Why Your Facebook Post Might Not Be Shareable
If someone tries to share your Facebook post and there's no "Share" button, or they get an error — the problem is almost always your privacy settings. Facebook posts are shareable only when the audience is set to Public or Friends.
Posts set to "Only Me" or a custom audience can't be shared by others.
Here's how to fix it.
How to Make a Facebook Post Shareable (Before Posting)
The easiest time to set a post as shareable is before you publish it.
On mobile (iOS or Android):
- Open the Facebook app and tap What's on your mind?
- Write your post
- Tap the audience selector button below your name — it shows "Friends," "Public," or similar
- Select Public or Friends
- Tap Post
Posts set to Public can be shared by anyone — even people who don't follow you. Posts set to Friends can be shared by your friends.
On desktop:
- Click the What's on your mind? field on your News Feed
- Write your post
- Click the audience selector (next to your name, shows "Friends" or "Public")
- Select Public or Friends
- Click Post
How to Make an Existing Facebook Post Shareable
Already posted but forgot to set it to Public? You can change the audience after posting.
On mobile:
- Go to the post you want to make shareable
- Tap the three dots (...) in the top right corner of the post
- Tap Edit audience or Edit privacy
- Change the audience to Public or Friends
- Tap Done
On desktop:
- Find the post on your profile or News Feed
- Click the three dots (...) in the top right corner
- Click Edit audience
- Select Public or Friends
- Click Save
The change takes effect immediately — the post becomes shareable right away.
Facebook Post Audience Settings Explained
| Setting | Who sees it | Can be shared by others |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Everyone | Yes — anyone |
| Friends | Your Facebook friends | Yes — your friends |
| Friends except... | Custom selection | Yes — remaining friends |
| Specific friends | Only chosen people | No |
| Only Me | Only you | No |
| Custom | Custom list | Depends on setting |
Only Public posts can be shared by people who aren't your Facebook friends.
How to Make Facebook Page Posts Shareable
Facebook Page posts are Public by default — anyone can see and share them. If your Page post isn't shareable, check these:
- Make sure you're logged into the correct Page
- The post shouldn't have any content restrictions applied (restricted to certain age groups or countries can limit sharing)
- Check that the post isn't restricted to Page followers only
For most Page posts, sharing should work automatically without any changes.
Why Someone Can't Share Your Post Even After Changing to Public
Occasionally the Share button still doesn't appear. Common reasons:
- The post contains a video — Some videos (especially those with music) may have sharing restricted due to copyright
- The post is in a closed or private group — Group posts can only be shared within the group or not at all, depending on the group settings
- Account-level restrictions — If your account is under certain age-based restrictions, sharing behavior may differ
- Facebook bug — Sometimes it's just a glitch; try refreshing or force-quitting the app
How to Make All Future Facebook Posts Shareable by Default
If you want every post to default to Public (so you don't have to change it each time):
On mobile:
- Tap your profile picture → Settings & privacy → Settings
- Tap Privacy → Your activity
- Under "Who can see your future posts?", tap Edit
- Set it to Public
On desktop:
- Click your profile picture → Settings & privacy → Settings
- Click Privacy on the left sidebar
- Next to "Who can see your future posts?", click Edit
- Set to Public → Close
Now every new post defaults to Public unless you manually change it.
Summary
To make a Facebook post shareable:
- Set the post audience to Public or Friends — either before or after posting
- For existing posts, click the three-dot menu → Edit audience
- For Pages, posts are Public by default
If you're managing a Facebook Page and want to plan and schedule shareable content in advance, PostLink lets you schedule Facebook posts — along with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more — from one dashboard.
