How to share a YouTube video on Facebook: feed, groups, Pages, Stories and Messenger

Published: November 14, 2026 · 10 min read

To share a YouTube video on Facebook, copy the video’s link in YouTube (Share, then Copy link), click or tap “What’s on your mind?” at the top of your Facebook Feed, paste the link, wait for the preview card with the video’s thumbnail, and choose Post. The same paste works in a group, on a Page and in a Messenger chat. You can also start in YouTube: tap Share under the video and pick Facebook from the list of apps.

One thing surprises most people: when friends tap the video in Facebook or Messenger, it usually opens inside Facebook’s own browser, not in the YouTube app. The last part of this guide explains why and what you can do about it.

Step 1: get the video’s link

YouTube app (iPhone and Android)

Open the video.
Tap Share under the player.
Tap Copy link, or pick Facebook or Messenger from the apps in the same menu to send the link straight there.

Computer

Open the video on youtube.com.
Click Share under the video.
Click Copy. The same panel shows icons for social networks; YouTube’s help names Facebook and X as examples.

These labels match YouTube’s help article on sharing videos and channels as of November 2026. On a computer the panel also has a Start at box, and in the app the Share menu has a toggle that adds the current time to the link; see how to share a YouTube link with a timestamp if you want people to land on one moment. For Shorts, channels and playlists, the guide on how to copy a YouTube link has the steps for each.

Where you can share it on Facebook

Where	Is the link tappable?	Who sees it	Good for
Post on your profile	Yes, as a preview card	Your chosen audience (Public, Friends…)	Sharing a video with everyone you know
Post on a Page	Yes, as a preview card	The Page’s followers	Creators and brands announcing an upload
Post in a group	Yes, if the group allows it	Group members	A video that fits a community’s topic
Story	Not as a plain link; share a post to your Story instead	Your Story audience, for 24 hours	A quick heads-up about a new video
Messenger chat	Yes	One person or a group chat	Sending a video to friends
Reel	Don’t count on a link in the caption	Anyone who finds the Reel	A teaser that points to the full video

Post it on your profile

Starting from YouTube (phone)

In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video.
Choose Facebook from the apps. If you don’t see it, scroll the row of apps or open your phone’s full share sheet.
Facebook opens with the link attached. Add a few words, check the audience and post.

Starting from Facebook (phone or computer)

Copy the YouTube link.
At the top of your Feed, tap or click What’s on your mind, [your name]?
Paste the link and wait a second: Facebook turns it into a preview card with the video’s title and thumbnail.
Write a line about why the video is worth watching, then tap Post.

Those are the steps in Facebook’s help article on sharing a link, and Facebook says a link you share may appear in your Feed and on your profile.

About the preview card. Facebook builds the card from the page the link points to, so for a YouTube video it pulls in YouTube’s own title and thumbnail. You don’t get to pick a bigger image. Facebook’s Page help describes removing a preview with the X on the preview image before you post, but a post with the card is usually easier to tap than a bare URL, so keep it.

Post it on a Facebook Page

If you run a Page for your channel, post as the Page rather than as yourself.

Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
Choose See all profiles and select your Page.
Click What’s on your mind? at the top of the Feed, paste the link, add your text and post.

Facebook’s help for Pages says images from the linked page may be added to the preview automatically, and that you can remove the preview with the X before you post.

One rule to watch: in December 2025 Meta began testing a monthly limit on link posts for some Pages and professional-mode profiles without Meta Verified, as TechCrunch reported; links in comments were reportedly not affected. As of November 2026, if Facebook shows you no link-limit notice, post links as usual.

Post it in a Facebook group

Go to facebook.com/groups (or the Groups tab in the app) and open the group.
Tap or click Write something...
Paste the YouTube link, add your text and post.

Facebook says group admins can limit which kinds of posts members may publish and can require approval before your first post, so a link may wait in a queue or not be allowed. Read the group’s rules first: many treat self-promotion as spam.

Share it to your Facebook Story

Facebook’s Help Center, as of November 2026, does not describe a link sticker for personal Facebook Stories the way Instagram has one, so don’t count on pasting a tappable YouTube link into a Story. What the help does describe is sharing a Feed post to your Story:

Post the YouTube link on your profile first (see above).
Under that post, tap or click Share.
Under Share to, choose Your story.

People who see the Story can tap it to open the original post and its link. Facebook says a Story is available for 24 hours, and if you delete the original post, it disappears from your Story too. If your app shows a link option in the Story editor, you can use it, but test it from a second account first.

Send it in Messenger

Phone

Copy the YouTube link, or tap Share in YouTube and choose Messenger.
Open the chat (or pick the person in Messenger’s share screen).
Paste the link if needed and send. Messenger usually shows a preview with the video’s thumbnail.

Computer

Click Messenger in the menu on the left of your Feed.
Click New message and type the person’s name in the recipient field.
Paste the link and press Enter or click Send.

Reels: a clip plus a link somewhere tappable

A Reel of your own clip can reach people who don’t follow you, but don’t rely on a URL in a Reel’s description being tappable; as of November 2026 Meta’s link options in Reels are limited to things like shopping links and paid tests. The safe pattern is a short teaser Reel that says “full video on YouTube”, with the link in a normal post on your profile or Page.

Only upload footage you own or have permission to use. To share someone else’s video, share its link, not a downloaded copy.

Why YouTube links open inside Facebook, not the YouTube app

Facebook and Messenger open links in their own in-app browser by default. For a youtube.com link that means YouTube’s mobile website inside Facebook, where most viewers are not signed in to YouTube:

Subscribe asks them to sign in first.
Likes, comments and Watch later need a login too.
Age-restricted videos may not play at all.
When they close the page, they are back in their Feed.

Viewers can open the page in their phone’s browser from the in-app browser’s menu (⋯), after which the YouTube app usually takes over, but you can’t count on your audience doing that. The page on why YouTube links open in the browser instead of the app goes into the details. If a link fails for another reason (a private video, a broken copy), see why a YouTube link is not working.

A short link that asks for the YouTube app

Ytgo is a free link shortener for YouTube links only. When someone taps a Ytgo link inside Facebook or Messenger, it asks the phone to open the YouTube app at the same video, Short, channel or playlist. If the app is not installed, or the phone keeps the link inside Facebook, the page offers a way to continue in the browser. The phone has the final say, so tap a test link from a second account before you rely on it.

Copy the YouTube link (Step 1 above).
Shorten it on Ytgo; it’s free, unlimited and works without an account.
Paste the short link (for example ytgo.me/abc1234) into your post, group, Page or Messenger chat.

Worth knowing:

When you paste a Ytgo link into Facebook, the preview card still shows the YouTube video’s title and thumbnail.
The short link points to a clean YouTube address: a start time (t=) is kept, and extras such as the si= share code are dropped. Whether playback starts at that second is up to the YouTube app or website.
Short links never expire, and each comes with a QR code to download.
A free account shows total clicks and the last 7 days for each link.

A plain youtube.com link works fine on Facebook too; it just opens in Facebook’s browser. If you share YouTube videos on Instagram as well, the same problem and fix apply there, as covered in how to share a YouTube video on Instagram.

To make a link that asks for the app, use the page on opening YouTube links in the app.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share a YouTube video on Facebook from my phone?

In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video and choose Facebook from the list of apps, then add your text and post. Or copy the link, open Facebook, tap “What’s on your mind?”, paste it and post. Facebook shows the video as a preview card with its thumbnail.

Can I share a YouTube video to my Facebook Story?

Not as a tappable link, according to Facebook’s Help Center as of November 2026. Post the YouTube link on your profile first, then tap Share under that post and choose Your story. Viewers can tap the Story to open the post with the video.

How do I post a YouTube video in a Facebook group?

Open the group, tap Write something..., paste the YouTube link and post. Some groups only allow certain post types or ask admins to approve new posts, so your link may wait for approval or be blocked by the group’s rules.

Why does a YouTube video open in Facebook instead of the YouTube app?

Facebook and Messenger open links in their own in-app browser, so a youtube.com link loads as a web page where most people are signed out of YouTube. A Ytgo short link asks the phone to open the YouTube app instead, with a browser fallback if that does not happen.

Can I choose the thumbnail Facebook shows for a YouTube link?

No. Facebook takes the title and thumbnail from YouTube’s page for that video, so the preview shows the thumbnail set on YouTube. To change it, change the video’s thumbnail in YouTube Studio; Facebook may keep showing the old one for a while.

Is it allowed to upload someone else’s YouTube video to Facebook?

Only with the owner’s permission. Downloading another creator’s video and uploading it can be removed for copyright infringement. Share the YouTube link instead, which keeps the views on the creator’s channel.