Way back in the mists of 2012, Facebook purchased photo-sharing social media platform Instagram. The deal was worth a staggering $1 billion, and Facebook oversaw Instagram’s transition into a potential advertising juggernaut, silencing the naysayers and proving that this purchase was an excellent business decision. Today, Facebook still owns Instagram (as well as messaging platform WhatsApp), and although it’s had its fair share of controversies, it’s fair to say Facebook made the right decision with its purchase.
Of course, just because Facebook bought Instagram, that doesn’t mean Mark Zuckerberg’s flagship social network doesn’t focus on photos in and of itself. Estimates suggest that around 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook per day, which sounds like an absurd statistic but it’s true. One of the most important aspects of Facebook is its featured photo setting, which allows you to select up to 5 images to act as “ambassadors” for your profile and show off what you’re about in a nutshell. Confused about this feature? Here’s the lowdown on everything featured photo on Facebook.
What is a featured photo?
Featured photos do exactly what it sounds like they do: they’re displayed prominently on your profile and will be one of the first things users will see when they look you up. You can upload up to 5 featured photos, and when you choose which images you want to be featured, Facebook will automatically create copies of them to act in this capacity. This means you’ll need to amass new likes and comments on your featured photos, because this statistic won’t carry over to your new copies. It’s also worth bearing in mind that everyone can see these photos; they’ll be displayed publicly, so that means even people who aren’t your Facebook friends can see what you’re doing.
Pray tell, how to add featured photos on Facebook?
Adding featured photos on Facebook couldn’t be a simpler proposition. All you need to do is navigate to your profile picture on your main feed and click it. From the dropdown menu, select the “Add featured” option; you’ll see it under the “Intro” category. From there, click “Add new”, and you’ll be shown a window displaying all of your photos. You can then select which photos you want to display as your featured images; while you used to be limited to just five images, Facebook now allows you to upload as many as you like. After you’ve done this, simply click Next, then Save. That’s it – you’ve added your featured photos!
Here’s a quick recap just in case you want a simplified version of this process:
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner of your Facebook feed
- Select “Add featured” under the “Intro” category
- Click “Add new”
- Select the images you want as your featured photos
- Click “Next”, then click “Save”
Is adding featured photos on Facebook different on mobile?
It sure is. The process is slightly different when you’re doing it from the mobile Facebook app, but don’t worry; it’s still a piece of cake. Here’s how to add featured photos on Facebook using the app. We’re using Android, but Android and iOS functionality are very similar, so you shouldn’t have much trouble doing this whether you’re an Apple aficionado or an Android addict.
First, open up the Facebook app (obviously!). From here, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner of the screen. You’ll see your profile appear in the editor view. Tap the button marked “Edit Profile”, which should have a small pencil icon next to it. This will allow you to change various bits of information about yourself including profile picture, cover image, and more.
You’ll need to scroll down once you reach this view. Underneath the “Details” and “Hobbies” sections, you’ll see a section marked “Featured”. Click “Try it”, and you’ll be taken to a window showing all of the images you’ve uploaded to Facebook. If you grant the app permission to view your camera roll, then you’ll also see photos you’ve taken on your device, even if you haven’t uploaded them to Facebook yet. From here, simply select the photos you want to upload, and click “next”. After that, just hit “save”, and you’re done!
Again, here’s a quick rundown in case you need this process in bullet point form:
- Open up the Facebook app and tap your profile picture in the top left corner
- Tap “edit profile”
- Scroll down to the section marked “Featured”
- Select photos to upload (if you want, you can also upload Stories here), then tap “Next”
- Choose which one you want as your “cover image”
- Tap “Save”
That’s it – voila! It’s a very simple process to add featured photos to your Facebook account, so if you’re feeling like it’s a technological nightmare, you don’t need to be worried. Within seconds, you can be showing off exactly who you are and what you’re about to the world!
How do I remove featured photos from Facebook?
Once you’ve added your featured photos, you should see them in the section marked “Featured” (whether you’re on desktop or mobile). If you want to delete the photos, simply tap the collection and hit “Delete Featured Collection”. The featured photos will disappear from your profile and you won’t need to worry about them anymore. You can also edit your featured photos from this window, as well as adding a brand new collection – perfect for when you want to create themed image collages or swap out your featured images on a regular basis.
We hope this guide on how to add featured photos to your Facebook profile has been helpful! What kind of featured photos do you prefer? Are there any other features you want to see Facebook add?
