The Facebook shortcut bar, also known as the bookmark bar, is a convenient toolbar that appears at the top of the Facebook website and allows you to quickly access key pages like your profile, friends list, and notifications. If you’ve noticed your Facebook shortcut bar is missing, there are a few easy steps you can take to get it back.
What is the Facebook Shortcut Bar?
The Facebook shortcut bar contains icons that provide one-click access to some of the most commonly used Facebook features like Home, Profile, Friends, Groups, Marketplace, Watch, Memories, and more. Having this toolbar available saves you time from having to navigate to these pages manually every time you want to access them.
The bookmark bar sits right under the main blue Facebook banner at the top. When enabled, you’ll see small icons for each major section of Facebook aligned left to right. You can customize which shortcuts appear here by editing your bookmarks under the Settings menu.
Why is My Facebook Shortcut Bar Not Showing?
There are a few common reasons why you may no longer see the shortcut bar on your Facebook homepage:
- You are logged out of Facebook
- You have disabled the shortcut bar
- You are using an incompatible browser or device
- Your browser cache and cookies need to be cleared
Let’s look at each of these issues in more detail:
You are Logged Out of Facebook
If you are not logged into your Facebook account, you will not see the shortcut bar. This personalized toolbar only appears when you are logged in to Facebook. Check that you are properly signed into your Facebook account if the shortcut bar is missing.
You Have Disabled the Shortcut Bar
Check your Facebook settings to see if you have disabled the shortcut bar. To re-enable it:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
- Click on “Shortcuts” in the left menu
- Turn on “Bookmarks Bar”
You are Using an Incompatible Browser or Device
The Facebook shortcut bar is only supported on the desktop website when using a compatible browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. It will not appear when viewing Facebook on a mobile browser or via the mobile app. Make sure you are accessing Facebook from a desktop computer browser where the feature is available.
Your Browser Cache and Cookies Need to be Cleared
If Facebook was working normally but the shortcut bar disappeared, try clearing your browser cache and cookies to fix any potential corrupt data. Here are the steps:
Clear Cache and Cookies in Chrome
- Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner
- Go to Settings > Privacy and Security
- Under “Clear browsing data” click “Choose what to clear”
- Select “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data”
- Click “Clear data”
Clear Cache and Cookies in Firefox
- Click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security
- Under “Cookies and Site Data” click “Clear Data”
- Check the boxes for “Cookies” and “Cache”
- Click “Clear”
After clearing the browser data, reload Facebook and see if the shortcut bar has returned. You may need to log out and back into Facebook as well.
How to Get the Facebook Shortcut Bar Back
If you still don’t see the shortcut bar after checking the potential issues above, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:
- Log completely out of Facebook and log back in
- Try accessing Facebook in a different supported browser
- Clear your browser history and website data
- Disable any browser extensions that may conflict with Facebook
- Try using Facebook in Incognito or Private Browsing mode
- Update your browser to the latest version
- Restart your computer
In most cases, the shortcut bar disappears due to a simple settings change or browser issue and can be fixed in just a few clicks.
If the problem persists even after trying all troubleshooting steps, you may need to contact Facebook support for further help getting the shortcut bar back.
Customizing the Facebook Shortcut Bar
Once you have the shortcut bar enabled and visible again, you can customize which shortcuts appear on it. Here’s how:
- Click the down arrow in the top right of Facebook
- Select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
- Click on “Shortcuts” in the left menu
- Under “Shortcuts Bar”, click the pencil icon to edit shortcuts
- Drag and drop to reorder icons
- To remove an icon, drag it down to the bottom under “More”
- To add an icon, drag it up from “More”
- Click “Close” when finished
This will change the shortcut bar to include the Facebook pages you access most often. You can add up to 12 shortcuts in the main bar area.
The Facebook shortcut bar provides quick access to common Facebook features, but occasionally may not show up due to settings changes, browser conflicts, or other issues.
By logging out and back into Facebook, clearing browser data, updating browsers, and tweaking your Facebook settings, you can usually get the shortcut bar to reappear.
Customizing which shortcuts appear allows you to tailor it to your personal Facebook navigation needs.