Mastodon posts do not disappear on their own. Over time, your public timeline becomes cluttered with outdated toots that may no longer reflect your views or interests. Manually deleting hundreds of posts is tedious and time-consuming. Mastodon provides a built-in feature that automatically deletes posts older than a specified number of days. This article explains how to enable and configure automatic post deletion on your Mastodon account, including the prerequisites and limitations you need to know.
Key Takeaways: Setting Up Auto-Delete for Old Mastodon Posts
- Preferences > Post removal > Automatically remove old posts: The exact toggle and day-range setting that controls automatic deletion.
- Maximum retention period of 90 days: Mastodon only allows deleting posts older than 90 days at most; you cannot set a shorter period.
- Favorites and boosts are not deleted: The auto-delete feature only removes original posts, not your likes or reposts.
How Mastodon’s Auto-Delete Feature Works
Mastodon includes a server-side scheduler that checks your account at regular intervals. When enabled, the system compares the creation date of each post against the retention period you set. Any post older than that threshold is permanently removed from your profile and from the federated timeline. The deletion is irreversible. Mastodon does not keep a backup copy. The feature runs silently in the background. You do not receive a confirmation for each deleted post. The deletion applies only to posts you authored. Boosts, favorites, and direct messages are not affected. The minimum retention period allowed by most Mastodon servers is 90 days. Some instances may impose a different minimum. You can check the exact limit in your instance’s settings.
Steps to Enable Auto-Delete on Your Mastodon Account
Follow these steps exactly. The interface is the same on the official Mastodon web client and most third-party apps that use the standard web interface.
- Open your Preferences
Click the gear icon in the main navigation menu on the left side of the Mastodon web interface. The gear icon is located above the search bar. If you are using a mobile browser, tap the hamburger menu first to reveal the navigation panel. - Navigate to Post removal
In the Preferences panel, click the section labeled Post removal. This section is located under the heading Account. Do not confuse it with Other or Filters. - Toggle the auto-remove setting
Find the option labeled Automatically remove old posts. Click the toggle switch to turn it on. The switch changes from gray to blue when enabled. - Set the retention period
After enabling the toggle, a number field appears. Enter the number of days you want to keep posts. The default value is 90. The maximum allowed value is the same as the minimum — usually 90 days on most instances. Type a number between 1 and 90. If your instance allows a higher limit, the field will accept values up to that limit. - Save your changes
Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the page. A green confirmation banner appears at the top of the screen: Your changes have been saved. The auto-delete process starts within a few hours. Posts older than your set retention period are deleted during the next scheduled run.
Common Mistakes and Limitations
Auto-Delete Does Not Remove Posts Immediately
The deletion does not happen the second you save the setting. Mastodon runs the deletion task periodically, typically once every 24 hours. If you set the retention to 90 days, posts that are exactly 90 days old may remain visible for up to 24 hours. Do not expect instant results. Check your profile the next day to confirm old posts have been removed.
Retention Period Shorter Than 90 Days Is Not Allowed
Most Mastodon instances enforce a minimum retention period of 90 days. If you enter a value below 90, the system silently reverts to 90. You cannot delete posts that are only a week old using this feature. For shorter retention, you must delete posts manually or use a third-party tool that respects the API rate limits.
Boosts and Favorites Remain After Post Deletion
When a post is auto-deleted, any boosts or favorites you made on that post are not removed. The post itself disappears from your profile, but the boost or favorite action remains in the database. Other users may still see your interaction on the original post if they view it from the original author’s profile. This is a deliberate design choice by Mastodon to preserve the integrity of other users’ content.
Deleted Posts Are Not Recoverable
There is no trash or recycle bin for deleted Mastodon posts. Once the auto-delete task removes a post, it is permanently gone. Mastodon does not store a copy on its servers. If you later change your mind, you cannot restore those posts. Consider exporting your archive before enabling auto-delete. Go to Preferences > Export and download your posts archive in CSV or JSON format.
| Item | Manual Deletion | Auto-Delete |
|---|---|---|
| Effort required | High — select and delete each post individually | None — runs automatically in the background |
| Retention flexibility | Any age — delete posts from any date | Minimum 90 days on most instances |
| Boosts and favorites | Deleted along with the post | Not deleted — remain in the database |
| Recovery option | None unless you have a backup | None unless you have a backup |
Mastodon’s auto-delete feature is a simple, set-and-forget tool for keeping your profile clean. You can now enable automatic removal of posts older than 90 days in under two minutes. After enabling it, verify the deletion runs by checking your profile the next day. For complete control over your data, export your archive before enabling auto-delete. This ensures you retain a local copy of all your posts even after they are removed from the server.