Update Facebook Preview Image After URL Redirect

When you change a URL redirect, Facebook often keeps showing the old preview image because it caches the link’s metadata. This guide shows you how to force Facebook to refresh that cached data so your link displays the correct image in posts and messages.

What You’ll Need

Access to the Facebook page or profile where you’ll share the link (you don’t need admin access to use the debugger).
The final URL you want to share (after the redirect).
The URL of the new image you want to appear (it must be publicly accessible and in a supported format like JPG, PNG, or GIF).
A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge).

Step-by-Step

Open the Facebook Sharing Debugger. Go to developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/. You don’t need to log in to use the basic features, but logging in can help if you manage the page.
Paste your final URL. In the input field labeled “URL to scrape,” enter the exact URL that people will click (the one after the redirect). Click the blue “Debug” button.
Review the scrape results. Facebook will show you the title, description, and image it currently has for that URL. If the image is wrong or missing, proceed to the next step.
Click “Scrape Again.” Look for the button that says “Scrape Again” (it may be near the top or bottom of the results). Click it. This forces Facebook to re-fetch the URL and its metadata.
Check the new preview. After scraping, Facebook should display the updated image. If it still shows the old one, wait a few minutes and click “Scrape Again” a second time. Sometimes it takes two attempts.
Test in a post. Create a new post (or use a private message to yourself) and paste the URL. The preview should now show the correct image. If it doesn’t, try the troubleshooting steps below.

Common Mistakes

Using the old URL. If you paste the pre-redirect URL, Facebook will scrape that old page’s metadata. Always use the final destination URL.
Image not publicly accessible. If the image is behind a login, on a local server, or has hotlink protection, Facebook can’t fetch it. Make sure the image URL is publicly reachable.
Ignoring the og:image tag. Facebook specifically looks for the og:image meta tag in your page’s HTML. If that tag is missing or points to the old image, the preview won’t update.
Not clearing your own cache. Your browser or the Facebook app may cache the old preview. Try a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5) or use a different device to test.
Forgetting to update the redirect target. If you changed the redirect but the target page still has old meta tags, you need to update those tags on the destination page itself.

Tips

Use a square image. Facebook recommends a 1.91:1 ratio (1200×630 px) for link previews. A square image (1080×1080) also works but may be cropped.
Add og:image:width and og:image:height. Including these tags helps Facebook load the image faster and reduces the chance of caching issues.
Set a cache-busting query parameter. If you’re updating the image frequently, add a version number to the image URL (e.g., image.jpg?v=2). This forces Facebook to treat it as a new image.
Use the debugger’s “Show existing scrape info” toggle. This lets you see what Facebook currently has without re-scraping, which is useful for diagnosing.
Test with a private post. Instead of posting publicly, send the link to yourself in a Facebook message to check the preview without cluttering your timeline.

Troubleshooting

If the image still doesn’t update after scraping, try these steps in order:

Wait 24 hours. Facebook’s cache can be stubborn. Sometimes it takes up to a day for the new image to appear everywhere.
Check the og:image URL directly. Open the image URL in a new tab. If it doesn’t load or shows an error, fix the URL on your server.
Validate your meta tags. Use the debugger’s “Scrape Again” and look for warnings or errors in the “Warnings That Should Be Fixed” section. Common issues include missing og:title or og:description.
Clear Facebook’s cache for the URL. In the debugger, after scraping, click the “Clear Cache” button (if available). Then scrape again.
Try a different browser or incognito mode. Your browser cache might be showing the old preview. Open the link in a private window to see if the preview is actually updated.
Check if the redirect is working. Use a tool like curl -I (on Mac/Linux) or an online redirect checker to confirm the URL is redirecting to the right place. If the redirect is broken, Facebook will scrape the wrong page.
If nothing works, wait and retry. Facebook’s crawler may be temporarily blocked or busy. Try again after a few hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Facebook still show the old image after I scraped it?

Facebook caches link previews aggressively. Even after scraping, it may take time for the new image to propagate to all surfaces (news feed, messenger, etc.). Wait a few hours and try scraping again.

Do I need to update the og:image tag on the redirect source or the destination?

On the destination page. Facebook follows the redirect and reads the meta tags from the final URL. The source page’s tags are irrelevant.

Can I use any image size?

Facebook recommends at least 1200×630 pixels for the best quality. Smaller images may work but can appear blurry or cropped.

What if I don’t have access to the website’s code?

If you can’t edit the meta tags, you can’t permanently change the preview. However, you can use a URL shortener that lets you customize the preview (like some link management tools) or ask the site owner to update the tags.

Why does the preview work in the debugger but not in my post?

The debugger shows the latest scrape, but your post may have been created before the cache was updated. Delete the post and create a new one, or wait for the cache to expire.

Does this affect all social media platforms?

No. This guide is specific to Facebook. Other platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn have their own caching systems and debuggers.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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