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Have you tried finding a Craigslist ad again that you saw a few weeks ago but can't seem to find it? Because Craigslist posts expire automatically after 7-45 days (depending on the region and type of post), it can be tricky to track down a post if it's been a while. [1] X Research source There are a few things you can try to find that specific ad again, but if the post was quickly deleted or flagged for removal before it was cached or archived, it might be impossible. This wikiHow article discusses your options for finding deleted and expired posts on Craigslist.
Steps
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Go to https://www.google.com . Google stores previous versions of webpages, including Craigslist posts, in their cache. If you remember any information from the post, you might be able to find the most recent version (before it was deleted) in Google's cache. You'll need to act quickly, as Google only keeps a public copy of the page for a short amount of time. -
Type site:craigslist.org into the search bar followed by any keywords you remember. Try to recall information you saw in the post or ad, such as the headline, phone numbers, or company name.Advertisement -
Press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return . Now you'll see matching results from Craigslist.org. -
Click ⋮ next to the URL and select Cached . You'll see the three vertical dots on the right side of the search result. If a cached version is available, click Cached to view the previous version of the post. [2] X Research source
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Get the URL of the post. If you've visited the post before, you can find the URL in your web browser's history . You can use this address to search for cached versions of the post or ad before it expired or was taken down.- If you don't have the website's address, then you can't use this method.
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Enter the URL into the search bar and click BROWSE HISTORY . If the Wayback Machine has any versions of the post in its cache, you'll see a circle around each calendar date a snapshot was made. -
Click a date to see the version of the post from that date. If the Wayback Machine captured the post before it was removed, you will now see the previous version.- If you are logged in on Craigslist and the old post you want to view is your own, you might be able to find it again in My Account as long as you were also signed in when you created that post.
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Go to https://www.craigslist.org . If you're looking for a post that you created but has since expired, you can find it in your Craigslist account information. -
Click My Account . You'll see it at the top-left corner.- If you're not signed in to your Craigslist account, you'll need to do so now.
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Click All Postings . You'll see this tab at the top of the page. Here you'll find all of the posts in your posting history. [3] X Research source
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Tips
- Posts may be deleted by Craigslist due to a community violation. If a post was reported for fraud, scamming, or a disallowed activity, it might be gone forever. There is probably a good reason why that post was deleted, so you might not want to find it again!Thanks
- Finding and viewing expired posts is not the same as finding and viewing deleted posts, since expired posts are just old posts that have reached a time limit and have been taken down. On the other hand, deleted posts were removed for a reason, so those types of posts will be harder to find.Thanks
- If you're very interested in a post, you should probably screenshot it or print it to PDF so you can save it for later use.Thanks
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