Having a Facebook post appear gray can be frustrating and confusing. There are a few main reasons why your Facebook post may show up gray or faded out rather than the normal blue color.
Your Post is Pending Review
One of the most common reasons a Facebook post appears gray is because it is pending review by Facebook’s automated content moderation system. When you create a new post, especially if it contains links, photos, or videos, Facebook will sometimes flag it for review to check that it complies with their community standards and terms of service.
During this review process, your post will show up gray or faded on your own timeline. The post may say “Your post is still being reviewed” or “Your post is awaiting review” when you hover over it. This review typically takes a few minutes, but can sometimes take hours if the post contains content that requires additional scrutiny.
If your post passes review, the gray pending state will be lifted and your post will appear normal to you and others who visit your timeline. However, if the review finds your post violates a Facebook policy, it may be removed altogether.
What Triggers Facebook Review
Many types of content can trigger a pending review on Facebook. Some common triggers include:
- Posts with links to other websites or domains
- Posts containing photos or videos you haven’t shared on Facebook before
- Status updates containing blocked keywords or sensitive topics
- Shared posts or links that were marked as abusive by others
- Posts flagged as potentially violating community standards
Facebook’s goal with automated reviewing is to catch rule-breaking or dangerous content quickly while minimizing impacts on regular sharing by users. The vast majority of posts that enter pending review status get approved within a few scans by Facebook’s systems.
What to Do If Your Post Is Stuck in Review
In most cases, simply waiting an hour or two will be enough for your pending post to go through. However, if your content remains stuck in review for a prolonged period:
- Check that you have stable internet connectivity
- Try deleting and reposting the content if it has been over 12 hours
- Make sure you haven’t violated Facebook’s rules around prohibited content
- Submit an appeal through Facebook’s help page if you feel the post was incorrectly flagged
Avoid continuously reposting the same content while it is pending review, as this may be seen as spam and lead to restrictions on your account. The best approach is to be patient and communicate with Facebook support if your post remains in limbo after half a day or more.
You Have Unpublished the Post
Another possibility is that you have manually unpublished or hidden the Facebook post yourself. When you unpublish a post, it will appear grayed out or faded on your own timeline.
You may have unpublished a post because:
- You decided you no longer wanted the information public
- You intended to make edits before reposting
- You accidentally hit theUnpublish button
If you can see that you unpublished a post, you can make it visible again by selecting Publish from the ellipsis (…) menu in the post. However, if more than 10 days have passed since you unpublished it, the post will be deleted and can’t be re-shared.
How to Tell If You Unpublished a Post
You can check if you manually unpublished something by:
- Looking for an Unpublish option on the post through the ellipses menu
- Going to your Activity Log and filtering by “Your Posts” to see unpublished posts
- Trying to view the post from another account to check if it’s visible
Essentially, if a post is grayed out and you didn’t delete it, chances are high you unpublished it yourself on accident or to edit it. Just re-publish when ready to share it again.
Your Account or Post Privacy Settings
Less commonly, gray posts on Facebook can stem from your overall account privacy settings or post-specific privacy restrictions.
For example, you may have:
- Limited the visibility of your profile or timeline posts
- Excluded certain people from seeing your posts
- Chosen a specific privacy option like Friends Except Acquaintances
- Specified Close Friends to limit viewership of a post
In these cases, your post will look normal to you when you view your own timeline, but may appear grayed out or say “Limited Visibility” when viewed by people not included in the intended audience.
Checking Your Privacy Settings
To check if limited privacy settings are making your post appear hidden or gray, you can:
- Go to your Facebook profile and timeline privacy settings
- Review privacy options chosen for the individual post
- Switch to a viewing account not included in the intended visibility
- Check your post as a page admin if the restricted post is on a Facebook Page
Adjusting the privacy settings to be more open or inclusive can allow more people to view the post normally. You can also modify settings for future posts to control visibility.
You Have Blocked Someone
A fourth possibility is that you have blocked another Facebook user or page from seeing your profile and posts. When you block someone on Facebook, all your posts and information will appear grayed out or restricted to them.
Some reasons you may have blocked another user include:
- To stop seeing someone’s posts in your feed
- To prevent them from contacting you or accessing your profile
- To report harassment or bullying behavior
- To de-friend someone without removing your connection entirely
From their end, your blocked user will not be able to see, comment on, or interact with any of your timeline posts until you unblock them. This is an important privacy and security option on Facebook.
Identifying If You Blocked Someone
You can check if you have blocked another Facebook user by:
- Going to your Blocked Users list under Settings & Privacy
- Trying to view your profile or posts from the perspective of the blocked account
- Checking if the user’s comments and reactions no longer appear on your posts
You can reverse blocking if done accidentally or if you want to restore interaction. In some cases of harassment or abuse, though, blocking may need to remain in place.
You Have Been Banned or Restricted
In rarer cases, seeing your Facebook posts turn gray may indicate your account has been banned, disabled, or restricted in some way by Facebook moderators.
Some reasons Facebook may limit your account access include:
- Violating Facebook’s Community Standards or Terms of Service
- Sharing prohibited or dangerous content
- Engaging in ban evasion or creating duplicate accounts
- Taking actions seen as abusive or spreading misinformation
- Hacking, spamming, or phishing behaviors
If your account has been restricted, you may receive an on-screen notification explaining the reason and length of the limitation. You may be unable to post, comment, use messenger, advertise, or engage in other Facebook activities.
Appealing Facebook Account Restrictions
If you feel your account has been incorrectly restricted, you can submit an appeal to Facebook by:
- Following the on-screen instructions provided with a restriction notice
- Filing an appeal through the Facebook Help Center
- Contacting Facebook support via live chat or email
Provide factual details on why you believe the restriction was unwarranted in your appeal. However, keep in mind restrictions are usually implemented based on clear violations of Facebook’s standards.
Conclusion
Seeing your Facebook posts turn gray can be confusing, but is most often caused by automated review processes, unpublished posts, privacy limitations, blocks, or account restrictions. Here are some tips:
- Be patient if a post is pending review; it is usually temporary
- Double check you didn’t unpublish a post yourself
- Review your account and post privacy settings
- Check if you blocked the viewing user or account
- Appeal restrictions if you think Facebook made a mistake
With so many users and high posting volume, Facebook requires strong content moderation and limitations to maintain a safe, positive environment. However, the vast majority of grayed out posts are simply undergoing standard automated reviews before being approved and shared.