Why Won't My Photos Upload to Facebook?

By Editorial Team

Updated September 09, 2022

Why Won't My Photos Upload to Facebook?
i Dima Berlin/iStock/GettyImages

If you've taken a great photo that you know your Facebook friends will love, you will need to upload it to the website to share it with them. Sometimes, Facebook won't accept a photo that you try to upload. You may receive an error message that alerts you to the problem. Assuming the problem isn't due to technical difficulties with the Facebook website, you can fix most upload issues yourself.

Why Photos Won't Upload on Facebook

If you're wondering "Why can't I upload photos to Facebook?", there are many possible causes for your issue. The most common explanation is some problem with your Adobe Flash version, but it could also be related to the size and format of the photo you're trying to upload. It's also possible that you have too many photos per album, or that you've uploaded inappropriate photos in the past.

In the majority of cases where Facebook is not showing pictures you upload, it's one of these issues and it can be rectified relatively easily.

Update Your Browser and Adobe Flash

If your photos won't upload to Facebook, you might be using an outdated version of Adobe Flash Player. Facebook recommends that you uninstall any older versions of Flash Player on your computer, then download the latest version from the Adobe website (see Resources). Once you've updated Flash Player, make sure your Internet browser is up to date. An outdated browser may not be compatible with Facebook. If you update the browser and the problem continues, try using a different browser.

Check Photo Size and Format

Photos may not upload to Facebook if they exceed the recommended size, which is 15 MB for a single image. Facebook also only supports certain types of file formats, including JPG, GIF, TIFF, BMP and PNG files. If your photo is in a different format, the upload may fail. Save your photo in an accepted format and try the upload again.

Uploads might fail if you've edited your photos. Facebook suggests that you try uploading the original version of the photo to determine if this is the problem.

Check Limits for Photo Albums

Facebook offers an album feature that enables you to store and categorize multiple photos; you can also add tags, locations and captions to each picture. You normally click the "Add Photos" button in an album to upload pictures to it. If you don't see this button, you might have reached the limit of 1,000 photos per album. If so, you'll need to delete some pictures or make a new album. You also won't see this option when viewing profile pictures, mobile uploads, cover photos or Timeline photos.

Recall Any Photo Violations

When you try to upload a picture, you may receive a message stating that you've been blocked from uploading photos. This typically happens when one or more of your previously uploaded photos contained inappropriate content that violated Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (see Resources). Photos cannot contain illegal drug use, self harm, nudity, sexually explicit content or excessive violence.

Facebook will remove offending photos and reinstate your uploading privileges shortly. If you continue to upload inappropriate photos, Facebook might place limits on your account. If you have no pictures on Facebook whatsoever anymore, this may be the explanation in your case. Unfortunately, the fix for this problem strongly depends on Facebook themselves and the severity of your offending image.

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