How to Get the Link to a Facebook Post on a PC or Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Sharing Facebook posts is a common practice in today’s digital world. Whether you want to share a funny meme, an important news article, or your friend’s adorable pet photo, knowing how to grab the direct link to a post is essential. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods to obtain the link to a Facebook post on your PC or Mac, ensuring you can easily share and access content from the platform.

Understanding Why You Need a Facebook Post Link

Before diving into the how-to, let’s understand why you might need a direct link to a Facebook post. Here are a few common scenarios:

• Sharing outside of Facebook: You might want to share a Facebook post on other platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, or even via email. A direct link allows recipients to view the post directly without searching for it on Facebook.
• Embedding on a website or blog: If you’re a blogger or webmaster, you may want to embed a specific Facebook post within your content. This is a great way to add relevant social media content to your site.
• Saving for later: You may need to save a link to a Facebook post for personal reference or bookmarking, allowing you to easily access it at a later time without relying on Facebook’s news feed algorithm.
• Referencing in Discussions: When participating in discussions on other platforms, providing a direct link ensures everyone is on the same page, referencing the exact post in question.
• Troubleshooting and Reporting: In certain situations, you might need to provide a direct link to Facebook support for a specific post if you’re experiencing issues or need to report something.

Getting the Link: Step-by-Step Methods

The process of getting a Facebook post link is quite straightforward and can be achieved in several ways. Let’s explore each of them.

Method 1: Using the Post’s Date/Timestamp

This is the most common and easiest method. Each Facebook post has a date or timestamp associated with it. By clicking on this timestamp, you are directly directed to a unique page for that post, which contains the URL you need.

Steps:

1. Open Facebook in your Browser: Start by launching your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) on your PC or Mac and navigate to www.facebook.com. Log in to your account if you haven’t already.
2. Locate the Desired Post: Scroll through your newsfeed, or visit the profile page of the user or page where the post is located. Find the specific post you wish to get the link for.
3. Identify the Timestamp: Below the user’s name or page title and above the post content, you’ll find the time and/or date the post was published. It usually looks like “1 hr” “2 hrs” “Yesterday” “October 19, 2023”, etc.
4. Click on the Timestamp: Click on the timestamp. This will open the post on its own dedicated page.
5. Copy the URL from the Address Bar: Once the dedicated page loads, you will see the specific URL for the post in your browser’s address bar, located at the top of the browser window. Select the entire URL (usually begins with https://www.facebook.com/…) and copy it using keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac) or by right-clicking and selecting “Copy.”
6. Paste the Link: You can now paste the copied link wherever you need it, using (Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac) or by right-clicking and selecting “Paste.”

Example: Let’s say you find a post by a page called “Amazing Animals” shared 12 hours ago. The timestamp will display something like “12 hrs.” Clicking on this will take you to the dedicated post page, and the URL in the browser’s address bar is the link to the post.

Method 2: Using the Three-Dot Menu

Another way to get the link is by using the three-dot menu icon, often referred to as the “More Options” menu, which is located at the top right of a post.

Steps:

1. Open Facebook in your Browser: As before, launch your browser and go to www.facebook.com, and log in to your account.
2. Locate the Post: Find the post for which you need the link.
3. Click the Three-Dot Menu: Look for the three horizontal dots (or ellipsis) in the top-right corner of the post. Click on it.
4. Select “Copy Link” Option: A dropdown menu will appear. Select the “Copy Link” or “Copy Post Link” option from the menu. This will copy the link to your clipboard.
5. Paste the Link: You can now paste the copied link wherever needed using keyboard shortcuts or by right-clicking and selecting “Paste”.

This method is particularly helpful when you are already viewing the post in your newsfeed and want a quick and direct way to copy the link without navigating to the post’s dedicated page.

Method 3: When Viewing a Photo/Video

If you want to share a photo or video that has been posted on Facebook, you can also get a direct link to it. The procedure is similar to the first method.

Steps for Photos:

1. Open Facebook in your Browser: Go to Facebook and log into your account.
2. Find the Photo: Navigate to the post where the photo you wish to link to is located.
3. Click the Photo: Click on the photo. This will open the photo in a viewer.
4. Copy the URL: Once the photo viewer opens, look at the browser address bar to copy the URL (it will usually start with `https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?` followed by a unique ID).
5. Paste the Link: Use keyboard shortcut or right-click context menu to paste the copied URL.

Steps for Videos:

1. Open Facebook in your Browser: As always, go to www.facebook.com and log in.
2. Find the Video: Find the post with the video you want to share.
3. Click the Video: Click on the video to begin playing it. Often, this will take you to a dedicated video viewing page.
4. Copy the URL: Look at the browser’s address bar. The URL here will be the link to the video (it usually starts with `https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=` or something similar) .Copy the URL.
5. Paste the Link: Copy and paste the link where needed.

With this method, you’ll be sharing a direct link to just the photo or video, not the entire post.

Tips and Troubleshooting

• Ensure the Post is Public: If you are trying to share a post from a profile or group that has privacy settings restricting access, recipients will not be able to see the post, even with a link. Verify that the post’s privacy settings allow the intended audience to see the content.
• Check the URL: Always double-check that the URL in your browser’s address bar matches the post that you are intending to share. This is crucial when working with several posts at a time.
• Shorten Long URLs (Optional): Facebook URLs can be quite long. For cleaner sharing or for platforms with character limits, consider using a URL shortener (e.g., bit.ly, TinyURL).
• Using Third-Party Apps or Extensions: While it’s recommended to use the built-in methods, there are some third-party browser extensions that might offer shortcuts to copy post links. Use such tools cautiously and only from trusted sources.
• Mobile vs. Desktop: Although the core principles are similar on mobile, the visual layout may differ slightly. However, both mobile and desktop versions have the date/timestamp and three-dot menu options to obtain links.
• Browser Variations: While these steps apply to most popular browsers, minor variations in the display might be noted across different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.). The underlying functionality of getting the link remains consistent.

Conclusion

Sharing Facebook content via direct links is an easy process once you know the steps. By following these methods, whether by clicking on the timestamp or using the three-dot menu, you’ll be able to easily share any public post you find on Facebook. Whether for embedding, referencing, or sharing across other social media platforms, getting the correct post link is essential. Use the methods outlined in this guide to effortlessly share the content you wish to share!