How to Create a Facebook Album (Shared Albums Too)

Albums keep a set of photos together, such as a holiday, an event or a product range, instead of scattering them through your timeline. Facebook's help describes them for exactly that: a special time or place, like a birthday party or a trip. Here's how to create one, share it with the right people, and let friends add their photos too.

Steps to create an album on Facebook

1. Go to your profile and open Photos.
2. Choose Albums, then Create album.
3. Select the photos and videos you want to include.
4. Add an album name and, if you like, a description.
5. Choose who can see the album.
6. Save or post the album.

The layout varies slightly between the app and a computer, but the options are the same: name, photos, audience.

Choose who can see it

Facebook's help says you can choose who can see your album. That matters for personal events. A family occasion might be for Friends or a custom list, while a public event or a business album might be Public. You can change the album's audience later, and Facebook has separate help for editing the privacy settings for your photos.

Album type	Sensible audience
Family event	Friends or a custom list
Holiday	Friends
Business event or products	Public
Work team photos	A custom list of colleagues

Shared albums: let friends add photos

Facebook says you can add photos or videos to albums you've created, including shared albums where you're a contributor. That's the best way to collect everyone's photos from a wedding, reunion or team day in one place. Add the people who were there as contributors, and they can upload their own shots without sending them to you.

Add more photos later

1. Open the album from your profile's Photos, then Albums.
2. Choose the option to add photos or videos.
3. Select the new photos and save.

Albums for business Pages

Business pages can use albums too, and they work well for showing a portfolio, a product range or highlights from an event. Give albums clear names, such as the event and date or the product category, so visitors can find them. Keep the cover photo strong, since it's what people see first and decides whether they open the album at all.

Tips for a tidy album

• Choose a clear name people will understand later.
• Remove blurry or duplicate shots before posting, so the album feels curated.
• Put your best photo first so it becomes the cover.
• Add short captions to key photos, especially for business albums.

Album or a single post with several photos?

You can also post several photos in one post without making an album. The difference is what happens later. A multi-photo post lives in your feed and slowly scrolls away. An album sits in your Photos section with a name, so people can find it again and you can keep adding to it whenever there's something new. For anything you'll want to show off later, like a portfolio or a yearly event, an album is the better home.

Editing an album

• Rename the album or update its description from the album's options.
• Change the cover by picking a different photo.
• Remove photos that no longer belong.
• Change who can see the whole album if circumstances change.

Privacy for photos of other people

Before you make an album public, think about who's in it. Children, guests at a private event and colleagues may not want their photos visible to everyone. A Friends or custom audience is the safer default for albums full of other people, and you can always widen it later once you've checked everyone's comfortable with being shown.

If you can't create an album

• Update the Facebook app, since menus move between versions.
• Try Facebook on a computer, where album options are easier to find.
• Check you're on your profile or Page, not in a group, where photo options differ.

For sharing beyond albums, see my guides to sharing a video on Facebook and seeing archived stories on Facebook, where older photos and clips often turn up.

My verdict

Go to Photos, Albums, Create album, add your photos, name it and choose the audience. Use shared albums for events so everyone's photos land in one place, and set the audience with care for anything personal. For business Pages, clear album names make your photos far easier to browse.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create an album on Facebook?

Go to your profile, open Photos, choose Albums, then Create album, add photos, name it and save.

Can friends add photos to my Facebook album?

Yes, with a shared album. Facebook lets contributors add photos or videos.

Who can see my Facebook album?

You choose when creating it, and you can change the audience later.

How do I add photos to an existing Facebook album?

Open the album and choose the option to add photos or videos.

Can a Facebook Page have albums?

Yes. Pages can use albums for events, products or portfolios.

Why can't I create an album on Facebook?

Update the app, try a computer, and make sure you're on your profile or Page.

Should I use an album or a multi-photo post?

Use an album for photos you want people to find again later; a multi-photo post scrolls away in your feed.

Can I change the cover photo of an album?

Yes. Open the album's options and pick a different photo as the cover.

Can I make a Facebook album private?

Yes. Set the album's audience to Only me or a small custom list when you create it, or change it later.

Can I put videos in a Facebook album?

Yes. Facebook's help covers adding photos or videos to albums.