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How to Fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress

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Do you want to learn how to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress?

The default oEmbed or Embed block in WordPress no longer works. If you have previously added Facebook or Instagram content to WordPress using this block, then it can cause errors and missing content on your WordPress website.

In this guide, we will show you how to easily fix the Facebook and Instagram embed issue so that visitors can enjoy social content on your WordPress website.

How to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress

What Is the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress?

In the past, you could easily embed Instagram and Facebook posts in WordPress using a protocol known as oEmbed.

However, Facebook changed how the oEmbed feature works, so you can no longer easily embed videos, pictures, updates, and other content from Facebook or Instagram.

Instead, you now need to register an app and use a client token to get data from the Facebook Graph API before you can embed Facebook or Instagram content on your WordPress blog.

This would take a lot of time and effort, so the people behind WordPress decided to remove the Facebook and Instagram embed features.

If you previously added any Facebook content to your website using oEmbed, then it will now look something like the following image.

An example of an oEmbed error in WordPress

If you add any Instagram posts using oEmbed, then you will get a similar error because an access token is now required.

There are ways to fix the problem manually. For example, you might go through each page and post and delete the embedded content. However, this can be time-consuming, and there’s no guarantee you will manage to find every broken embed.

Having said that, let’s see how you can easily fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue on WordPress.

How to Fix the Facebook & Instagram oEmbed Issue

The easiest way to fix the oEmbed issue is by using one of the free Smash Balloon plugins.

If you want to embed Instagram posts in WordPress, then you will need the Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed plugin.

An instagram post, embedded in a WordPress website

Want to embed a Facebook post in WordPress? Then, you can use the free Smash Balloon Social Post Feed plugin instead.

First, you need to install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After installing either plugin, simply head over to Instagram Feed » oEmbeds or Facebook Feed » oEmbeds, depending on the plugin you are using.

We are using the Social Photo Feed plugin in all our images, but the steps will be exactly the same no matter what plugin you are using.

Enabling the oEmbed feature for Instagram and Facebook

On this screen, simply click on the ‘Enable’ button.

That’s it. You can now embed Facebook and Instagram posts on your WordPress website.

How to Embed Instagram or Facebook Posts in WordPress

You can embed a specific Instagram or Facebook post in any page, post, or widget-ready area. For example, you can add it to the footer on your WordPress site.

One option is to open the page or post where you want to show the social content in the Gutenberg editor. Then, click on the ‘Add Block’ (+) icon and type in ‘Embed.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.

Adding the Embed block to a WordPress page or post

In the ‘Embed’ field, simply paste the URL of the Instagram or Facebook post that you want to show on your website.

Then, click on ‘Embed.’

Embedding an Instagram post in WordPress

WordPress will now show that specific post. When you are ready to make the post live, simply click on ‘Update’ or ‘Publish.’

Now, when you visit the page, you will see the social media post live.

An example of an Instagram post in WordPress

Another option is adding the Instagram or Facebook post to a widget-ready area like the sidebar. That way, you can promote the same post across every page of your website.

For example, you might embed your most popular Instagram post or a post promoting a sale or social media contest you are using to grow your site.

Adding an Instagram post to a widget-ready area such as the WordPress sidebar

To add a Facebook or Instagram post to a widget-ready area, simply go to Appearance » Widgets and click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the search bar, you need to type in ‘Embed’ to find the right block.

Embedding an Embed block in WordPress

When the ‘Embed’ block appears, drag it onto the area where you want to show the Facebook or Instagram post. For example, we are displaying an Instagram photo in the WordPress sidebar widget.

In the ‘Embed’ field, simply paste the URL of the Instagram or Facebook post that you want to show on your website. Then, click on ‘Embed.’

Embedding Instagram photo in Instagram

WordPress will now show that specific post.

If you are happy with how it looks, then just click on ‘Update’ to make it live.

Embedding Instagram post in WordPress

Now, you will see the Instagram or Facebook status post on your WordPress website.

How to Add an Instagram or Facebook Feed to WordPress

The free Smash Balloon plugins make it easy to add Facebook and Instagram posts to your WordPress website.

This is great if you only want to embed a small number of posts or control exactly where each social post appears on WordPress. However, you may also want to embed a custom Facebook feed or Instagram feed on your website.

By creating a feed, you can show all your latest posts in a nice layout. Even better, the feed will update automatically so visitors will always see the newest posts without you having to update your site manually.

This can keep your site fresh and interesting, even for regular visitors.

If you want to embed Instagram content in WordPress, then you can use the Smash Balloon Instagram Feed plugin.

An Instagram feed, created using Smash Balloon

Want to create a feed showing your Facebook albums, videos, timeline posts, and more?

Then, you can use the Smash Balloon Facebook Feed plugin.

Facebook reviews, embedded using Smash Balloon

Want to add both Facebook and Instagram feeds to your WordPress website? Then, you may want to look at Smash Balloon Social Wall.

This powerful plugin lets you combine any feeds you have created using the Smash Balloon plugins, including Facebook, Twitter, Smash Balloon YouTube Feed, and more.

Creating a social media wall using Facebook and Instagram

For example, if you have set up the Facebook Feed and Instagram Feed plugins, then you can simply go to Social Feeds » Create a Social Wall in your WordPress dashboard.

Then, go ahead and click on ‘Add New.’

Creating a social wall using Smash Balloon

For each social media platform that you want to add, click on ‘Add to Wall.’

You will now see all the different social media feeds you have created for this platform. Simply select the radio button next to each feed you want to use.

Adding multiple social media networks to a WordPress feed

For example, you can combine the latest posts from your Facebook Events calendar and your Instagram account.

With that done, click on ‘Create Wall.’

This will open the Smash Balloon editor, where you can fine-tune every part of the social wall. For example, you can change the color scheme to perfectly fit your WordPress theme.

Adding Facebook and Instagram to a social wall

When you are happy with how the social wall looks, you can add it to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the Social Wall block.

For example, to add a social wall to a page, simply open that page in the WordPress block editor. Here, click on the ‘+’ icon and type in ‘Social Wall.’

Adding the social wall block to a page or post

When the right block appears, click to add it to the page.

Now, Social Wall will show the multi-platform feed you just created.

Publishing a social wall in WordPress

We hope this article helped you learn how to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress. You may also want to see our expert picks for the best social media plugins for WordPress and our guide on how to create an email newsletter.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us. Here's our editorial process.

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

45 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
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  2. Ryan Elizabeth says

    Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for providing this fix! I was loosing my mind just now trying to figure out why none of my Instagram links were embedding. Guess I missed the memo about the October 24 deadline. O:-) Thank you again for saving me lots of headache!

  3. Tiffany Clark says

    The Instagram plugin is glitchy for me. It’s preserved most of the Instagram posts I had in previous content, but when I paste a link in a new piece of content, it doesn’t populate the Instagram post. Any suggestions?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Reach out using the plugin’s support page for assistance to help check and ensure it is not a conflict with a different plugin or something that needs to be fixed :)

      Admin

  4. Alyssa says

    I installed both plugins and connected to FB but FB posts are still not auto-embedding in my WP articles!

    • WPBeginner Support says

      These plugins are for ensuring your embeds work, not for automatically embedding them on your site.

      Admin

  5. Harry says

    i have an issue of embedding instagram igtv’s after these recent changes. and seems like your plugin solve this issue, but the thing is my site is not only using my personal instagram account, its a platform where bloggers can promote their stuff (igtv) so the question is, being an admin how could i connect various instagram accounts? kindly solve this problem i will be very pleased.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      While our solution is not for multiple channel embeds at the moment, we will certainly look into what we are able to do with what Facebook and Instagram allow.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      We do not have a recommended method for that at the moment with the options available from Facebook.

      Admin

  6. Carl Gross says

    To fix the issue, your article suggests two plugins by Smash Balloon.
    Let’s say I install the Smash Balloon Facebook plugin (Smash Balloon Social Post Feed). Once I do that, will that *automatically* fix all current Facebook oEmbedded content on my site? Or will I have to manually remove all such embeds, and re-add them using the plugin?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Yes, it should automatically fix the issue for any current embeds without needing to recreate them.

      Admin

  7. Barbara says

    So far I have not embedded anything from Facebook. However, our need to do so is coming up fast. And I need to find if there is a way we can embed the live feed into our website?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You can activate it after but if you are able to now, we would recommend activating the plugin before your embeds break.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      This is for when you post a link from Facebook or Instagram on your site, you do not need this for sharing your site on one of those platforms.

      Admin

  8. Prashanna karn says

    What about using jetpack plugin to link Facebook and Instagram account to WordPress website?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would want to reach out to the support for specific plugin for if they have something in place or if they would recommend our solution.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would want to reach out to the support for specific plugins for if they have something in place or if they would recommend our solution.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would want to reach out to the support for specific plugin for if they have something in place or if they would recommend our solution.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      This article is for oEmbeds, sharing is not normally part of embedding on your site. We would recommend reaching out to the support for the plugin you are wondering about for specific questions like this.

      Admin

  9. Babs says

    Hi, thanks for this!
    I’ve implemented instagram media in the past but using a HTML block with the code from Instagram rather than a link and embed. Am I correct in thinking that this will keep on working like before?

    Thank you!

    • WPBeginner Support says

      For safety, we would still recommend adding the plugin to prevent any future issues.

      Admin

  10. Rogerio says

    There is another issue with the Facebook API: they are not allowing to show the comments count. I use the AddThis plugin and they say they will have an alternative soon. Hope so.

  11. Elaine Savage says

    Not at all techie so this may be a silly question. Does this have any impact on the simple SFP – Facebook Page Plugin widget that I have in the main sidebar of my front page?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      This tutorial is for the default embeds, if you are using a plugin then you would want to reach out to the support for the plugin you are using for how it will handle this change.

      Admin

  12. Andy Beard says

    Is the functionality free for every kind of media that was previously supported by oEmbed by default?
    My understanding currently is that for Video oEmbeds the Smash Balloon plugin would have to be upgraded to Pro.

    • Editorial Staff says

      Yes all default oEmbed functionality is available for free in the free Smash Balloon plugins (including video oEmbeds).

      I think you’re confusing the custom video feed feature that’s listed on the Smash Balloon Pro which is completely separate of oEmbed.

      Admin

  13. Andrés says

    Hi! Great to know all of this, I was wondering…What if I just paste the link directly in my post? will it work? Or will it look like the examples on this post? Because you’re talking about embedding posts instead of copying the links and paste them :O it’ll be good to know!

    • Editorial Staff says

      By default, when you currently paste the link in your posts, WordPress oEmbed feature automatically converts it into a proper embed.

      That feature will stop working, and for older content it will show the broken layout. For new content, it will just show the URL itself (not embedded content).

      Admin

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