Troubleshooting Facebook and Instagram errors
When connecting an Instagram or Facebook account, you or your clients may encounter the occasional issue. While Facebook & Instagram's APIs are notoriously finicky, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot these issues:
Check your Facebook page roles
Connect your Instagram to Facebook
Connect your Facebook page to the correct Instagram account
Connecting Facebook to Products and Business App
Update your permissions
Switch to a personal account (and back again)
New Page Experience
Note: Does your Facebook page look different than the images below? You may be on the New Page Experience. Please see Step 7.
1. Check your Facebook page roles
In order to post, you'll need to ensure you have Admin access to the Facebook Page you would like to post to.
Log into the Facebook account that has been given access to the Page you would like to connect. On Facebook, go to the Facebook Page you are trying to connect. You can find this under "Pages" on the left-hand menu of Facebook when you first log in. Click on the name of the page.
In the menu on the left hand of the page that appears, scroll down to "Settings".
Next, click on Page Roles. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says "Existing Page Roles". Ensure your user is there, and the role assigned to you is "Admin". There are other Facebook page roles like "Moderator" or "Editor", but you will need to be an Admin to properly connect and post to the account. If you cannot find it, or if you are unable to access this page, you'll need to reach out to have another admin grant you an admin role, or contact the owner of the page.
2. Connect your Instagram to Facebook
It's important to ensure that your Instagram Business account is fully linked to a Facebook Page. This step can be completed on your mobile device or in your browser. Instagram accounts connected to Social Tool must be Professional > Business accounts, not Professional > Creator accounts. The API currently does not support Instagram connections to Creator accounts. Please see Step 6 on how to switch your account type in Instagram.
Mobile:
Open the Instagram app
Tap
, then tap Settings
Tap Account
Tap Sharing to Other Apps
Tap Facebook, then log in with your Facebook credentials
Tap Continue, then tap Yes, Finish Setup
Browser:
Log into Instagram.com
Click on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner
Select Settings > scroll down to Meta Accounts Center
Connect your Facebook account to Instagram by clicking Add Account
Please ensure that your Instagram profile is fully filled out, including phone number, birthday, etc. This is due to changes in the security requirements for Facebook's API. The account may connect successfully if this is not done, but your posts may fail.
3. Connect your Facebook page to the correct Instagram account
When Instagram is first connected to a Facebook page, Facebook may require you to review the connection before other third-party applications can be used.
From the business page on Facebook, click Settings
Click Instagram
3. Look for the Review Account Connection notice
If it appears, click Review Connection
If it does not, proceed to Update your permissions
Follow Facebook's instructions
4. Connecting Facebook to Products and Business App
Select + to be taken to the Facebook Login screen. Enter your Facebook admin login credentials. If Facebook logs you in directly, please ensure you are logging in with the correct account with Admin privileges. To avoid errors, try completing this process in an incognito window--Facebook will prompt you to enter the credentials.
You need to make sure that the name next to “Continue” is the right Facebook account that you’re logging in with, i.e, the Facebook account that has Admin permission on the page.
Do NOT click Continue. Click “Edit Settings” first:
It will take you to a page similar to the one below.
Note: Make sure to select 'All Pages' as indicated in the screenshot below, and not just the page you want to connect to. This will not bring in all of your pages; however, it is required for the API to connect successfully.
If the page is not here, make sure the account you logged in with is the one you have the page permissions on.
Click Next
Make sure all toggles are turned to “Yes”. Then click Done
You'll get directed back to our platform, where a list of the pages you can connect will appear. Select the one you want to connect.
5. Update your permissions
If none of the above options work, there's a good chance that Social Marketing does not have the appropriate permissions to post.
This may happen if not all permissions were initially granted or if either Facebook or Instagram update their security policies.
Go to Facebook > Click on your Profile Picture> Settings & Privacy > Settings > Business Integrations > View and Edit
Ensure all toggles for permissions are turned on.
Click Save
6. Switch to a personal account (and back again)
Sometimes, switching to a personal account from a business account on Instagram will fix the issue. This will turn off in-app insights for Instagram, and any existing insights on your posts or promotions will be lost.
Switch to a personal account
Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
Tap
or your profile picture in the bottom right
Go to
> Settings > Account
Tap Switch Account Type
Under Account, tap Switch to Personal Account.
Tap Switch to Personal Account to confirm
Switch back to a professional account
Provided you have just followed the previous steps, you should be on the Settings page on Instagram on your mobile device. If you aren't, follow steps 1-3 from the previous section again.
Tap Account
Tap Switch to Professional Business Account
Follow Instagram's instructions
7. New Page Experience
Facebook is revamping how users use and manage their Pages. This is a new design that only certain accounts have. Not all Facebook pages are switched over to the New Page experience, although all accounts will be eventually. For more information on the New Page Experience, please see Facebook's update.
For a comparison between the Classic view and the New Page view, see here.
Meta Business Suite
The process we outlined in this article is essentially the same, although you will most likely manage all your pages through Meta Business Suite (formerly Facebook Business Manager). You can access the Business Suite by clicking Pages on the Facebook home screen, and you should see a tab that says Meta Business Suite, or by going to business.facebook.com.
1. Check to see if you've created a Business Account in Meta Business Suite:
To access the Settings tab, you need to create a Business Account for your pages within Meta Business Suite.
Click the drop-down arrow next to the page you are on. You should see a menu with the pages you have access to. Select "Create a Business Account":
Once you have done so, you should see the Settings tab at the bottom of the screen:
Here, you should be able to find the settings we mentioned above, as well as see any actions needed on your account:
If you click More Business Settings, you can manage Page Roles, Instagram accounts, Integrations, etc.
Hopefully, these troubleshooting steps were able to resolve any issues you ran into when trying to connect or post to Instagram