in Snapchat memories.
How far back can you search memories?
Snapchat’s search feature can go back as far as when Memories was introduced in July 2015. So any snaps, stories, and memories saved since mid-2015 can be searched.
Here is an overview of how far back you can search different Snapchat memories:
Memory Type | How Far Back You Can Search |
---|---|
Snaps | Mid-2015 – present |
Stories | Mid-2015 – present |
Shared Memories | When feature introduced in 2018 – present |
Our Stories | When feature introduced in 2015 – present |
Camera Roll imported snaps | When feature introduced in 2017 – present |
Snapchat does note that very old memories may no longer be available as they purge things after 30 days by default.
Tips for searching further back
If you want to search back before 2015, here are some tips:
- Search for special dates like holidays, birthdays, anniversaries that are older
- Search for locations of trips or events
- Search friends’ names that you snapped frequently long ago
- Search for major events in your life or pop culture
Using very specific terms and dates can help surface older memories.
Can you search memories on deleted Snapchat accounts?
Unfortunately, you cannot search memories if your Snapchat account has been deleted. Snapchat erases all data associated with an account when it is deleted, including memories.
Some things to keep in mind about deleted accounts and memories:
- All snaps, stories, and other memories are deleted if the account is deleted
- You cannot recover memories from a deleted account
- Deleting your account erases everything permanently
- Deactivating temporarily saves memories but deleting erases them
So if you want to save your Snapchat memories, make sure not to delete your account. Deactivating your account or logging out will not delete memories.
Tips for searching memories
Here are some tips to use Snapchat’s memory search more effectively:
Use specific keywords
Using very precise keywords like a friend’s full name, specific location, or event name yields better results than broad terms.
Try different date ranges
If your first search doesn’t surface the memory, try searching different date ranges. Memories don’t always have precise dates.
Search for lenses/filters
You can find snaps using a particular lens or filter by searching the lens or filter name.
Look for events and holidays
Searching for the names of holidays, events, concerts, etc. can surface relevant memories.
Add details to captions
Adding descriptive captions with dates, locations, names, etc. when creating a snap makes it easier to search later.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s memory search capabilities allow you to take a trip down memory lane and rediscover old snaps and stories. You can search for a wide variety of terms related to friends, locations, events, captions, and more. Using specific search terms and date ranges will yield the best results.
Searching memories only works for active accounts, as deleting your Snapchat erases all data. So be sure not to delete your account if you want to hold onto your memories. With the right search techniques, Snapchat’s memories feature lets you relive your snapping history.