How to Share a Video on Facebook

Quick answer: To upload a video you made, open Facebook's creation control for your profile or a Page you manage, choose the video from your device, check its description and audience, then publish. To pass along a video that is already on Facebook, use Share on the original post if that option appears. Uploading a copy of someone else's video is a different action and can raise rights and privacy problems.

Facebook's video labels have changed. In Meta's video creation announcement, Meta said it was gradually combining video uploads and Reels so newly posted videos would be shared as Reels, with audience controls retained. Facebook Help still describes the change as a rollout. An account may show Photo/Video, Create Reel, or a newer combined composer. Follow the option your account actually offers; do not treat “Feed video” and “Reel” as two permanent, mutually exclusive choices.

Decide whether you are uploading or sharing

If the file is on your phone or computer and you have the right to publish it, you are uploading. If the video is already a Facebook post by you or someone else, you may be sharing that post to an audience that can access it. If the video is on another site, sharing its link is different from downloading and reuploading the file. Start with the source of the video so you do not take the wrong path.

The original post's audience matters when you share someone else's video. A private or restricted video may not offer a Share action, and passing its link to a different audience does not grant them access. If the creator does not want the video redistributed, respect that choice. Ask permission before downloading and posting a copy under your own name. Tagging a creator or writing “credit” in the caption is not the same as having permission to use their work.

Upload a video from your own device

1. Open the Facebook profile or Page that should publish the video. If you manage several Pages, confirm the identity beside the composer before selecting a file.
2. Start a post or video creation flow. Facebook's posting Help describes a Photo/Video option in the Feed composer; your account may instead show a Reel creation control as the unified video flow reaches it.
3. Choose a video you created or are authorized to share. If Facebook offers trim, cover, caption, or sound controls, use only the changes you need. Do not assume every device offers the same editing tools.
4. Add a description that tells viewers what the video contains. If the subject needs context, give it in the first sentence. Check any visible accessibility options, including captions, when available.
5. Review the audience before publishing. A personal profile may offer Friends or another limited audience; a Page has different visibility and permission rules. Publish only after checking the destination and settings.
6. Open the finished video. Confirm that it plays, the description is correct, and it appears on the intended profile or Page. Processing can take time; a tap on Publish alone does not prove the file is ready for every viewer.

Do not rely on an old maximum-duration rule. Meta's rollout announcement says Reels can have any length or orientation after the unified flow reaches an account. It does not mean every video file will be accepted regardless of technical limits, policy, or connection quality. If an upload fails, look at Facebook's own error message and retry a file format your device can play rather than repeatedly posting the same broken item.

Share an existing Facebook video

Open the original post and look for Share. If Facebook offers it, choose the destination-such as your profile, a Page you manage, a group that permits the post, or a message-and add context in your own words. Read the destination and audience before confirming. You do not need to copy the video file to share a post using Facebook's built-in control.

If Share is missing, do not assume a hidden menu will override the original audience. The creator, group, privacy setting, or content type may limit resharing. You can ask the creator for a public link or permission when appropriate. A screenshot or screen recording of a restricted video is not a privacy workaround. If a friend cannot open a shared post, check the audience of the original video first.

Sharing inside a Messenger chat may be a practical way to discuss a video with specific people, but it does not change the original video's access rules. Likewise, a group can require post approval before members see your share. A Page manager may need the right level of Page access before the Page appears as a destination. Use the controls shown to your account rather than promising one universal Share menu.

If you mean a Facebook Story

A Story is a different destination from a profile video post. If you want a temporary update, open Create story or the Story control offered by your account, select a video you may publish, review its audience, and share it there. Meta's introduction to Facebook Stories described Story photos and videos as visible to their chosen audience for 24 hours, separate from Feed unless also posted there. Current controls may offer an archive or other settings, so check the Story's audience and finished display. Do not assume a Story upload will also appear as a regular profile post, or that someone cannot save what they see during the viewing window.

Choose an audience before posting

Facebook Help on Reel audiences explains that a default Reel audience can affect future Reels and that an individual Reel's audience may be changed. Meta's unified-video announcement says the Feed and Reel privacy settings are being brought together, with a prompt to confirm the audience when settings differ. Because that rollout is gradual, check the audience on the specific video you are about to share. Do not infer it from your last photo post.

Public can expose a video to people outside your friends list; a more limited option may fit a family recording. A Page video is intended for Page visitors and governed by the Page's management and visibility settings. A group has its own membership and privacy context. If a video shows other people, especially children or a private gathering, consider whether they agreed to that audience before publishing it. Changing a setting after posting cannot undo copies or views that already occurred.

For an existing Instagram video, do not assume the Facebook destination has the same audience. Facebook Help notes that Facebook Reel audiences can differ from Instagram followers, including when content is shared across the apps. Review the destination shown during cross-posting and inspect the finished Facebook copy.

Use music and footage you may publish

An audio track available inside one Facebook creation tool is not a general license to upload the same track anywhere, in any account, or for any business use. Options vary by account and region. If you recorded the video yourself, also check any borrowed clips, images, logos, or music inside it. Use material you created, licensed, or otherwise have the right to share. If you are unsure of a soundtrack's permitted use, choose audio you control or use the options Facebook makes available for that specific post.

Avoid promising that a trending song, short duration, or a certain caption will make a video viral. The viewer's interest and Facebook's distribution are not under a publisher's control. A clear description, intelligible audio, and captions can make a video more usable, but no checklist guarantees a view count. Share a video because it answers a question, records a moment, or adds useful context for the chosen audience.

If the video will not publish or play

First check whether the file plays on your device and whether the upload completed. Try a stable connection and update the Facebook app through its official store if the creation control or upload behaves unexpectedly. If a file publishes but will not play, wait for processing and check it from the finished post before uploading duplicates. If Facebook displays a rights, format, or account warning, follow that specific message rather than guessing that the algorithm suppressed your video.

When the problem affects a shared video rather than your upload, open the original post. It may have been deleted, restricted, or changed by its owner. Ask the person who shared it whether the link is still intended to be available; do not request a copied file as an automatic substitute. If your own video is missing from a Page, confirm you switched to the right Page and have publishing access.

The reliable distinction is simple: upload a file you may publish through the creation control you see, or use Share on an existing post when its audience and settings permit it. Check the finished video and audience. Facebook's video format labels may change during the rollout, but those ownership and privacy checks still apply.