Have you ever uploaded a photo or video to Facebook, only to have it disappear shortly after? You’re not alone. Many Facebook users have experienced issues with uploads not posting properly or seemingly vanishing into thin air.
There are a few possible reasons your Facebook upload may not be appearing:
Your Upload is Still Processing
The most common reason your upload is missing is that it’s still processing behind the scenes. Especially for large video files or batches of photos, it can take some time for Facebook’s servers to finish processing everything.
Uploads usually take just a few minutes to process, but videos longer than 20 minutes or HD video can take much longer – sometimes up to 24 hours! Photos and shorter videos typically take 5-10 minutes to process. Be patient and wait a while before getting concerned.
Your Post is Waiting in the Queue
During busy periods on Facebook, there can be a queue of pending actions waiting to happen. This includes uploads waiting to post, comments awaiting approval, and other updates. If Facebook’s servers are slammed, your upload may be stuck in the queue until resources free up.
Give it some time and check back later. The queue usually clears pretty quickly unless Facebook is experiencing site-wide problems. Try refreshing the page and looking for your upload again in a few minutes.
You Hit Your Upload Limit
Facebook limits the number of posts – including photo and video uploads – that a user can share in a certain time period to prevent spam and overload. If you hit that limit, your uploads may fail or vanish until your posting ability is reset.
Here are the current Facebook upload and post limits per source:
| Source | Limit |
| Facebook app for iOS or Android | 250 posts per day |
| Facebook mobile website | 500 posts per day |
| Desktop Facebook site | 5000 posts per day |
These limits reset at midnight in your local time zone. You may be able to upload more posts before then without issue.
Your Post Violated Facebook’s Policies
Facebook scans all uploads and may flag some content as offensive or inappropriate. Posts containing nudity, violence, hate speech, and other violations will be removed without warning.
If your upload seems to have mysteriously vanished, it may have been automatically deleted for a policy violation. Check Facebook’s Community Standards to see what types of content are not permitted.
You Accidentally Deleted It
It’s always possible you may have removed your own upload without realizing it. If you use Facebook across multiple devices, it’s easy to accidentally delete a post without remembering.
If you suspect this may have happened, first check your activity log. Facebook keeps a list of your past posts and actions that you can browse through to see if the upload appears there.
On desktop, click the down arrow at the top right and choose “Activity Log”. On mobile, tap the hamburger menu icon and select “Activity Log”. Scroll through your recent feed posts to see if your missing upload shows up there.
It’s Hidden from Your View
Facebook gives you options to limit who can see your posts and profile activity. If you set a post’s visibility to “Friends except [Person]”, “Only Me”, or a custom group that excludes you, you won’t be able to see that post in your own timeline.
To check if you hid a post from yourself, use the steps above to view your Activity Log. If the post shows up there, but not on your timeline, you restricted who could view it.
A Technical Glitch Occurred
Despite Facebook’s best efforts, technical problems do occur on the site occasionally. Bugs, glitches, and system errors may sometimes lead to posts and uploads failing to appear properly.
If a widespread Facebook outage impacted the site when you posted, your upload may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Server and performance issues can also disrupt the normal flow of content. Give it some time – your upload may reappear once the problem is fixed.
You can check Facebook’s Platform Status page to see if any known issues match up with your missing upload.
How to Troubleshoot a Missing Upload
If your Facebook upload continues to be missing in action, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:
- Refresh your browser – this clears any cached data and forces Facebook to reload.
- Restart your device if uploading from mobile.
- Log out and log back into Facebook to clear any stuck processes.
- Try uploading from a different device or web browser.
- Double check privacy settings to confirm you didn’t hide the post from yourself.
- Delete the post and attempt to upload it again.
You can also search for answers in Facebook’s Help Center or contact Facebook support if the issue persists.
How to Prevent Uploads from Disappearing
To help ensure your Facebook uploads always post successfully, follow these best practices:
- Compress large files before uploading to reduce load time.
- Stick to shorter videos under a few minutes in length.
- Upload batches of photos individually instead of all at once.
- Avoid posting too frequently – adhere to the limits.
- Use a strong internet connection rather than weak/mobile data.
- Make sure your app and browser are up-to-date.
- Don’t attempt to upload during Facebook site outages.
Following Facebook’s recommended specifications for uploads can also help:
| Content Type | Recommended Specs |
| Photos | JPG or PNG format, under 25MB file size |
| Standard definition video | 720p, MP4 format, under 1GB file size |
| High definition video | 1080p, MP4 or MOV format, under 4GB file size |
Adhering to these best practices makes it far less likely you’ll have problems with missing uploads on Facebook.
Recovering a Missing Upload
If a Facebook upload continues to be missing after troubleshooting, here are some options to try and recover it:
- Repost it – The simplest solution is to just re-upload the photo or video again if you still have it saved.
- Check the Activity Log – You may be able to recover a deleted post from your history.
- Look in Archived posts – If you have Timeline Review enabled, archived posts are stored for 30 days.
- Retrieve data from Facebook – You can request an archive of your Facebook data which may contain the missing upload.
- Use file recovery software – If deleted from your device, specialized software may retrieve the lost file.
Prevention is always better than cure though. Following the best practices outlined above makes a missing upload on Facebook far less likely.
Conclusion
A Facebook upload going missing can be annoying and concerning. However, in most cases it’s just a temporary glitch and your post will reappear once processed or after any issues are resolved. Be patient, allow plenty of processing time, and double check the possible reasons outlined here if your upload refuses to show up.
Troubleshooting steps like reloading the page or re-uploading the content can often get things working again. For repeated issues, adjusting your posting habits and specs can help avoid problems. Contact Facebook support if you believe the post was wrongly deleted or you can’t recover it through logging activity. With some diligence, you should be able to keep tabs on your uploads and prevent any from going astray.