Uploading photos and videos to Facebook can sometimes feel slow, especially if you have a poor internet connection. The good news is there are several tips and tricks you can use to help speed up your Facebook uploads.
Check Your Internet Connection
The most important factor in Facebook upload speeds is your internet connection. Uploading files requires uploading data to Facebook’s servers, so a faster internet connection will allow you to upload files more quickly.
If your home Wi-Fi feels slow, try connecting your device directly to your modem or router with an Ethernet cable. This provides a more reliable wired connection that is faster than Wi-Fi. If you don’t have access to a wired connection, try moving closer to your Wi-Fi router or access point to get a stronger signal.
You can also run a speed test on your internet connection to get a sense of your download and upload speeds. Many speed test services like Speedtest.net or Fast.com provide a quick analysis of your internet performance. If your speeds are consistently low, contact your internet service provider about options to upgrade your plan.
Adjust Your Upload Settings
Facebook provides some upload settings that allow you to balance image quality with upload speed.
In the Facebook app, go to Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Media and Contacts -> Upload HD. The default setting is “Use Less Data” which scales down the size and quality of your uploads. Switching to “Best Quality” will maintain full resolution but will result in much larger files that are slower to upload.
Consider leaving the “Use Less Data” setting enabled, as this compression helps speed up uploads. The image quality reduction is usually unnoticeable for basic photo uploads. But you can switch to “Best Quality” for select photos and videos you want to showcase in higher fidelity.
Similarly, iOS and Android system settings include options to upload photos at various file sizes. Large files will maintain maximum quality but slow down your Facebook uploads. Find the right balance for your purposes.
Use Facebook’s Compression
When you upload videos to Facebook, it will automatically compress and downsample the video to make the files smaller. This compression speed ups upload time but can reduce visual quality.
You can control the amount of compression in Facebook’s Settings. Higher compression leads to faster uploads but lower video quality. Try experimenting with different compression levels to balance speed and quality for your needs.
Upload from Facebook’s Website
Uploading files directly from the Facebook website can sometimes provide faster speeds than uploading from your mobile app.
Log into Facebook from a desktop web browser and use the Upload Photo/Video tool to select your files. The web experience can occasionally provide better upload reliability over your device’s Facebook app.
Just keep in mind that the website upload tool works best for uploading batches of files from your computer. For individual uploads direct from your phone, the Facebook mobile app may be more convenient.
Use a Browser or App that Compresses Images
Some web browsers and apps can automatically compress images and videos while you upload them to Facebook.
For example, the Google Chrome browser can downscale extremely large images during upload. This helps speed up uploads by reducing file size before sending to Facebook.
The Firefox browser also includes options to compress images on upload, as do some third-party Android and iOS apps. Image and video compression saves bandwidth and spares you from compressing yourself.
Upload from a Computer Instead of Mobile
Uploading files from a computer desktop or laptop instead of your phone can provide faster speeds, for a couple reasons.
First, computers are more likely than mobile devices to be connected via broadband Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi. Wired internet connections provide faster and more consistent performance.
Second, mobile apps often compress uploaded images and video more aggressively to save mobile data. Uploading from a computer avoids this extra compression and quality reduction.
When uploading large batches of high resolution photos and videos, use your computer for the fastest Facebook uploads. Be sure to select “High Quality” in Facebook’s upload settings to maintain fidelity.
Crop to Square Format Before Uploading
Interestingly, cropping your images to square before uploading can help speed up your Facebook uploads.
Facebook’s image processing pipeline is optimized for square 1:1 aspect ratio images. By cropping to square first, you save Facebook’s servers from having to do that processing themselves.
Use your phone’s built in editing tools or a photo editing app to crop images to square. Then upload the pre-cropped square images to Facebook for faster processing.
Use Scheduling Tools
If you have a large batch of photos or videos to upload, Facebook’s tools for scheduling uploads can help.
Rather than overwhelming Facebook’s servers by uploading everything at once, space out your uploads over time.
On iOS, enable Upload Later in your Facebook app settings. On Android, enable Scheduled Uploads. In Facebook’s Creator Studio, you can also schedule video uploads.
Scheduling tools allow you to upload all your content while controlling the pace of the uploads. This avoids slamming Facebook’s servers all at once.
Consider Using Lower Resolution
Setting your phone or camera to capture images and video at lower resolutions can help speed up Facebook uploads.
With an image captured at 1920 x 1080 px vs. one at 4032 x 3024 px, the lower resolution image contains far fewer pixels. That makes its file size much smaller and faster to upload.
Keep in mind that extremely low resolutions may have visual quality that appears pixelated when viewed on Facebook. Find a resolution size that balances speed with quality for your needs.
Upload Smaller Batches
Uploading large batches of photos and videos at once can sometimes overwhelm Facebook’s servers.
Instead, try uploading smaller batches of 5-10 files at a time. Give Facebook time to process each batch before uploading the next.
While batch uploading an entire vacation of photos all at once is tempting, taking it slow with smaller sets helps keep things running smoothly.
Avoid Peak Usage Hours
Facebook usage and traffic tends to be highest during typical “peak hours” like early evenings and weekends.
Try scheduling your uploads to occur during off-peak hours when overall Facebook traffic is lower. Your uploads are more likely to move through smoothly when competing with fewer users for bandwidth.
In particular, late night and early morning hours tend to see the least Facebook activity. Perfect time for cruising through your long upload queue.
Troubleshoot Your Device’s Issues
Hardware and software issues with your device can sometimes bog down your Facebook uploads.
An overcrowded device storage, an underpowered processor, or software bugs can all prevent your device from efficiently uploading to Facebook’s servers.
Try restarting your phone before tackling a long upload session. Close any unused apps or browser tabs eating up resources. Delete old files and clear caches to free up device storage and ram.
Keeping your device in tip top shape ensures it runs as smoothly as possible for Facebook uploads and any task.
Conclusion
With the right tuning and troubleshooting, you can significantly improve Facebook upload speeds. Start by reviewing your internet connection strength and Facebook app settings. Try different upload sources like mobile, desktop, or third party apps. Schedule uploads during off-peak hours. Compress files before uploading. And make sure your device hardware and software is performing at its best.
A few simple tweaks goes a long way to faster Facebook uploads and an improved experience sharing your great photos and videos.