Facebook not working for you? Here’s how to fix the problem

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms with billions of monthly active users, but it is still prone to problems when it doesn’t respond, the posts or videos don’t load, or the app simply doesn’t work. So if you face any of these issues, you’ve come to the right place. Here we will discuss various methods to fix Facebook not working issue on Android, iOS and web to get the app up and running in no time.

Method 1: Check your internet connection

The first reason for Facebook not working could be faulty or poor network reception, which often results in the app not being able to load posts or videos. Therefore, the app just shows a blank screen with the loading icon moving in a circle.

If this happens to you, try restarting your wireless router or using mobile data to see if it helps. Check other apps and websites to make sure they are working properly. Turn off VPN if you use one or contact your Internet service provider if necessary.

Method 2: Check if Facebook is unavailable

Because Facebook is home to billions of people worldwide, outages can sometimes occur due to server overload, maintenance, or other issues. A recent example comes from 2021 when service was down for seven hours.

Therefore, the chances of this happening are very likely and could be the reason why the app is not working. To check, go to Is It Down Right Now website. Enter here Facebook.com in the text box and if it says it is operational, the problem may be yours.

Method 3: Update the Facebook app

Facebook releases updates to its app to add new features and changes and fix problematic bugs. This makes the older version obsolete, which could be a reason why Facebook is not working properly. To fix this, you need to update the app to the latest version. Here’s how:

On Android

1. On Android, open the Google Play Store and tap your Profile icon top right.
2. Here, go to Manage apps and devices > Updates available.
3. Find Facebook in the list of apps and tap Update button right next to it.

I already had the latest version of Facebook, so just assume it says “Facebook” instead of “WhatsApp”.

On iPhone

1. Launch the App Store on your iPhone and tap Profile icon top right.
2. Scroll down to see a list of apps that have updates available.
3. Search for Facebook and tap Update.

Method 4: Clear Facebook app cache

If updating the app didn’t help for you, the problem could be with the app cache. The cache contains temporary files that help the app load faster, but can also cause problems if they become corrupt. This is how you can clear the cache for Facebook on Android and iOS.

On Android

1. Long press the button Facebook app icon until an overflow menu appears.
2. Tap here I symbol to access the app info screen.
3. Go to Storage and cache and tap Clear cache.

To be on the safe side, we also recommend pressing “Force Stop” to restart the app.

On iPhone

1. On Facebook, tap Hamburger menu bottom right.
2. Here, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.

3. Scroll down to Preferencesand then tap Browser.
4. Hit that Clear Button next to “Cookies and cache”.

This should help clear the cache for Facebook on iPhone as this is not possible via iOS Settings.

Method 5: Clear your browser cache

Just like the app, your browser might also suffer from corrupted cached data. This causes Facebook not to work. But unlike the smartphone app, we need to clear the browser cache to fix the problem. Let’s take a look at how to do it. Let’s take Google Chrome as an example, since most browsers today are based on Chromium.

1. In your web browser, click 3 dots symbol top right.
2. Now navigate to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data.
3. Here, check the boxes for Browsing history, Cookies and other website dataAnd Cached images and files. Optionally, you can omit “Cookies and other site data” if you do not want to lose your saved passwords.
4. Now click on Time range drop down menu and select it All time.
5. Finally, click Delete data to clear your browser cache.

Method 6: Log in to your Facebook account again

Sometimes an incorrect login can prevent the app from verifying your account information, causing the app to misbehave and not work properly. These cases are rare, but should not be ruled out. In such cases, you must properly log out and log back into your account. Here’s how to do it.

In the Facebook app

1. Tap Hamburger menu at the top or bottom right of the homepage.
2. Scroll down and tap Log out Button.
3. Select in the confirmation popup Log out.
4. After logging out, enter the correct credentials to log in again.

On the Facebook website

1. Open Facebook (website) in a web browser and click Arrow symbol under your profile picture.
2. Then select the Log out Option.

Method 7: Remove browser extensions

Extensions can help add more functionality to your web browser. But some extensions such as ad or tracker blockers may malfunction on some websites, which may result in websites like Facebook not working. So try removing an extension from your browser. Again, we’ll use Google Chrome as an example for this guide.

1. In your web browser, click Expansion symbol from the address bar.
2. Select from the drop down menu Manage extensions.
3. Now turn off the extension that you suspect is causing the problem. Repeat for the remaining extensions until the problem is resolved.
4. Once you have identified the perpetrator, click Remove under the extension to delete it.
5. Click on Remove from the confirmation prompt.

Method 8: Enable Airplane Mode

Your phone may have difficulty connecting to the internet, especially on mobile data. This results in longer than usual loading times in the Facebook app. However, turning Airplane Mode on and off allows your phone to reconnect, which usually resolves the issue. I use this trick quite often and you should try it too.

Method 9: Uninstall the Facebook app

Now, if none of the above methods work for you, the problem might be with the app itself. There is a possibility that your copy of Facebook is a corrupt installation. Or if you sideloaded the app, you may experience other issues. Therefore, it is best to uninstall it and re-download it officially from the respective app store. Here’s how to do it.

On Android

1. Long press the button Facebook App icon.
2. Then tap I symbol to get to the app info screen.
3. Here, press Uninstall.
4. Tap in the confirmation prompt Uninstall again.
5. Now re-download Facebook from the Google Play Store (website).

On iPhone

1. Long press the Facebook icon on the home screen.
2. Select in the overflow menu Remove app.
3. Then tap Delete app to uninstall Facebook.
4. Finally, download Facebook again from the App Store (website).

Method 10: Restart your phone

Finally, restarting your phone seems like a pretty simple trick, but it’s often enough. If all the above methods did not give fruitful results and Facebook is still not working, then this is your last resort and definitely worth trying. Here’s how to do it right.

On Android

1. On your Android phone, pull down the quick settings bar.
2. Tap here Electricity symbol from below and select Restart. You can also long press Power button to get this option.

On iPhone

1. Launch Control Center by swiping down from the top right.
2. Then long press the button Electricity symbol above (on iOS 18).
3. Now drag the Slide to turn off Slide the slider to the right to turn off the device.

Alternatively, you can also press the button Side button + Volume up button to get to the Slide to turn off Screen.

So here we are, these were the 10 methods that we have compiled for you. Facebook is a pretty sophisticated app at this point, so it should be rare for Facebook not to work. If you still encounter such problems, these methods should help you out. I hope you find this guide useful. If you have any questions about this guide, write them in the comments below.