How to Change the Link Preview Image on Facebook

Nothing kills the vibe of a great social media post faster than sharing a fantastic link only to have Facebook pull a blurry, cropped, or completely irrelevant preview image. You spent time writing the perfect caption, and now it's paired with your website's tiny logo from the footer. This guide explains exactly why that happens and provides step-by-step methods to fix it, whether you're sharing your own content or someone else's.

Why Facebook Chooses the Wrong Image (and How to Tell It What to Do)

First, let's clear up a common misconception: Facebook doesn't randomly guess which image to use. When you paste a URL, Facebook's crawler quickly scans the website's code looking for specific instructions called Open Graph (OG) tags. Think of these like a suggestion box for social platforms, telling them what title, description, and, most importantly, image to display.

The specific tag responsible for the link preview image is the og:image tag. When your link preview looks wrong, it's almost always because of one of these four issues:

• The og:image Tag is Missing: If the webpage doesn't have an og:image tag, Facebook has to improvise. It scans the page for any usable image, often grabbing the first one it finds - which could be a small icon, a banner ad, or a photo from a completely unrelated section.
• There are Multiple og:image Tags: Sometimes, conflicting plugins or incorrect theme settings can create several og:image tags on a single page. When Facebook sees multiple instructions, it gets confused and might choose the wrong one.
• The Image is Invalid: The link in the og:image tag might be broken, or the image itself may not meet Facebook's standards. Ideally, images should be at least 600 x 315 pixels, but the recommended size is 1200 x 630 pixels for the best quality on high-resolution displays.
• The Website is Caching an Old Version: Even if you fix the image, Facebook might still "remember" the old, incorrect one. We'll show you how to force Facebook to fetch a fresh copy later in this guide.

The Best Fix: Setting the Link Preview Image on Your Own Website

The most reliable and permanent solution is to specify the exact image you want Facebook to use directly on your website. This way, every time that link is shared by you or anyone else, the correct image will appear. The method varies depending on your website platform, but the principle is the same.

For WordPress Users (The Easy Way)

If your website runs on WordPress, you're in luck. SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO make this incredibly simple. There's no need to touch any code.

Here's how to do it using Yoast SEO (the process is very similar for other major SEO plugins):

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the post or page you want to fix.
2. Scroll down below the main content editor until you find the Yoast SEO settings box.
3. Click on the "Social" tab. This section is specifically for controlling how your content appears on social media.
4. You'll see options for both Facebook and Twitter. In the Facebook section, you'll find an "Image" field.
5. Click the "Upload Image" button and choose the exact image you want to use for the link preview. Remember, 1200 x 630 pixels is the sweet spot. You can also customize the "Title" and "Description" here if you wish.
6. Once you've added your image, update or publish your post.

Most modern website builders have built-in SEO and social sharing settings that let you control the preview image without writing code.

• Shopify: In your Product or Page editor, find the "Search engine listing preview" section and click "Edit website SEO." There's usually an option to upload a "Social sharing image" there.
• Squarespace: Go to a page's settings and look for the "Social Image" tab. Here, you can upload a specific image you want to be used when that page's link is shared.
• Wix: Go to the Page Editor, click "SEO Basics," and find the "Social Share" tab. You'll find fields to update the title, description, and image for link previews.

The location of this feature can vary, but you're usually looking for a setting labeled "Social Sharing," "SEO," or "Featured Image" within the individual page or product settings.

How to Force Facebook to See Your Changes: The Sharing Debugger Tool

So you've updated the image in the social sharing section on the backend of your platform, but when you paste the link on Facebook, the old, buggy image still shows up. What gives?

This happens because Facebook saves (or "caches") link preview data to help pages load faster. You need to manually tell Facebook to dump its old memory and look at your page again.

This is where the Facebook Sharing Debugger comes in. It's a free developer tool that shows you what information Facebook is seeing for any URL and allows you to force a refresh.

Here's how to use it:

1. Go to the Facebook Sharing Debugger.
2. Paste the URL of your blog post or page into the input box and click "Debug."
3. The tool will show you the link preview as Facebook currently sees it, along with any warnings or errors it found (like missing OG tags). If the image is wrong, it will be reflected here.
4. Now, here's the most important step: click the "Scrape Again" button. This tells Facebook to revisit your webpage and fetch the newest information, including the new og:image tag you just set.
5. You might have to click "Scrape Again" two or three times for the new preview to appear, but you'll eventually see the updated Link Preview section with your correct image.

Once the Sharing Debugger shows the right image, you're good to go. Any new shares of that link will pull the correct preview.

Updating the Image on a Post You've Already Published

What if you already shared the link and it's getting likes and comments, but the preview image is wrong? Deleting the post and losing all that great engagement would hurt. Fortunately, you're in luck.

There's a hidden feature on Facebook that lets you refresh the link preview on an existing post.

1. First, follow all the directions above: update the og:image on the backend of your website and run the URL through the Sharing Debugger. Use the "Scrape Again" button until the debugger shows the correct new image. This step is crucial, the debugger must display the correct preview before you refresh the post on Facebook.
2. Go back to your Facebook post with the incorrect preview.
3. Click the three dots (...) icon in the top-right corner of the post.
4. From the dropdown menu, select "Refresh share attachment."

Facebook will re-scrape the link and update the preview image right on the live post, all while keeping your valuable engagement intact. It may take a minute or two to update, but this method is a real game-changer for marketers and content creators who constantly need to edit posted content without losing engagement.

The Workaround: When You Cannot Access the Original Website's Code

Sometimes you need to share a link to an article, news source, or press piece that has nothing to do with your own website, meaning you cannot access the backend to add og:image tags yourself. Perhaps the og:image tag is missing, and Facebook displays no image at all, which is a real bummer on a highly visual feed. While you can't edit a third-party website's source code, there is still a way to post your content in an engaging, visually appealing way.

The old trick of adding a link preview, deleting it, and then uploading your own image no longer works. Here's a workaround for sharing content without compromising the design and style of your social media brand.

Instead of creating a standard link post, create an image post. Here is how:

• First and foremost, upload an eye-catching image. This can be a branded image with a quote or the title of the article you're sharing. Make it so people want to stop scrolling and read what you have to say about the link in your post.
• Write your caption and include the URL in the main body of the text as a standard link. Make sure your link is clean, or use a URL shortener to make the link look more neat and polished in the feed.

There are both pros and cons to using this method for sharing third-party links. On the positive side, you have complete control over your visuals. However, it means you will not have the standard clickable link preview block. Instead, a user will have to click the link from your caption rather than the image to be redirected. This may hurt your click-through rate (CTR), depending on your audience and how engaging your visuals and copy are.

Final Thoughts

Taking control of your Facebook link preview image boils down to giving Facebook clear instructions through OG tags and using tools like the Sharing Debugger to ensure those instructions are seen. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never have to cringe at a bad preview image again, ensuring your content always looks professional and compelling.

As you know, managing how a brand's content appears on social media is a top priority for any marketing team. At Postbase, we built our social media scheduling tool with this in mind. Our visual calendar makes it extremely smooth and easy to plan hundreds of posts months in advance. It gives you a preview of your scheduled social media content so you have a full picture and complete control over your feed at a glance, making your work in social media management a breeze. Instead of feeling like a chore, managing your brand's presence becomes a creative expression in this modern era of digital communication.