Wondering why you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger?
Facebook Messenger is one of the best online messaging platforms in the world. It integrates messages from your Facebook and Instagram accounts and gives you the option to view your text messages on the app as well.
While Facebook Messenger is certainly among the best, this doesn’t exempt the app from downtimes and errors.
If you are reading this, we can assume that you are having a hard time sending photos on Messenger.
Most of the time, slow network connections and offline servers are the reason you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger. On the other hand, it can also be due to outdated app versions or corrupted data.
To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide on what to do if you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger.
Let’s get right into it!
1. Check Facebook Servers.
Before tweaking your device or account configurations, we recommend checking Facebook’s servers first if you can’t send photos on Messenger. Most of the time, offline servers are the reason you can’t send messages on the platform.
To confirm this, you can use third-party services like Downdetector to view the current status of Facebook Messenger.
If the servers are down, the best thing you can do is wait since server-related issues can’t be resolved on your end. On the other hand, you can head to the next solution below if there’s nothing wrong with the servers.
2. Restart Your Device.
Restarting your device is one of the easiest ways to address most issues on any app. Due to this, we suggest restarting your device if you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger to reload its resources.
For Android:
- Locate the Power button on your Android device.
- Hold it down until the selection menu shows up.
- Finally, tap on Restart.
For iOS:
- On your device, access the Assistive Touch.
- After that, tap on the Device tab and go to More.
- Lastly, choose the Restart option.
Go back to Facebook Messenger afterward and try sending another photo.
3. Check the File Size.
To keep the platform efficient, Facebook Messenger limits the maximum attachment size to 25 MB. This applies to audio, videos, images, and files. If you can’t send your photos on Facebook Messenger, it is likely that you are hitting the 25 MB cap of the platform.
To address this issue, you have two options. First, you can compress the file to bring down its size or use other platforms to send the image.
We suggest using Telegram for sending large files since the platform supports up to 2GB of media upload.
4. Check Your Network Connection.
A slow or unstable internet connection could also be the reason you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger. To confirm this, perform a test using Fast.com to measure your connection’s overall speed.
If you’ve verified that your connection is the culprit, restart your modem or router to refresh the link between your ISP’s servers are your device. Remove your router’s power cable from the outlet and wait for at least five seconds before reconnecting it.
Once done, re-run the test on your network to check if the problem is solved. If not, contact your provider and ask them to fix the issue.
If you are using mobile data, try to move to a different location where there is good reception.
5. Disable Data Saving Mode (Android).
The Messenger app for Android devices has a data saving mode feature that allows you to limit the app’s usage if you are on cellular data. This could be the reason you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger.
If you are using mobile data, disable the data saving mode feature on Messenger. See the steps below to guide you in the process:
- Go to your app drawer and tap on Messenger to launch it.
- Next, tap on your Profile in the upper left corner to access the settings.
- Under the Preferences tab, tap on Data Saver and ensure that it is disabled.
Restart the app afterward and see if you can now send photos.
6. Clear Messenger Cache (Android).
For Android users, we recommend clearing Messenger’s app cache if you encounter issues on the app. This should eliminate temporary data from your system, which may have gotten corrupted during runtime.
Here’s what you need to do:
- On your home screen, locate Messenger and hold down its icon.
- Now, wait for the selection menu to show up and release the app.
- Tap on App Info afterward and go to Storage & Cache.
- Choose the Clear Cache option to continue.
Once done, relaunch Facebook Messenger to check if the problem is solved.
7. Update Facebook Messenger.
The version of Facebook Messenger you’re using might have an issue that is related to photo and file sharing. To rule this out, try updating the app to the latest version to patch bugs and errors.
Head to the Google Play Store or App Store on your device and install the latest version of Facebook Messenger.
8. Reinstall Messenger.
If the update does not work, you can try reinstalling the app on your device. This way, you can ensure that there are no missing or broken packages on your storage and you have the latest working copy of the app.
Check out the steps below to delete Messenger:
- First, open the app drawer and locate Messenger.
- Now, hold down its app icon until the options screen appears.
- Lastly, tap on Remove App (iOS) or Uninstall (Android) to delete it.
Reinstall the app afterward and check if the problem is solved.
That wraps up our guide on what to do if you can’t send photos on Facebook Messenger. For your questions and other concerns, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
