Facebook offers one of the largest photo sharing sites on the web, and many people get frustrated with some of the Facebook photo uploader problems that can occur. Perhaps the most popular social network out there, Facebook boasts over 2.5 billion photos uploaded to the site. However, when Facebook's photo uploader won't work, it's a wonder anyone can get photos on to the site!
Potential Facebook Photo Uploader Problems
When Facebook first started to allow users to upload photos, the uploader was much simpler from a programming standpoint. At the time, users could only upload photos from one folder at a time and had difficulties uploading more than a few photos at a time. As Facebook grew and users began to upload more and more photos, the Facebook development team went in to update the uploader both for mass use and ease of use. The new uploader uses ActiveX controls and an external Java applet to power.
The current Facebook photo uploader is a mass improvement over prior renditions. The tool requires a plug-in from Facebook that users must accept in order to use. When the plug-in has been accepted, a photo browser will appear. Users of Apple operating systems may find that the photo browser looks familiar to many upload windows present in Apple OSX. The upload window simply shows the files on your computer with thumbnails of different photos appearing below the file tree. You can upload numerous photos at once with this advanced mass uploader. According to Facebook, the application will run in the background so that you can continue to enjoy the site while your photos process.
What Is the Problem?
Like a lot of other aspects of Facebook, when the team changed the uploader, many people began to have difficulties with it. Common problems include:
- Many users may find themselves unable to use the uploader if they do not accept the plug-in request. If you are in another window or not paying attention, it is possible to close the request without accepting by accident.
- Another one of the more frequent Facebook photo uploader problems out there is that the uploader requires the latest version of Adobe Flash. Users without this may run into difficulties or diminished function. Users with the uploader should also check to make sure they have the latest version of their web browser and Java before contacting Facebook support.
- The Facebook photo uploader will only upload photos in the .gif, .jpg, .bmp and .png formats. All other files formats like .pdf are not accepted -- sometimes to a user's dismay. The site also does not accept raw file formats but can accept high-resolution photos with a simple tick of the box in the uploader.
- The maximum size for a file is 15MBs. Users with photo files larger than this size will not be able to upload them and will run into problems with the uploader working at all since the files are so large.
- In rare cases, a computer or network's security settings can cause unresponsive behavior. This means that the computer or network will not work with the Facebook uploader. Though rare, users in foreign countries find themselves more prone to the issue, as well as those trying to upload photos from their workplace.
A Final Thought
Many features on Facebook cause both joy and upset. For some, the more advanced photo uploader is simpler and quicker to use than any former edition. For others, the bulky and cumbersome development makes the tool impossible to use. Luckily, there are other options to assist with those who find the tool difficult. For example, you can look for a photo exporter that will communicate directly from your photo editing software to Facebook. One of the more popular examples of this is the iPhoto Exporter for Facebook. There are similar tools for many popular photo editing programs. This will allow you to avoid using the Facebook photo uploader all together.
