Facebook Link Preview Not Showing Image? How to Fix It
Why shared links show no image or the wrong one, and how to fix the preview everywhere.
You share a link on Facebook and it shows a blank box, a tiny logo or an old image. The preview comes from Open Graph tags on your page โ and from Facebook's cached copy of them. Fixing it means correcting the tags and then asking Facebook to fetch the page again.
Step 1: Check your Open Graph tags
Each page should include at least:
og:titleโ the title for the preview.og:descriptionโ a short summary.og:imageโ the full, absolute URL of the image (starting with https://).og:urlโ the page's canonical URL.
Enter your URL into the Open Graph preview tool to see exactly which tags your page provides. Read what Open Graph tags are.
Step 2: Check the image itself
- Size: use a large image, ideally 1200 ร 630 pixels. Very small images may show as a thumbnail or not at all. See OG image sizes for social media.
- Access: the image must load publicly โ not behind a login, hotlink protection or a firewall that blocks Facebook's crawler.
- Format: JPG or PNG are the safest choices.
- URL: check it opens directly with the image URL checker.
Step 3: Clear Facebook's cache
Facebook stores previews. After fixing tags, open Meta's Sharing Debugger, paste your URL and use the option to scrape again. The debugger also lists warnings about missing or invalid tags.
Common causes
- Relative image URL such as
/images/photo.jpginstead of the full address. - Multiple og:image tags from a theme and a plugin, with the wrong one first.
- Bot protection showing Facebook's crawler a challenge page.
- The page redirects and the final page lacks tags.
- Image too large in file size or slow to load.
The same fix helps other apps
WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Slack and many messaging apps also read Open Graph tags. WhatsApp tends to prefer small, quickly loading images; if previews fail there, try a lighter version of the image. LinkedIn has its own Post Inspector for refreshing its cache.
A worked example
A Brazilian travel agency's shared tour pages showed its logo instead of tour photos. The preview tool revealed two og:image tags: one from the theme (the logo) and one from the SEO plugin. Disabling the theme's social tags and rescraping in the Sharing Debugger fixed every tour page, and Facebook posts started getting more clicks.
Set a default image
Configure your site or SEO plugin to use a branded default image when a page has no featured image. Every shared link then shows something professional instead of a blank box. Use your logo on a clean background at 1200 ร 630 pixels.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
Why does Facebook show an old image?
It caches previews. Use the Sharing Debugger to scrape the page again.
What is the best image size for Facebook links?
1200 ร 630 pixels works well for large previews.
Do I need Facebook-specific tags?
Standard Open Graph tags are enough for most sites.
Why does the preview work on Facebook but not WhatsApp?
WhatsApp can be stricter about image size and load time. Try a smaller image file.