Copying and pasting a link from Facebook is a simple process that can be done in just a few clicks. With billions of users on Facebook, sharing links is extremely common. Whether you want to copy a link to share in a message, email, or another website, it’s good to know how to easily grab links from Facebook posts and profiles.
Why Would You Want to Copy a Facebook Link?
There are a few main reasons you may want to copy and paste a link from Facebook:
- To share an interesting article, video, or post you found on Facebook with friends or followers outside of Facebook.
- To give credit to the original Facebook post that contained a piece of content you want to share elsewhere.
- To share a link to your Facebook profile or a specific Facebook post with someone via email, text, or another website.
Copying and pasting is faster and easier than trying to recreate a long Facebook link from scratch. It also ensures you’re sharing the exact same link rather than potentially making a mistake if you tried to type it out manually.
How to Copy a Link on Facebook’s Desktop Site
Copying a link from Facebook using the desktop site is very easy:
- Go to the Facebook post, page, profile, or other content containing the link you want to copy.
- Hover your mouse over the time stamp of the post. This is the text that says how long ago the post was made, such as “5 hrs” or “Yesterday at 3:45 PM.”
- A small downward arrow icon will appear. Click on it.
- A box will pop up containing the link to that specific post. Click on the link to highlight it.
- Right click on the highlighted link and choose “Copy” from the menu.
- The link is now copied and ready to paste wherever needed.
You can paste the copied link into a document, email, social media post, or anywhere else you want to share it. The link will take anyone who clicks on it back to that exact post on Facebook.
How to Copy a Link on Facebook’s Mobile App
If you’re browsing Facebook on your smartphone or tablet, the process is very similar:
- Open the Facebook app and go to the post containing the link you want to copy.
- Tap on the time stamp of the post, such as “5 hrs” or “Yesterday at 3:45 PM.”
- This will open a popup with the post’s details. Tap on the link itself to highlight it.
- A new menu will appear giving you the option to copy the link.
- Tap “Copy Link.”
- The link is now copied to your clipboard.
Once copied, go to wherever you want to paste the link – such as an email draft, text message, or notes app – and paste it there.
How to Copy a Link to a Facebook Profile or Page
In addition to copying links to specific posts, you can also copy links to personal Facebook profiles or Facebook Pages:
- Go to the Facebook profile or Page you want to link to.
- Copy the profile/Page URL from the address bar of your browser. On desktop, highlight and right-click to copy. On mobile, highlight and tap “Copy” from the menu.
- The profile or Page URL can now be pasted anywhere you want to link to that Facebook account.
Tips for Pasting Copied Facebook Links
Here are some useful tips for pasting links you’ve copied from Facebook:
- Make sure the link works by pasting it somewhere first to test it out before sharing more widely.
- Delete any unnecessary query parameters from the end of the link (after the ? and # symbols) to shorten it.
- Use a link shortener like bit.ly if you need a very short link to fit into something like a tweet.
- Paste the link into a plaintext editor first to remove Facebook’s link formatting if necessary.
Troubleshooting Facebook Link Copying
If you’re having trouble copying a Facebook link, here are some things to check:
- Make sure you’re clicking the time stamp and not just the text of the post itself. The link popup won’t appear unless you click the timestamp.
- Double check that the link is fully highlighted before right-clicking to copy on desktop. On mobile, tap the link directly before tapping “Copy.”
- Try manually selecting and copying the link from the address bar if clicking the timestamp doesn’t work.
- Make sure your browser or app has permission to access your device’s clipboard to copy/paste.
- If all else fails, try logging out and back into Facebook or force quitting and reopening the app.
Conclusion
Copying Facebook links takes just a moment and ensures you always have the right link to share from your Facebook activity. To recap the process:
- On desktop, click the post’s timestamp, highlight the link, and right-click to copy
- On mobile, tap the timestamp, tap the link, and then tap “Copy Link”
- For profiles and Pages, copy the URL from the address bar
- Paste the link wherever you want to share it
With these steps, you can easily grab links from Facebook posts, profiles, and Pages to share anywhere else on the web. Link sharing is a big part of connecting content between platforms online, so mastering this simple skill is valuable no matter how you use Facebook.