The basic steps to post on Facebook

To create a post on Facebook, open the app or website, find the text box at the top of your feed that says "What's on your mind?", click it, type your message, and then click the blue "Post" button. The entire process takes less than a minute for a simple text post.

Facebook shows this text box on your home feed, on your profile page, and in groups you belong to. The steps are the same no matter where you start. Your post will appear in your own timeline and in the feeds of people who follow you, though Facebook's algorithm decides how many people actually see it based on engagement patterns.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the "What's on your mind?" box at the top of your feed, type your message, and click "Post" to share text with your followers.
  • You can add photos, videos, links, or emojis to a post before publishing by clicking the icons below the text box.
  • Use the privacy dropdown menu (showing a globe, lock, or people icon) to control who sees your post — public, friends only, or specific people.
  • Posts can be edited or deleted after publishing by clicking the three dots in the top right corner of your post.
  • Tagging people, adding hashtags, or using location tags can increase how many people see your post, but only if those people follow you or have privacy settings that allow it.

Adding photos and videos to your post

Below the text box where you type, you'll see a row of icons. The image icon (usually a picture or mountain shape) lets you upload photos from your device or phone. Click it, choose the file, and the photo appears in your post before you hit "Post". You can add multiple photos at once — Facebook will arrange them in a grid.

The video icon works the same way. Upload a video file from your device, and it will process and appear in your post. Facebook accepts most common video formats. Videos can be up to 4GB in size, though shorter videos (under 2 minutes) tend to get better reach because more people watch them all the way through.

If you want to add a link to a website, click the link icon. Paste the URL, and Facebook will pull in a preview showing the headline and thumbnail image from that page. You can edit the text that appears with the link before posting.

Controlling who sees your post

Before you click "Post", look for a dropdown menu showing a globe icon, a lock icon, or the word "Friends". This controls your post's privacy. Click it to see your options: Public (anyone on Facebook can see it), Friends (only people you've added as friends), or more specific choices like "Friends except..." or "Specific friends".

If you choose "Public", your post can appear in search results and on your profile even for people who don't follow you. "Friends" means only your confirmed friends see it. Some people set a default privacy level in their settings so they don't have to choose every time, but Facebook defaults to "Friends" for most accounts.

Group posts work differently — the privacy is set by the group itself. A public group's posts are visible to anyone; a private group's posts are only visible to members. You cannot override the group's privacy setting for an individual post.

Tagging people and adding hashtags

To tag someone in your post, type the @ symbol followed by their name while you're writing. A dropdown list appears with matching names. Click the person you want to tag, and their name becomes a link. They'll get a notification that you tagged them, and the post may appear in their timeline depending on their notification settings.

Hashtags work by typing # followed by a word or phrase with no spaces — for example, #FamilyDinner or #LocalNews. Hashtags make your post searchable and can increase visibility if people search for that topic. However, hashtags only help if your post's privacy setting allows people outside your friends list to find it. A post set to "Friends only" won't show up in hashtag searches even if you use them.

Editing or deleting a post after publishing

After you post, you can still make changes. Look for three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of your post. Click them to see a menu with options including "Edit post" and "Delete". Editing lets you change the text, add or remove photos, or adjust the privacy setting. The edited post keeps the same timestamp, but Facebook notes that it was edited.

Deleting removes the post entirely from your timeline and from other people's feeds. Comments and reactions disappear with it. Once deleted, the post cannot be recovered, so make sure that's what you want before confirming.

Understanding Facebook's reach and visibility

Creating a post does not may provide people will see it. Facebook's algorithm prioritizes posts based on how much engagement they get — likes, comments, and shares — and how recently they were posted. A post from an hour ago will appear higher in most feeds than a post from yesterday, even if the older one has more engagement.

Posts from people you interact with frequently appear higher in your feed than posts from people you rarely engage with. If you want your posts to reach more people, posting when your friends are most active (usually evenings and weekends) can help. You can also see how many people have seen your post by clicking on the view count at the bottom of the post.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule a post to go live at a specific time?

Yes, but only on the Facebook website, not the mobile app. When you're ready to post, click the dropdown next to the "Post" button and select "Schedule". Choose your date and time, and Facebook will publish it automatically. This is useful if you want to post when you know your audience is most active.

What happens if I post something and then change my mind about who can see it?

Click the three dots on your post and select "Edit post". The privacy dropdown appears at the top — change it to whatever you want. The post stays in the same place on your timeline, but only people with the new privacy level can see it going forward.

Do people get notified when I tag them in a post?

Yes, they receive a notification. They can then untag themselves if they don't want the post on their timeline. Untagging does not delete the post — it just removes their name from it and stops it from appearing on their profile.

Why is my post not showing up in my friends' feeds?

Facebook's algorithm may be limiting its reach because it's not getting much engagement, or your friends may have adjusted their notification settings for your posts. You can also check your privacy setting — if it's set to "Friends except..." and you've excluded someone, they won't see it. Posts with links sometimes get lower reach than text-only posts.

Can I post the same thing to multiple places at once?

You can share a post to a group or to your own timeline, but you have to do it separately. You cannot post to multiple groups or multiple people's timelines in a single action. However, you can copy the text of a post and paste it into a new post elsewhere.