“Boost Unavailable” on Facebook? Why You Can’t Boost a Post and What to Do

Does this match what you see?

• A post shows Boost unavailable instead of Boost post.
• “This post can’t be boosted” or “You can’t promote this post”.
• “Shared posts can’t be boosted” or “Expired posts cannot be boosted”.
• “Advertising not allowed” on your Page.

Computer (browser)

Based on Meta Business Help “Troubleshoot posts that can’t be boosted on your Facebook Page” (supplied by the site owner). Steps are for Facebook on a computer.

Why this happens: the possible causes

Meta’s Boost unavailable reasons, grouped. How common each one is, is our own estimate.

• The post type can’t be boostedCheck this first

  Meta says cover photos, profile pictures, albums, drafts, notes, shared posts, app install posts and some reels can’t be boosted, and it has retired boost formats that aren’t optimal for advertising.

• The post or offer has expiredPossible

  Meta says expired posts and offers, and job posts that are unpublished or expired, can’t be boosted.

• Your Page role or Page statusPossible

  Meta says an unpublished Page can’t boost posts, and you need an admin, advertiser, moderator or editor role to advertise.

• An ad account or advertising restrictionLess likely

  Meta says flagged ad accounts can’t run boosted posts, and people with unusual account activity, or Pages that break its Advertising Standards or other standards, can be restricted from advertising.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Post types Meta won’t boost

• Cover photos: Meta says these can’t be turned into ads. Profile pictures: Meta suggests uploading the picture as a new post. For both, boost the new post.
• Albums: Meta suggests highlighting a single photo by uploading it to a post (with a caption) and boosting it, or using the carousel or collection ad formats to promote several products or services.
• Shared posts and shared albums: can’t be boosted, so that everyone knows who originally published the content. Create a new post with original content. For an album, use Photo/video > Create photo album, upload up to four images, click Post, then boost it.
• Draft posts: publish the draft first: Publishing tools > Drafts, then the drop-down next to Edit > Publish. If that doesn’t work, Meta says to recreate the post with the same text and creative and publish it without saving it as a draft.
• Notes (or posts linking to a note): copy the note’s content into a new post.
• Expired posts and offers, and unpublished or expired job posts: create a new one (even if it’s similar or identical) and boost it. For an offer, use Offer/Discount (you can change its expiry date), click Publish, and once it’s approved click Boost offer. For an event, use Create an event. For a job, use Publish a job post > Publish job post, and boost it once it’s approved.
• Live and scheduled videos: Meta’s troubleshooting page says only Pages with the blue verified badge can boost these for now. Its “types of posts” page says live boosting is only for verified Pages and that boosting scheduled live videos isn’t available at this time. If your Page isn’t verified (or the video is a scheduled live), upload a standard video instead and boost that.
• Posts with an app install button: Meta says mobile app install posts can’t be boosted.
• Posts with many images, or a mix of images and videos: Meta says these may not be eligible. Meta suggests putting a single image or video in a new post with a caption, or using its carousel or collection ad formats for several.

Reels that can’t be boosted

• Reels with copyrighted music, GIFs, interactive stickers, or face or camera effects.
• Remixed reels (based on someone else’s reel).
• Group reels (shared or posted to a group).
• Reels automatically created from music videos.

Shared posts: Meta’s alternatives

• If you didn’t originally publish it, create a new post with original content and boost that.
• For posts with branded content, Meta says to use its branded content tool.
• For posts you’re featured in, Meta says to create an ad with a direct link to the original article on its website instead of sharing and boosting the Facebook post.

Meta also says it has retired boost formats that aren’t optimal for advertising. For posts showing “This post can’t be boosted”, Meta suggests other ways to boost the same content, such as making a new post.

“URL in ad can’t contain Facebook Click ID”

Meta says a post can’t be boosted if a link in it contains a Facebook Click ID: a string of characters (Meta says it’s usually 61 characters) that’s sometimes added to the end of a URL when someone views or clicks a link on Facebook.

1. Copy the content of the post.
2. Click Write a post and paste it in.
3. In any link, find fbclid= and delete it and everything after it.
4. Click Share now, then Boost post on the new post.

Unpublished Page or wrong Page role

Unpublished Page: Meta says you can’t boost from an unpublished Page. Click Boost post, and when asked, click Publish Page. Then go back to the post and boost it.

Page role: Meta says to advertise you need to be an admin, advertiser, moderator or editor. Ask a Page admin to update your role. If you’re an admin, Meta’s steps are: Settings > Page roles, enter the person’s name or email, choose their role from the drop-down, then click Add and confirm with your password.

“You can’t promote this post”

Meta says to use Meta Business Manager instead: go to Business Manager, find the post under posts, click it, and click Boost post there.

Ad account disabled or advertising not allowed

• Ad account status is disabled: Meta says the account was flagged for unusual activity, so it can’t run boosted posts. Check that your status is Active in Ads Manager. If you closed the account yourself, click Reactivate in Ads Manager. See Facebook ad account disabled.
• Payment disabled for people: Meta says people with unusual account activity can be restricted from advertising and have their payment methods paused. If you think it’s a mistake, request a review of your ad account; Meta says you’ll get a message in your inbox when it’s done.
• Advertising not allowed: Meta says Pages that break its Advertising Standards or other standards can be restricted from advertising, including boosting.

Request a review of your Page

Meta says admins, editors, moderators and advertisers can request a review:

1. Go to your Page, find the post, and hover over Boost unavailable.
2. Select Request review.
3. Select your Page, fill in the form and select Send. Meta says you’ll get an inbox message about your Page’s advertising access when the review is complete.

If you don’t have one of those roles, Meta says to go to Settings > Page roles > Existing Page roles to see who can, and ask them to request the review.

How to know it worked

• The post shows Boost post instead of Boost unavailable, or your new post is boosted and approved.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Boost was rejected after review? See Facebook ad rejected.
2. Your Page itself is restricted? See Facebook Page restricted.

Frequently asked questions