Why Can’t My Friends See My Posts on Facebook?

Some users have been reporting that their Facebook Friends do not see their posts. If you are having this issue, please read on to understand why, and how to fix it.

Before addressing how to fix the issue of your Facebook Friends not seeing your posts, we need to make a few things clear:

1. There is no way to see who viewed your Posts. The only ways you can know that your Posts have been viewed are:

• If you get reactions such as likes, shares, and comments. However, many people view posts without reacting to them
• If you ask your audience if they have seen your Posts

So, if you are having the issue of your Facebook Friends not seeing your posts, it is assumed that you have asked them and they confirm that they do not see your posts.

2. Your Facebook Friends by default should see your posts. They are your followers by default and have access to your posts, reals, stories and soundbites.

This is unless you restrict the audience for particular posts that you make. If you do not place restrictions on particular posts, then all your Friends should see your posts.

Having established these facts, let’s take a look at the possible reasons why your Facebook Friends and target audience do not see your Posts, and how to resolve the problem.

Why Can’t My Friends See My Posts on Facebook

1. Bug

The first thing to consider when you are sure that your Facebook Friends do not see your posts, is that a bug has occurred on your current connection with them. As we established in the points above, your Friends have default access to your Posts.

If they are not seeing them, then something may be wrong with the current Friendship connection that you have with them which is making them not have access to your content.

This is a fault on Facebook and has nothing to do with any setting or configuration on your account. And no, it does not mean that your account is censored. To address this issue, you need to try the fixes provided below to refresh the connection.

Fix – Unfriend Them Then Request Them Again

The best and easiest way to reset your Friendship connection with the Facebook Friends who can’t view your Posts is to unfriend them, and then request the Friendship again.

This will reset the permissions and accesses that they have on your content and get them seeing your Posts again as they should.

Follow the steps below to unfriend a Facebook Friend and request Friendship again:

First, inform the Friend(s) about your plans so they know. Unfriending them without warning and then making a new Friend request may not sit well with some users as they do not know why you removed them as a Friend in the first place.

Then, on PC:

1. Sign in at web.facebook.com

2. Click on your profile picture at the top left of the screen

3. Then click on your name to open your full profile

4. On your profile page, click on the Friends tab

5. Scroll down to the Facebook Friend you want to unfriend and click the More (…) button next to their name

6. You will see the options to Edit Friend List, Follow or Unfollow, and Unfriend. Select Unfriend from the options

7. Click on Confirm when prompted to remove the person from your Friends list

8. Alternatively, when you scroll down and find the Friend, click on their name to open their full profile

9. Then click on Friends and then select Unfriend

10. Then on the same page, just click on Add Friend to add the person back as a Friend. Then wait for them to accept your Friend request.

On Mobile app:

1. Launch the Facebook mobile app and make sure you are signed in

2. Click on the Friends tab (this is the people silhouette next to the Home icon)

3. Under Friends, tap on Your Friends

4. Scroll down to the Facebook Friend you want to unfriend and click the More (…) button next to their name

5. You will see the options to Message, Follow or Unfollow, Block, and Unfriend. Select Unfriend from the options

6. Tap on Confirm when prompted to remove the person from your Friends list

7. Then on the same page, just tap on Add Friend to add the person back as a Friend. Then wait for them to accept your Friend request.

When they accept your request, the process should reset your Facebook connection and get them seeing your posts again.

Fix 2 – Block Them, Then Unblock Them Again

The Unfriend option above works best when you already set your Posts to be viewed by your friends only.

If your Posts are visible to the public, unfriending may not totally reset the connection. This is because people who are not your Facebook Friends can view your Posts anyway. So, removing the person as a Friend will make little difference.

In this case, you would need to block the person totally. Blocking will not only remove them as a Friend, it will also block them from seeing any of your Posts, Stories, Reels, and Soundbites.

Use the steps below to block the person and then unblock them on Facebook:

First, as with Unfriending, you need to inform the person about your plans. Then:

On Mobile:

1. Launch the Facebook app and make sure you are logged into your account

2. Click on the Menu icon at the top right corner of the screen (it is the 3 horizontal lines)

3. Scroll down and click on Settings and Privacy

4. Click on Settings

5. Scroll down to the Audience and Visibility section and click on Blocking

6. Then, click on Add to Blocked List

7. Type the name of the person you want to block and click on Block.

On PC:

1. Sign in at facebook.com

2. Click on your profile photo at the top left

3. Select Settings and privacy from the options that appear

4. Select Settings from the options

5. Scroll down to Blocking and select it

6. At Block Users, click on Edit

7. Then, click on Add to Blocked List

8. Type the name of the person you want to block and click on Block.

***Alternatively, you could simply open the user’s Profile, click on the More (…) icon and select Block. But this works best if you only want to block one or two users. If you want to bloc multiples users, the options above work best.

After blocking them, go back to the Blocking menu above and unblock them. Then send a friend request to them again because blocking also removes them as a Friend.

Fix 3 – Tag Them

Another fix to try when debugging your Posts viewership is to tag the people you want to see the post. This does not reset their Friendship and permissions. Instead, it connects the Post directly to the Friends and draws their attention to the Post.

• When you tag someone in a Facebook post, you automatically create a link to their profile. The Post is even added to the person’s timeline
• Also, when you tag the Friend, they will get a notification that they have been tagged in a Post

So, tagging a Friend is a surer way to get them to see your Posts…or at least to be aware of them. Follow the steps below to tag someone on your Facebook post:

If you are just trying to upload the post, click on the More (…) icon under the post

1. Then select Tag People

2. Enter the name(s) of the Friends you want to tag and click on Done

If you had already uploaded the post and want to add the tags,

1. Scroll to the post and click on the More (…) icon at the top of the post

2. Then select Edit Post from the options

3. Then, click on the More (…) icon under the post

4. Then select Tag People

5. Enter the name(s) of the Friends you want to tag and click on Done

2. They Haven’t Added You to Their Favourites, So Facebook Prioritises Other People’s Post

The second thing to consider after a bug is that the Friends do not have you as their Favourites.

When someone adds you as their Favourite on Facebook, your posts are prioritised and appear first on their timelines. This is especially important where the Friend has several active Facebook Friends who post content often.

If you are not added as their Favourite, your Posts get lost in the sea of other Posts whereas those of their Favourites get shown first. So, to address an issue like this, you may just have to request that they add you to their Facebook Favourites.

Fix – Tell Them to Add You to Their Favorites

Make a request to the Friends that you want to see your Posts, asking them to add you as their Favourites. In case they do not know how to go about this, tell them to follow the steps below:

On Mobile app:

1. Launch their Facebook mobile app

2. On the Home page, click the Menu button (3 horizontal lines at the top right of the page)

3. Then scroll down and select See More

4. Then scroll down again and select Recent and Favourites

5. At the top of the page that opens, they should see Manage Favourites. Click on that

6. A new page opens with Friends and Pages that they can add to Favourites

7. They should click on the Friends tab, and click on Add next to your name

On PC:

1. They should go to facebook.com/search/top/?q=favourites

2. On the left side of the screen, they should click on the All tab if it is not already highlighted

3. Then they should click on Favourites on the top right of the page

4. On the new page that opens, they need to click on Manage Favourites

5. Then they need to click on Favourites

6. On the page that opens, they can find your name and click the Star icon next to your name to add you to their Favourites

3. They’ve Snoozed or Ignored You

Another thing to consider when trying to figure out why your Facebook Friends do not see your posts is that they may have snoozed or ignored you. This could be intentional or unintentional. When you are snoozed or ignored, there is no notification to you. The only way you can find out is to ask them.

When a Friend snoozes you on Facebook, they will not see your Posts in their feeds for 30 days. We said earlier that this snoozing could be unintentional. The reason is that the only way they can snooze your profile is from your post in their feed.

They would not need to access your profile to snooze you, or go to a profile setting on their own page to snooze you. Snoozing can be done at the click of a button, so it often happens unintentionally.

Here’s how they could have snoozed your profile on Facebook:

1. They clicked the More button (…) at the top right of your post in their feed

2. Then they selected Snooze for 30 days

So, you need to ask them to check if they may have snoozed you and then un-snooze you. To un-snooze your profile, they need to follow the steps below:

On PC

1. They need to sign in to facebook.com

2. Then, click their profile icon at the top left the screen and select Settings and Privacy

3. Then they need to select Feed

4. On the page that opens, they need to click on Snooze

5. On the Snooze page, they need to click on the un-snooze or clock icon next to your name

On Mobile app:

1. They need to launch their Facebook mobile app

2. On the Home page, click the Menu button (3 horizontal lines at the top right of the page)

3. Then scroll down and select Settings and Privacy

4. Then they need to select Settings from the options

5. On the page that opens, under Preferences, they need to select News Feed

6. Then they need to select Snooze from the options

7. Then, next to your profile, they should click on the un-snooze or clock icon

4. Facebook Thinks They Don’t Want to See It

As uncomfortable as it sounds, Facebook and indeed every other social media platform monitor your activities on their sites to gauge the things you are interested in so they can suggest posts, news, and reels that they think you may be interested in.

Here are some of the ways in which they determine your interest in content:

• How often you open such posts to view them in details
• How long you spend on the posts
• Your engagement on such posts such as likes, dislikes, shares, and comments

So, if your friends always spend little time on your posts, or skip them, or view them but do not react, Facebook algorithms may determine that they just aren’t interested in the posts. This is even more the case when they Hide any or some of your posts.

The only way to fix this is to ask your friends to start engaging with your posts.

Fix – Tell Them to Go on Your Profile and Engage With Your Recent Posts

Your friends need to start performing actions on your posts such as liking, commenting, and sharing them. They could do this by reacting on your posts in their feeds. But this may be few and far between.

The best way to engage with your posts and get Facebook to start showing them again on their feeds is by going to your profile and engage with at least 5 of your recent posts.

If there is a video post, watching the video to the end is enough to register interest on Facebook algorithms. For photos and texts, they could Like, Comment, or Share…or even do all 3.

5. They’ve Unfollowed You

Being Friends on Facebook is quite different from Following. Normally, when you add someone as a Friend, you automatically follow them. And vice versa. By Following you, your posts, reels, stories, and soundbites show up on their feeds whenever you post them.

However, if they unfollow you, your content no longer shows up on their feeds. This does not mean that you are no longer Friends. You can still chat as Friends and access their profiles even if it is restricted to the public.

The only thing that Unfollowing you does is to stop your posts and other content from showing up on their feeds.

To be clear:

• Snoozing stops your posts from showing up on their feeds for 30 days
• Unfollowing stops your posts from showing up on their feeds for good

Fix – Check and If They Have, Tell them to Follow You Back

So, if they have unfollowed you, you are certain that there’s no way your Posts show up on their feeds. The only fix is to ask them to Follow you again. To follow you again, tell them to follow these steps:

On PC

1. Sign in at web.facebook.com

2. Click on their profile picture at the top left of the screen

3. Then click on their name to open their full profile

4. On their profile page, click on the Friends tab

5. Scroll down to your name and click the More (…) button next to your name

6. They will see the options to Edit Friend List, Follow, and Unfriend. They should select Follow from the options

7. Alternatively, when they scroll down their Friends list and find your, they could click on your name to open your full profile

8. Then click on Frends and then select Follow

On Mobile

1. Launch the Facebook mobile app and make sure they are signed in

2. Click on the Friends tab (this is the people silhouette next to the Home icon)

3. Under Friends, tap on Your Friends

4. Scroll down their Friends list and find your name

5. Then, they should click the More (…) button next to your name

6. You will see the options to Message, Follow, Block, and Unfriend. They should select Follow from the options

6. There’s A Bug That Isn’t Allowing Others to See Your Stories

This fix deals specifically with Stories. If you are using Messenger to post Stories and your Friends do not see them, then it is likely that there is a bug on Messenger that is preventing your Stories from being seen by the permitted audience. To resolve this, please try the fixes below.

Fix – Update Messenger to Get Rid of Bugs

The first fix to try to rid Messenger of bugs is to check for updates and update the Messenger app.

Facebook releases updates from time to time to remove bugs and code errors that may be causing their apps to malfunction. So, you need to ensure that you always have the latest app updates for your Messenger to continue functioning properly.

To update Messenger app:

1. Exit the Messenger app and swipe it away from your recent apps

2. Go to the App Store or Play Store

3. Search for Messenger and select it from the results

4. Tap update to the right of the screen to update the app

5. Then, relaunch the app and start posting again to see if your Posts are now visible to your Friends

Fix 2 – Contact Messenger Support

If updating Messenger does not fix the issue, then you need to Contact Facebook support to report the issue to them. The issue may be as a result of a problem on their servers. To fix this, you could reach out to Facebook on Twitter

Fix 3 – Wait For Them To Come Out With A Fix

If you tried the update in Fix 1 and there were no updates available, and you are unable to get any solutions from Facebook, you may just have to give it time and wait for Facebook to resolve the issue of your Stories not being visible to your Friends.

7. Issue With Your Privacy Settings

The final possible reason why your Facebook Friends may be unable to view your posts is that you may have restricted the posts to viewed by some Friends and not by all.

To be clear, whomever follows you can view your posts. So, if your Friends follow you, they are able to view your posts. Any other restriction is done in the specific posts.

Fix – Change Privacy Settings to Widen Your Audience

To change your privacy settings and make sure that all your friends can view your posts, you need to do this for the particular posts you are having issues with. This is because, in the general Privacy settings, your Friends must be able to view your posts.

So, to check settings for specific posts, follow the steps below:

On mobile app:

1. Launch the Facebook mobile app and make sure you are signed in

2. Open the post that you want to restrict viewership on

3. When the post opens, click on the More icon (3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen)

4. Select Edit Post Privacy from the options

5. Then, select Friends, so that only your Friends can see the post

6. To prevent some friends from seeing the post, select Friends Except. Then select the Facebook friends that you do not want to see your post.

On PC:

1. Log into your account at facebook.com

2. Open the post that you want to restrict viewership on

3. To the right of the post and under your Facebook name, click on the icon beside the date. It may be a globe or person silhouette, depending on your current privacy setting

4. From the options that appear, select Friends if you want only your friends to see the post

5. Select Friends Except, to select the friends who you DO NOT Want to see the post

6. Select Specific Friends to select the only friends that you DO Want to see the post

The lesson here is that you need to select Friends if you want all your Friends to view the post. If you want further restrictions, select the Friends Except or Specific Friends. If you want everyone to see the post, select Public.

And, that’s it. Hopefully by the time you go through the fixes in this article, you would have found a solution for your Facebook Friends not seeing your Posts.