Facebook No Longer Allows You to Edit Images in Posts

Facebook shocked businesses this month when they took away some of the most used posting features: the ability to change the title, text, and most importantly, the photo of link. This left many marketers bewildered, thinking, “Why can’t I change the photo or text on my Facebook post?” Facebook wants to make sure all of the information listed in the post, including the title of the webpage, the text describing the link, and the photo, all accurately represent where the user will be taken to if they click on the link.

If you are a regular user of Facebook for business, chances are you have used these features at least once. Most companies carefully craft each Facebook post by using a catchy title, engaging description, and a photo that is sure to get Facebook users to stop scrolling through their timeline. Many times, this is often different information than what is entered in the backend of the website for each link.

Why did Facebook take away the ability to edit photos and text?

The main reason Facebook made this decision was to take a stand against fake news and misleading posts. If you think about it, a Facebook post could have a photo, title, and description completely different from what the webpage was actually about. There were too many instances of this happening, and Facebook decided that the best way to combat this issue was to force business accounts to use the actual information on the page.

While it’s cumbersome to many marketers since they will have to ensure that the text and photo that they want to show up on Facebook will have to be done through Open Graph, it’s understandable why Facebook made the decision. They want to build trust with their users and want to ensure that they are not being deceived and have faith knowing that what they see on a Facebook post is what they’ll get when they click on a link.

What can you edit on Facebook posts?

So now that you know what can no longer be edited in a Facebook post, what are your options? Take a look at the flexibility that you do have when it comes to posting a link in a Facebook post:

1. The first option available is to post the link exactly as it shows up. This means the title, description, and photo will show up precisely the way you have it listed in the backend of the website. Here is an example of how this hotel’s Summer Weddings blog shows up when it is pasted into Facebook:

2. The second option you have is to upload additional photos. This will create a carousel post. While you can add pictures, you cannot take away the main image that initially pops up. If you try, it will just take away all the photos.

3. While this option is not recommended, you can remove all photos from the linked post. Click the main image, and all images will disappear.

4. Finally, if you are not satisfied with the photo that shows up and you want a workaround, you do have the option of creating a photo post with your link listed in the content of the post. As an example, if you wanted to use a different photo for the wedding blog above, you would upload the picture to a post and enter the content along with the link in the text area.

(photo credit: hazelmaven)

While it’s inconvenient to no longer have the option to edit images and text on Facebook posts, it’s nice to know there are some options and workarounds.