The default oEmbed or Embed block in WordPress doesn’t work for Instagram or Facebook anymore. So, if you added content from these social networks using the Embed block in the past, then it can now cause errors and content gaps on your site.
Fixing this issue is important if you want to provide a positive user experience. If you don’t, your website visitors may run into missing content or broken pages. Plus, they’ll be much less likely to find your social feeds.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to easily fix the Facebook and Instagram embed issue so that visitors can enjoy social content on your WordPress website.
What Is the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress?
In the past, you could easily embed Instagram and Facebook posts in WordPress using the oEmbed protocol.
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 website.
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.
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 and 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.
Meanwhile, if you want to embed a Facebook post in WordPress, then you can use the free Smash Balloon Social Post Feed plugin instead.
First, you have to install and activate the plugin you need. 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.
On this screen, simply click on the ‘Enable’ button that’s relevant to your needs.
That’s it. You can now embed Facebook and Instagram posts on your WordPress website.
How to Embed Instagram or Facebook Posts in WordPress
Once you’ve enabled the oEmbed feature using your preferred Smash Balloon plugin, you can embed specific Instagram or Facebook posts on 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.
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.’
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.
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, a post promoting a sale, or a social media contest you are using to grow your site.
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.
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.’
WordPress will now show that specific post.
If you are happy with how it looks, then just click on ‘Update’ to make it live.
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.
Want to create a feed showing your Facebook albums, videos, timeline posts, and more?
Then, you can use the Smash Balloon Facebook Feed plugin.
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.
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.’
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.
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.
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.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to the page.
Now, Social Wall will show the multi-platform feed you just created.
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 embed a Facebook group feed in WordPress.
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Jiří Vaněk
I used to apply various techniques for embedding social media content on my website, but after reading several of your articles, I switched to Smash Balloon in the lite version. Now I’m seriously considering upgrading to the paid version because Smash Balloon has solved practically all my issues with embedding Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram content. Everything seems so simple with this plugin. Thank you for sharing your advice.
Ryan Elizabeth
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!
WPBeginner Support
Glad our solutions could help
Admin
Tiffany Clark
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
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
Soumitra haldar
Thank you so much…. I found my answer… Very helpful full … Thanks a lot
WPBeginner Support
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Palle Hyldgård Poulsen
This was great – so easy. Thank you!
WPBeginner Support
Glad our solution was helpful
Admin
Alyssa
I installed both plugins and connected to FB but FB posts are still not auto-embedding in my WP articles!
WPBeginner Support
These plugins are for ensuring your embeds work, not for automatically embedding them on your site.
Admin
Harry
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
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
Karim
How to embed posts even if I am not the FB page admin?
WPBeginner Support
We do not have a recommended method for that at the moment with the options available from Facebook.
Admin
Alyssa Storm
Any idea if this will impact the Facebook “Page Plugin” social plugin
WPBeginner Support
It shouldn’t affect that as this is specifically a change for oEmbeds
Admin
Carl Gross
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
Yes, it should automatically fix the issue for any current embeds without needing to recreate them.
Admin
Barbara
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
You would want to take a look at our article below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-embed-a-facebook-video-in-wordpress/
Admin
Julie
Can this be fixed later by activating the plugin or must it be done before it breaks?
WPBeginner Support
You can activate it after but if you are able to now, we would recommend activating the plugin before your embeds break.
Admin
Nierka
Hi,
Do i need what to do if i copy a link from WordPress and paste it on Facebook?
WPBeginner Support
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
Faruk Ahmed
thanks, for this
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
Prashanna karn
What about using jetpack plugin to link Facebook and Instagram account to WordPress website?
WPBeginner Support
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
Rob Pugh
Yes, Jetpack solves this oEmbed issue.
Badiru
Hi,
Thanks for the info.
What about Elemetor IG and FB embedding. Will that also break?
WPBeginner Support
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
Stephanie
Does this change affect embeds made using Facebook’s Page Plugin?
WPBeginner Support
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
Graham
Will sharing on jetpack work still?
WPBeginner Support
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
Babs
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
For safety, we would still recommend adding the plugin to prevent any future issues.
Admin
Rogerio
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.
Elaine Savage
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
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
Andy Beard
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
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
Andrés
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
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