Can’t Upload Photos to Facebook: ‘Something Went Wrong’ Error

The 30-Second Fix That Saved My Sanity

Just turn off your VPN’s threat protection temporarily! Seriously, that’s it.

For NordVPN: Settings → disable “Threat Protection”
For ExpressVPN: Turn off “Network Lock” or switch to a different server
For other VPNs: Hunt for anything called “web shield,” “malware protection,” or “threat detection” and disable it

Then try uploading again. If it works (and it probably will), you just solved a problem that could’ve wasted hours of your life. You’re welcome!

You can turn protection back on after uploading, or better yet, whitelist Facebook so this doesn’t keep happening every single time you want to post a photo.

Your Computer Is “Protecting” You to Death

Okay so VPNs aren’t the only overprotective software ruining your Facebook experience. Antivirus programs and browser extensions are also in on the conspiracy.

I’ve got a friend who spent three days – THREE DAYS – trying to figure out why Facebook uploads weren’t working. Tried everything: different photos, different times of day, even prayed to Mark Zuckerberg (okay, maybe not that last one).

Turns out? His Avast antivirus was silently blocking every single upload because it thought Facebook was trying to steal his data. The audacity!

Same thing happens with Bitdefender, Norton, and basically every antivirus that has a “web shield” feature. They scan your uploads, get suspicious, and block them without ever telling you. You just see “something went wrong” and assume Facebook’s having a bad day.

The Browser Extension Plot Thickens

But wait, there’s more! Browser extensions are also sabotaging you, especially:

• AdBlockers – They block Facebook’s upload scripts thinking they’re ads
• Privacy Badger – Blocks tracking cookies that Facebook needs for uploads
• NoScript – Literally prevents the JavaScript needed for uploading
• Any anti-tracking extension – Yeah, those are causing problems too

Here’s the genius way to test this: Open Facebook in private/incognito mode. Most extensions are disabled there by default. If uploads suddenly work? Boom – you found your culprit!

Then just disable extensions one by one until you figure out which one’s the troublemaker. My money’s on your AdBlocker, but I’ve been surprised before.

Quick Fix for Security Software

Right-click your antivirus icon → “pause protection” or “disable web shield” for like 5 minutes → try uploading → if it works, add facebook.com to your whitelist so you don’t have to keep doing this.

That’s literally it! No need to uninstall anything or mess with complicated settings.

When Facebook Actually Has a Point (Rarely)

Okay look, I’ve been dunking on Facebook’s crappy error messages this whole time. But occasionally – and I mean VERY occasionally – the upload failure is actually because you did something wrong.

Your Photo Is Absolutely Massive

Facebook has limits: 15 MB for photos, 4 GB for videos. And here’s the annoying part – they don’t always tell you when you exceed these limits. You just get “something went wrong” like it’s some big mystery.

I once tried uploading a photo straight from my DSLR camera – thing was 28 MB because I shoot in RAW like an idiot. Facebook looked at it and basically said “lol no” without explaining why. Thanks for nothing, Zuck!

Also, weird file formats can cause issues. Facebook wants JPG, PNG, or GIF. If you’re trying to upload TIFF or BMP files, good luck with that. Compress your massive photo in Paint or use a free online tool – takes 30 seconds and usually fixes everything.

Your Browser Is Hoarding Digital Garbage

Here’s something wild: your browser cache can get so corrupted that Facebook just stops working properly. It’s like when your kitchen trash is so full that you can’t fit anything else in there – except it’s digital trash and it’s breaking your uploads.

Clearing cache takes literally 30 seconds and fixes SO many problems. In Chrome: Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → check “Cookies” and “Cached images” → boom, done. Other browsers have basically the same process.

This should always be one of your first troubleshooting steps! It’s quick, it’s harmless, and it works more often than you’d think.

The Facebook App Is Living Its Worst Life

If you’re on mobile and the Facebook app is acting up, there’s a decent chance it’s just… old and buggy. App stores push updates for a reason, and Facebook’s app without updates is like a car without oil changes – eventually something breaks.

Check the App Store or Play Store right now. See if there’s an update. If yes, install it before trying anything else. Seriously, do it first!

On Android, you can also clear the app cache without losing your login: Settings → Apps → Facebook → Storage → Clear Cache. This is like giving the app a fresh start without having to log in again.

iPhone users don’t have this option, so you’d have to delete and reinstall the entire app if clearing your phone’s general cache doesn’t help. Pain in the ass, but sometimes necessary.

The Sneaky Problems Nobody Thinks About

Alright, we’ve covered the obvious stuff. But there are some truly weird reasons why Facebook uploads fail that’ll make you question reality itself.

Your Internet Is Lying to You

So you’re watching YouTube videos just fine, scrolling through Instagram without buffering, everything seems peachy. But Facebook uploads fail anyway. What gives?!

Here’s the thing – watching videos only tests your DOWNLOAD speed. Uploading photos requires good UPLOAD speed, which is a completely different animal. Your connection might be fast for downloading but absolute garbage for uploading.

Run a speed test at fast.com or speedtest.net and actually look at your upload numbers. If they’re super low (like under 1 Mbps), that’s probably your problem right there.

Also, if you’re on Wi-Fi, try moving closer to your router. Weak signals can cause uploads to fail even when browsing seems totally fine. Or just switch to mobile data and bypass your sketchy Wi-Fi entirely – especially if you’re at work or school where the network’s congested.

Photoshop Is Secretly Sabotaging You

This one blew my mind when I discovered it. If you edit photos in certain programs – especially older versions of Photoshop or iPhoto – the files can get corrupted in ways you can’t see but Facebook absolutely HATES.

The photo looks perfect on your screen. But Facebook sees some weird metadata or formatting issue and just rejects it without explanation. Classic Facebook move!

The fix? Open the photo in something basic like Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac), don’t change anything, just save it as a new file. This strips out the problematic metadata and usually solves the issue. I know it sounds dumb, but it works.

Your Filename Has Illegal Characters

Get this – Facebook is picky about filenames. If your photo is called something like “vacation_photo+2024!.jpg” with symbols like +, %, or even underscores, Facebook might reject it.

Why? Who knows! Facebook’s upload system is weird like that. Just rename your file to something simple like “vacation-2024.jpg” using only letters, numbers, dashes, and spaces. Problem solved in 5 seconds!

Facebook’s Servers Are Actually Down

Sometimes – and I hate admitting this because it lets Facebook off the hook – the problem really IS on their end. Servers crash, updates break things, maintenance happens without warning.

Before you waste an hour troubleshooting, just Google “is Facebook down” or check downdetector.com. If thousands of people are complaining at the same time, congratulations – it’s not your fault for once! Just wait it out!

And hey, if you’re having other Facebook problems while you’re stuck waiting, these guides might help:

• Facebook two-factor authentication not sending codes
• Locked out of Facebook account – says temporarily unavailable

Mobile App vs Desktop: Pick Your Fighter

Here’s a weird one: upload problems don’t always affect both the app and desktop version at the same time. So if desktop’s not working, try your phone’s app. If the app’s being difficult, use your computer’s browser.

They handle uploads differently under the hood, and sometimes one pathway works while the other’s broken. It’s annoying to switch devices, but beats sitting there staring at error messages. Worth trying!

Try a Completely Different Browser

If nothing’s working and you’re about to throw your computer out the window, download a different browser. Chrome failing? Try Firefox. Firefox being difficult? Give Edge a shot (I know, I know, but it actually works sometimes).

Before going nuclear though, test Facebook in private/incognito mode first. This runs without extensions, cache, or cookies – basically a clean slate. If uploads work there, you know something in your regular browser setup is the problem.

Why Facebook’s Error Messages Are Criminally Useless

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how absolutely terrible Facebook’s error messages are? “Something went wrong” is like the tech equivalent of your doctor saying “you don’t feel good” instead of actually diagnosing your illness.

Compare that to literally any other service. Google Drive tells you “File too large.” Dropbox says “Upload interrupted – check connection.” Even MySpace back in 2005 gave better error messages than modern Facebook!

But Facebook? Nah. They’re a multi-billion dollar company with thousands of engineers, and the best they can do is “something went wrong.” Come on!

It’s especially infuriating when you’re trying to run a business. You need to post product photos NOW, your customers are waiting, and Facebook’s just like “lol something broke, figure it out yourself.” Hours wasted troubleshooting when a simple “Your VPN is blocking this upload” message would’ve solved everything in 10 seconds.

Your Step-by-Step Battle Plan

Alright, you’ve read all this stuff and your brain’s probably overloaded. So here’s the TL;DR version – your actual troubleshooting checklist in order of “most likely to work” to “last resort.”

Start Here (Takes 2 Minutes Total)

First: Turn off your VPN’s threat protection. This fixes like 60% of upload errors right there.

Second: Clear your browser cache. Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data. Takes 30 seconds.

Third: Try private/incognito mode. If it works there, one of your extensions is the problem.

If That Didn’t Work (Another 5 Minutes)

Fourth: Disable your antivirus web shield temporarily. Add Facebook to whitelist if it fixes things.

Fifth: Update your Facebook app if you’re on mobile. Outdated apps break constantly.

Sixth: Check if your photo’s huge (over 15 MB) and compress it if needed.

Getting Desperate (10+ Minutes)

Seventh: Try a different browser entirely. Chrome, Firefox, Edge – whatever you’re NOT currently using.

Eighth: Switch between mobile app and desktop. One might work when the other doesn’t.

Ninth: Google “is Facebook down” to see if it’s a widespread outage. If yes, you’re off the hook!

Nuclear Options (Last Resort)

Tenth: Re-save your photo in Paint/Preview to strip metadata.

Eleventh: Rename your file to remove special characters.

Twelfth: Try uploading from a completely different device to rule out device-specific issues.

When You’ve Tried Everything and Nothing Works

Look, sometimes you do everything right and Facebook uploads still don’t work. It happens!

At that point, you’ve got three options:

Option 1: Report it to Facebook through their help center. Will they respond quickly? Probably not. Will they respond at all? Maybe. But at least it’s documented. (facebook.com/help)

Option 2: Wait a few hours or a day and try again. Sometimes Facebook’s platform just has temporary hiccups that resolve themselves. I’ve had upload issues last 6 hours then suddenly work perfectly with zero changes on my end.

Option 3: Accept that Facebook’s gonna Facebook, post your photo to Instagram or Twitter instead, and move on with your life. Not ideal, but sometimes you gotta cut your losses.

The Real Talk Conclusion

Here’s the honest truth about Facebook upload errors: they’re fixable about 90% of the time, and when they’re not fixable, it’s usually Facebook’s fault not yours.

The most common culprit? Your VPN or antivirus being overprotective. Second most common? Browser extensions or corrupted cache. Third? Outdated apps or massive file sizes.

The most frustrating part isn’t even the error itself – it’s how vague Facebook’s messaging is. “Something went wrong” tells you NOTHING. You’re left playing detective, trying random fixes, wasting time when a proper error message could’ve pointed you to the solution immediately.

But Facebook’s a multi-billion dollar company that doesn’t give a shit about user experience! So here we are, writing and reading guides about how to work around their terrible error handling.

At least now you’ve got a solid troubleshooting roadmap. Start with the VPN, work through the cache and extensions, check your file size, try different browsers and devices. Nine times out of ten, something on that list will fix your problem.

And if nothing works? Well, sometimes Facebook’s servers are just having a bad day. Take a break, grab a coffee, try again later. Don’t let Mark Zuckerberg ruin your entire afternoon over a photo upload.

If this guide saved you from throwing your computer out the window, do someone else a favor and share it with anyone else who’s fighting with Facebook’s upload errors!