Are you unable to send photos or pictures on Facebook Messenger?
Messenger allows you to start group video calls, voice calls, and text messaging.
You can connect with your Instagram followers from Messenger and search for them by their name or username.
Change your privacy settings to choose who can reach you or where your messages are sent to.
Customize your reactions with a wide range of emojis.
Choose from multiple chat themes like “Tie-Dye” or “Love” to personalize the app.
In this guide, you’ll learn why you can’t send photos or pictures on Messenger and how to fix it.
Why can’t I send pictures on Messenger?
You can’t send pictures on Messenger because you didn’t allow the app to access your camera and photos.
It can also be due to a poor internet connection or slow internet speed.
Otherwise, the Messenger servers are down and you need to wait for it to be back up.
To check if the servers are down, go to downdetector.com/status/facebook-messenger/.
A spike in the graph means that there’s a problem with the app.
How to fix can’t send photos on Messenger
To fix can’t send photos on Messenger, you need to allow the app to access your photos and videos.
You can also try connecting to a VPN or using Messenger on a PC instead.
If Messenger is down, you need to wait for 24 to 48 hours for it to be back up.
Fix 1: Allow Messenger to access your photos
For iPhone:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and select “Messenger”.
- Enable “Camera”.
- Select “Photos” and select “All Photos”.
For Android:
- Open the Settings app.
- Apps > See all apps > Messenger.
- Permissions > Photos and videos > Allow.
Fix 2: Connect to a VPN
- Force close the Messenger app.
- Download a free VPN app like Secure VPN – Safer Internet.
- Connect to a VPN (e.g. Canada, United Kingdom, France).
- Open the Messenger app and try sending photos.
Fix 3: Use Messenger on a PC instead
- Go to messenger.com, log in to your Facebook account, and use Messenger on your browser.
- OR install the Messenger desktop app, launch it, and log in to your Facebook account.
- OR try sending Messenger photos on facebook.com by selecting the Messenger icon.
Note: If your photos are not sent on the Messenger mobile app, you can try to send them on messenger.com, the desktop app, or facebook.com instead.
Fix 4: Try these troubleshooting methods
- Clear Messenger’s cache (for Android, open the Settings app > Apps > See All Apps > Messenger > Storage & cache > Clear cache > Force stop).
- Force close the Messenger app and reopen it.
- Enable mobile data for Messenger (for iOS, go to Settings > Mobile Data > Messenger > Enable).
- Turn on Airplane mode and turn it off.
- Use Wi-Fi instead of mobile data (and vice-versa).
- If you’re using a VPN but can’t send photos, turn it off.
Fix 5: Wait for 24 to 48 hours
- Check if Messenger is down on downdetector.com/status/facebook-messenger/.
- You can also browse Twitter or Reddit to see if there are people experiencing the same issue as you.
- If Messenger is down, you need to wait for 24 to 48 hours.
Further reading
How to Make a Website Like Facebook
