How to Share a Link on Facebook (Computer, Android and Page)

Sharing a link sounds like the simplest thing you can do on Facebook, and it nearly is. You paste an address into a post and publish. Where people trip up is what happens next: the preview that appears, who can see the post, and why some news links show up as a bare headline. If you're sharing an article, a blog post or a page for your business, those details decide how it looks.

Here are the steps from Facebook's help centre for a computer and for the Android app, the separate route for a Page, and the explanations for the odd behaviour.

Sharing a link in a Facebook post from a computer

Facebook's help centre says you can share a link in Feed or on your profile. The steps are short:

1. From the top of your Feed, click What's on your mind, followed by your name.
2. Enter the link.
3. Add an optional update, which is your own words about why you're sharing it.
4. Click Post.

Facebook adds a note worth reading: liking or sharing a link through Facebook may show up in Feed or on your profile. So a link you share isn't tucked away, it can appear in places your friends look.

Sharing a link in the Facebook app on Android

1. Scroll to the top of your Feed and tap What's on your mind.
2. Enter the link.
3. Add an optional update.
4. Tap Post.

The help page gives these steps for Android. On an iPhone the labels may differ slightly, because menus vary by app version, but the idea is the same: start a post from the top of your Feed, add the link and publish.

Choosing who sees the Facebook post that contains your link

A link post is still a post, so you choose the audience. Facebook's help page for sharing something on Facebook says that after you start a post you can click the audience selector at the top, for example Public, to choose who you'd like to share it with, then click Post.

That's worth a glance every time. If you share a link meant for friends and the selector says Public, anyone can see it. And if it's for the wider world, Friends will limit it. My guide to copying a link from a Facebook reel to share it covers the other direction, when the thing you want to share is already on Facebook.

Sharing a link from your Facebook Page

If you're sharing for a business, you'll want to post as your Page. Facebook's help centre says people with Facebook access can share links from your Page, while people with task access can use Meta Business Suite. For the Facebook route:

1. Log in to Facebook, then click your profile photo in the top right.
2. Click See all profiles, then select the Page you want to switch into.
3. From the top of your Feed, click What's on your mind.
4. Add the link you want to share. Images from the web page may automatically be added to your post's preview.
5. Add an optional update, then click Post.

Facebook says that when you share a link from your Page you can include a preview in your post, and the preview can include up to ten images with descriptions and unique destination URLs. If you'd rather not have a preview, click X on the preview image before publishing to remove it.

Why a Facebook link preview sometimes shows only a headline

You might paste a news article and find that it appears as a plain link with no picture or text. That isn't a fault with your post. Facebook's help pages explain that, because of rules following the European Union Copyright Directive, when someone other than the press publisher shares a news article it may display as a link without images or text from the article. By default, links to press publisher domains shared by someone other than the publisher show only the hyperlink and the headline.

The help page adds that when a press publisher posts its own articles, or permits their use, the links aren't changed in the same way. So if you're a publisher and your own posts show up in limited form, Facebook says you may need to verify ownership of your domain and assign it to your Page. That's a job for the developer help centre, so I've left the details there.

Finding a link you've tapped on Facebook

Different job, same topic: what if you want to find a link you opened rather than shared? Facebook's help pages describe link history, which lists links you've tapped inside Facebook or visited in its in-app browser in the last 30 days. It's only available on the Facebook app for Android and iPhone.

1. In the Facebook app, tap Menu.
2. Tap Settings & privacy.
3. Tap Link history.

From there you can tap a link to revisit it, remove one link, or tap Clear all to remove them all. Facebook says links visited in Messenger chats aren't saved to link history, and that you can only see it when enhanced browsing is turned on.

If sharing a link on Facebook doesn't look right

• Check the link itself. Paste it into a new browser tab first, because a broken address gives a broken preview.
• Look at the preview before you post. On a Page, remove it with the X on the preview image if it's showing the wrong image.
• Expect headline-only news links. If it's a news article shared by someone other than the publisher, a plain headline is normal in places covered by the rules above.
• Check your audience. If friends can't see the post, the selector may be set to Only me or a custom list.
• Update the app. Menus vary by app version, and an old version may show different labels.

Sharing links on Facebook as a creator or small business owner

A link post works best when your words do the persuading, not the preview. Use the optional update to say who the link is for and why they'd want it. If your Page has a QR code you hand out at events, my answer on whether a Facebook Page comes with a QR code shows where to find it. And if a link ever looks suspicious, don't share it. Facebook has a way to report links that look like spam.

Related guides live in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share a link on Facebook?

Click or tap What's on your mind at the top of your Feed, enter the link, add an optional update and click or tap Post.

Can I remove the link preview?

Facebook's help page for Pages says to click X on the preview image before publishing. The page I read doesn't describe the same step for a personal profile.

Why does my news link show only a headline?

Facebook's help pages say rules following the European Union Copyright Directive mean a news article shared by someone other than the publisher may show only a link and headline.

How do I share a link from my Facebook Page?

Switch into the Page with See all profiles, start a post from the top of your Feed, add the link and click Post. People with task access can use Meta Business Suite.

Where can I see links I've visited on Facebook?

In the Facebook app on Android or iPhone, tap Menu, then Settings & privacy, then Link history. It covers the last 30 days.