Being temporarily blocked from liking Facebook posts can be frustrating. Liking posts is a core way to interact with friends and pages on Facebook. If you find yourself unable to like posts, it likely means your account has been temporarily blocked from liking. Don’t worry, in most cases this restriction is temporary if you follow the proper steps.
Why would I be temporarily blocked from liking posts?
There are a few common reasons why Facebook may temporarily prevent your account from liking posts:
- You have liked too many posts in a short amount of time. Facebook has limits set up to prevent automated bots and spam accounts from abusing the like feature. If you like dozens or hundreds of posts rapidly, their system may detect this as suspicious activity and block liking abilities.
- Your account may have been incorrectly flagged for suspicious activity. Sometimes Facebook’s automated systems are overzealous and block legitimate user accounts by mistake. This collateral damage can restrict normal user abilities like liking.
- You have violated Facebook’s Community Standards too many times. If you have repeatedly liked posts that were later removed for violating Facebook’s rules, they may restrict your account’s abilities.
- Your account was compromised. If a hacker gained access to your account and abused the like feature, Facebook may restrict your account once you regain control of it.
The most common reasons for being temporarily blocked from liking posts is liking too much too fast or having your account mistakenly flagged. In most cases, this restriction is meant to be temporary while any suspicious activity is investigated.
How long does the block on liking posts last?
The duration of being restricted from liking posts varies depending on why your account was blocked and other factors. Here are some rough timelines you can expect:
- Liking too frequently – Restrictions for over-liking posts typically last 24-48 hours.
- Mistakenly flagged account – Limits for incorrectly flagged accounts are usually restored within a week.
- Violating policies – Restrictions for multiple Community Standards violations may last 1-4 weeks.
- Compromised account – Limits after account compromises depends on severity, but are often restored within a few days.
In most straightforward cases, you can expect the block on your liking abilities to be lifted within a couple days. More serious or repeated offenses can prolong the restrictions for weeks or in some rare cases, indefinitely.
How to get unblocked from liking Facebook posts
If you find yourself temporarily blocked from liking Facebook posts, here are some steps you can take to try and restore your abilities:
- Wait it out – For standard rate limiting and mistaken flagging, time is often the simplest solution. The block is meant to be temporary. Wait a day or two and normal abilities should come back.
- Use Facebook’s review process – You can submit an appeal to Facebook to review the restriction. In your request explain why you should be able to like posts again. This may expedite re-enabling likes if it was an error.
- Avoid further violations – If your account has been restricted for violations, lay low for awhile and avoid further offenses. Letting the heat die down can lead to your account access being restored faster.
- Secure your account – If your account was compromised, run security checks to prevent further unauthorized access. Change passwords, enable 2FA, check login locations and make sure your account is fully under your control again.
Depending on the reason for the restriction, you may need to simply wait it out or take proactive measures to get your account back in good standing. Having patience and avoiding further violations will be key to lifting temporary blocks on your liking abilities.
What happens if I keep trying to like posts during the block?
If you try to keep liking posts after being temporarily blocked from doing so, here’s what you can expect:
- Your attempted likes will fail silently. You won’t receive any error messages, but your likes will not actually register on the posts.
- Continuing to attempt likes excessively may extend your block timeframe or lead to additional restrictions.
- Posts you attempt to like may be flagged for further review by Facebook’s systems, especially if they are controversial posts.
- Your account integrity score/reputation may be penalized. Too many blocks, even temporary ones, can limit your account standing.
The best practice is to avoid continually trying to like posts while restricted. Wait patiently for abilities to be restored. Excessive attempts to bypass the limits could backfire and lead to longer or expanded account restrictions.
Does a block on liking prevent me from commenting or posting?
In most cases, a temporary block only restricts your ability to like posts and does not impact commenting or posting. Here are some specifics on how other Facebook abilities are impacted:
- Commenting – You can typically still comment normally on posts while restricted from liking.
- Posting – Posting new status updates, links, photos, etc. is not impacted by liking restrictions in most cases.
- Following – You can still follow pages and profiles even if you can’t like their posts.
- Sharing – You are typically able to still share posts during like block, even though you can’t like those posts.
So in summary, a temporary block is usually narrowly scoped to just affect your ability to register likes. All other Facebook features should function as normal. If your block has expanded to impact commenting, posting or other abilities, it suggests a more serious restriction placed on your account.
Does an inability to like impact my News Feed and algorithms?
Having limits placed on your liking activity can indirectly impact the posts you see in your News Feed, and how your account is treated by Facebook’s algorithms. Some possible impacts include:
- Seeing less engagement on public posts since your likes aren’t counting.
- Potential shifts to different types of posts in your News Feed.
- New limits on how frequently your posts show up in others’ feeds.
- Fewer notifications showing people interacting with your posts and content.
- Limits placed on the reach and distribution of your own posts.
So while likes aren’t critical for basic News Feed functioning, prolonged blocks on your engagement can subtly alter what you see and how widely your own content gets shared on Facebook.
Should I consider starting a new Facebook account?
If your primary Facebook account is indefinitely blocked from core activities like liking posts, you may consider starting a new account instead. Here are some pros and cons to weigh when deciding about a new account:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Get a clean slate with no restrictions | Lose your network of friends/followers |
| Retain full use of Facebook features | Have to rebuild posting history and content |
| Avoid penalty imposed on current account | Suspicious if create account after ban |
Overall, a new account is often the right choice if your existing account has lengthy or permanent restrictions placed on it by Facebook. Just don’t try to create a new account immediately after being penalized, as that will likely result in both accounts being banned.
Is having multiple Facebook accounts allowed?
The Facebook Terms of Service technically allows you to maintain multiple accounts, but frown upon misusing this ability. Some key principles to avoid bans on multiple accounts include:
- Each account must represent a real person and use their real identity
- Accounts can’t interact or promote each other without disclosing they are connected
- Don’t create “fake” accounts just to boost vanity metrics like friend counts
- Avoid automated coordination or spamming between accounts
As long as each account represents a real person and you use them ethically, having multiple accounts is permitted but still risky. Use good judgment when operating multiple accounts on Facebook.
Conclusion
Having your account temporarily blocked from liking Facebook posts can be inconvenient. But in most cases, the impact is short-lived. Let standard time-outs expire, avoid further violations, and submit appeals if needed. Your ability to fully use Facebook should be restored in a matter of days or weeks in most situations.