How to Reorder Pictures on a Facebook Post

You carefully selected the perfect photos for your Facebook post, hit publish, and then realized they’re in the completely wrong order. It's a frustratingly common problem, but one that can be managed. This guide breaks down exactly how to reorder pictures in a new post, what your options are for a post that's already live, and a better way to handle photo-heavy content.

Why the Order of Your Facebook Photos Matters

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding "why" photo order is so important for your social media strategy. The arrangement of your images isn't just about aesthetics, it's about effective communication and user engagement.

Think of it as visual storytelling. The first image in your grid acts as the headline. It's the picture that needs to stop someone mid-scroll and entice them to look at the rest. If you're a real estate agent showcasing a house, you lead with the stunning exterior shot, not the small bathroom. If you're a restaurant owner promoting a special, you start with a mouth-watering hero shot of the dish, not a picture of the empty dining room.

A logical photo order guides your audience through a narrative:

• Event Coverage: Show the arrival, the main event, and the happy conclusion.
• Tutorial or How-To: Display each step in a clear, sequential order.
• Product Showcase: Start with the full product, then show details, lifestyle shots, and its different uses.

When the photos are jumbled, the story gets confusing, and you might lose your audience's interest before they even get to your best shot. Getting the order right from the start makes your content more polished, professional, and ultimately, more effective.

How to Reorder Photos Before You Post (The Easy Way)

The simplest and most reliable way to get your photos in the correct sequence is to do it right before you publish. Facebook’s interface makes this straightforward on both desktop and mobile.

On a Desktop Computer:

When you're creating a new post on your computer, the process is all about drag-and-drop. It's intuitive and gives you complete control.

1. Start creating a new post on your Facebook Page or personal profile.
2. Click the Photo/Video icon and select all the pictures you want to upload. You can hold down the Ctrl key (or Cmd on Mac) to select multiple files at once.
3. Once your photos have been uploaded into the post composer, you'll see thumbnails for each image.
4. Simply hover your mouse over a photo you want to move. Your cursor will change to a hand icon.
5. Click and hold the mouse button, then drag the photo to its desired position in the sequence. You'll see a blue line or the other photos shifting to make space for it.
6. Repeat this for any other photos until they are arranged in the perfect narrative order. The first photo in the upper left of the grid will be your main, featured image.
7. Once you're happy, add your caption, tags, and location, then click Post.

On the Facebook Mobile App (iOS and Android):

The process on mobile is very similar, trading the mouse for your finger. It's just as easy to reorder your pictures before your post goes live.

1. Open the Facebook app and tap "What's on your mind?" to begin a new post.
2. Tap the Photo/Video option and select all the images from your phone's gallery.
3. After selecting them, you’ll be taken to the post editor, where you’ll see previews of your chosen images.
4. Press and hold your finger on one of the photo thumbnails. After a moment, you'll feel a slight vibration (on most phones) and the thumbnail will "lift" slightly from the screen.
5. Without lifting your finger, drag the photo to the position you want it to be.
6. Let go, and the photo will drop into its new spot.
7. Organize the rest of your images this way until the sequence is correct.
8. Finish your caption and hit Post.

How to Reorder Photos on an Existing Facebook Post

This is where things get tricky. You've published a post, it’s getting some likes and comments, and you realize the images are mixed up. Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow you to directly edit the post and reorder the photo layout in the same drag-and-drop way you can before publishing.

This is a major source of frustration for many users, but there is a workaround. When you upload multiple photos in a single post, Facebook automatically creates a photo album for them in the background (usually in an album titled "Timeline Photos"). The solution is to edit the order of photos within that album.

A quick word of caution: While this changes the order when someone clicks to view the photos in the theater-style lightbox, it doesn't always change the grid preview on your timeline, especially for older posts. However, it's still the best method available without deleting the post entirely.

Here’s how to do it:

The Workaround: Editing Through the Photo Album

1. Navigate to the post on your profile or page.
2. Click on any of the photos in the post. This will open it up in the black lightbox viewer (sometimes called the "theater view").
3. Look for the title of the album, typically near your name at the top of the viewer. Click on the album title. This will take you to the album page containing only the photos from that specific post.
4. In the top right corner of the album page, click the Edit Album button.
5. Now, you'll see all your photos with the familiar drag-and-drop interface. Hover over an image, click and hold, and drag it to its correct place in the sequence.
6. Once everything is organized correctly, click the Save button in the bottom right corner.

Now, when a user clicks on one of the photos from your original post, they will see them in the newly corrected order as they cycle through them. You’ve successfully fixed the storytelling flow, even if the timeline preview remains the same.

The Last Resort: Delete and Re-upload

Let’s be honest: Sometimes the workaround isn't enough, especially if the incorrect first photo is ruining the post's first impression. If the post is brand new and has little to no engagement (likes, comments, shares), your best and fastest option is often to just delete it and start over.

When to Use this Method:

• The post is only a few minutes or hours old.
• There is very little or zero engagement on it. Sacrificing one or two likes to get the post right is a good trade.
• The visual order is absolutely essential for the post's message (e.g., a step-by-step guide).

How to Do It:

1. Copy the caption from your post so you don't have to re-type it.
2. Click the three dots (...) in the top right corner of the post.
3. Select Delete Post and confirm.
4. Create a brand new post, paste your caption, upload your photos again, and carefully reorder them using the drag-and-drop method before you publish.

While an imperfect solution, it’s the only way to guarantee the photo grid on your timeline appears exactly as you want it.

A Proactive Strategy: Create Albums First

If you're often posting multiple photos related to a single theme, event, or product, consider a more organized approach: create dedicated photo albums *before* you post.

Rather than using a standard status update to upload images, go to your Photos tab and create a new album. This gives you several advantages:

• Full Control: You can add, remove, and reorder photos at any time within the album.
• Better Context: You can give the album a title, a description, and add individual captions to each photo, telling a much richer story.
• Permanent and Shareable: The album exists as a permanent collection on your page that you can share multiple times. You can post a link to the album or share a few key photos from it to encourage people to "see the full album."

This approach moves you from creating a simple, disposable post to building a lasting, well-organized piece of content on your Facebook page.

Final Thoughts

Getting your Facebook photos in the right order can feel like a game of strategy, but knowing the right steps makes it manageable. Always try to arrange images before you hit publish - it’s the cleanest and simplest method. If you miss that window, editing the underlying album is your best bet to fix the viewing experience without losing your post's engagement.

We know that managing visual content is at the heart of any good social media strategy. This is why we designed the visual calendar in Postbase to help you see your entire content plan laid out beautifully. You can plan your posts, see exactly how your images will create a cohesive feed, and drag and drop to reschedule everything in seconds - all before it ever goes live. It turns photo-planning from a source of frustration into a streamlined, creative process.