Why does Facebook show the wrong image when I share a page?

If you post a page to Facebook and specify an image, but Facebook displays a different one, it's usually because the image Facebook selected is considerably larger than the one you specified.

For example, if you upload full-size photographs to shows on your programme schedule, those may be picked by Facebook if they are larger than the intended image on the page you are sharing.

On this page, we'll explain some issues that could prevent Facebook from using your preferred image in preview cards.

Your image is too small

Facebook requires the specified image to meet its minimum size guidelines. If your image is too small, it will attempt to select another image on the same page that is large enough.

As their guidelines can change from time-to-time, we recommend checking out these resources for up-to-date information:

• Facebook's official guidelines
• Sprout Social's "always up-to-date guide to social media image sizes"
• Buffer's "ideal Social media image sizes guide"

There's another image on the page that is considerably larger

If another image on the same page is larger than the main image you have selected for your article, Facebook may opt for the larger image instead - even if your chosen image meets Facebook's guidelines! Yes, this is frustrating, and Meta has provided little explanation for why this happens.

A common issue we've seen is that large images are used for station staff ("on air now"), and those may then appear as the image for a news article on Facebook. See our disclaimer on this issue.

Our advice is to ensure that your main article image is always the largest image on the page, and that other images, such as "on air now," are no larger than necessary.

Telling Facebook that you've changed an image

If you change an image and re-share the same page URL, Facebook may still continue to show the wrong image because it stores a copy in its cache.

To clear their cache, submit your page URL in their Debugger tool. It will show you what they currently know about your page, and you should be able to click the "Scrape Again" button. This will update their cache and store the new image.

Default image

You can specify a Facebook default image for your site by going to "Site Settings" in the main menu and then selecting "Images and Icons."

However, this will only be used if you don't specify a specific Facebook image for a page. If this image is also too small, it will not be used, and Facebook will pick another image from the page.