How to troubleshoot and fix your failed posts in Post Planner
Did your post fail to publish?
In this article you'll learn:
How to locate failed posts
The first thing you should do when you get a post failure notification is go to the Failed Posts section in the app.
Then click the profile where the failed post was supposed to publish.
Then find the post.
If you find it, the post definitely failed — and you can skip to the Section 3 below to learn what caused the failure and what to do next.
If you can't find the post in Failed, then the post either failed silently (which is extremely rare), or one of these 2 things happened:
1. Time zone problems
Did you schedule your post(s) with the right time zone?
You can check by going to your Planned posts and looking for your post. You can use the search box to search by keyword. 🤞🏼
If the post is not there, you can skip to Section 2 below.
If your post is there, then the post probably has a posting time you didn't intend. You may need to correct its time zone.
You can do this by going to your time zone settings in these 2 places:
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General time zone: Settings > Account > Time Zone
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Time zone of profile's queue plan: Queue Plans
Make sure the time zones in both these places are correct. Then check the post again and edit the posting time or delete and re-schedule as needed.
2. Post stuck in pending state
If you can't find your missing post in Failed or Planned, then it may be in Queued (No Slot).
This is where posts go when the profile's queue plan doesn't have time slots that allow them through.
Posts can also end up in Queued (No Slot) if all the days are deactivated in the queue plan.
To move a post out of No Slot and into your queue, simply go to Queue Plans and activate a day and time slot for the post's content type.
How to fix your failed posts
If you see your failed post(s) in Failed, the first thing to do is to read the error message.
Once you know the error message, use the links below to find causes and fixes for each platform-specific failure error.
Facebook Number Errors
Facebook Errors
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An unexpected error has occurred. Please retry your request later
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Error validating access token: The user is enrolled in a blocking, logged-in checkpoint
Facebook Spam
Facebook Permissions
Facebook Reconnect
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Please re-connect your Group(s) and then follow the instructions to continue publishing to your Group(s)
Facebook Data
Facebook URL
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Service temporarily unavailable - Can't Download - Could not retrieve data from URL
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The url you supplied is invalid – Invalid URL – Failed to parse URL
Facebook Unsupported
Facebook Violation
Instagram General Errors
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Instagram account is restricted
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Solution from Meta documentation: "The app user's Instagram Professional account is inactive, checkpointed, or restricted. Advise the app user to sign in to the Instagram app and complete any actions the app requires to re-enable their account."
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Other errors: Please check the Meta Instagram documentation
Twitter General Errors
Twitter Duplicate
Twitter Images & Media
Linkedin General Errors
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You need to reconnect your LinkedIn profile
POST PLANNER
Post Planner General Errors
Facebook Error 100
This error usually happens when you are logged out of your Facebook account.
It can also be caused by you not having permission to publish to the page with the account you're currently logged into.
Common Error 100 Messages
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(#100) Length of param name must be less than or equal to 255
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(#100) The parameter name is required
The Fix
Make sure you're logged into the correct account — the one that is an admin of your Group or Page.
If you are logged in correctly, reach out to the Page or Group admin to make sure your permissions are set to Moderator or above.
Facebook Error 200
NOTE: If you're having trouble with your Facebook account, please contact Facebook directly via their Help Pages. Unfortunately, Facebook settings are not something we at Post Planner can help with.
Sometimes you'll get Facebook Error 200 when trying to post to your Facebook Group or Page via Post Planner.
There are many different messages Facebook can send with the error. But the recommended course of action is always the same: you need to re-authorize your Facebook permissions.
Common Error 200 Messages
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(#200) Insufficient permission to post to target on behalf of the viewer
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(#200) Requires either publish_actions permission or manage_pages and publish_pages as an admin with sufficient administrative permission
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(#200) Subject does not have permission to post videos on this target
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(#200) Subject does not have permission to post photos on this page
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(#200) Requires either publish_to_groups permission and app being installed in the group, or manage_pages and publish_pages as an admin with sufficient administrative permission
The Fix
This error usually means that Post Planner has not been granted full permission to publish to your Facebook Group or Page.
If the Error #200 is occurring strictly on your Group posts, the first step is to authorise Post Planner for your Group.
If this doesn't fix the problem or you're experiencing Error #200 somewhere other than Group posts, the fix is to reset your app.
If you are a Post Planner customer and still encountering permissions errors after following these steps, please contact us with:
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Specific details about the Group/Page
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Screenshots of your Facebook permissions settings
This information will help us report the issue to Facebook to investigate!
Facebook Error 32
If you’re getting this error, it’s probably because you’re posting too much low-quality content too often.
Facebook limits pages that post a lot, but don’t get much engagement. You need to have enough engaged fans to be able to post more.
Common Error 32 Message
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(#32) Page Request Limited Reached
The Fix
Post less often. Take it down to 2-3 times per day.
Post better content. The more often you post content that gets zero or low engagement, the more likely get this error. Try using 4+ star content from the CONTENT section in Post Planner.
In July 2016, Facebook added rate limits to stop pages from posting to Facebook too much, if they weren’t getting any engagement.
Basically you can use Facebook (through apps) relative to how many engaged fans your page has. So if you try to post a ton of content, and haven’t received any engagement recently, Facebook will limit how much you can post the next day.
This rate limit applies to all apps that you use to manage your page.
More information can be found on Facebook’s blog post.
Facebook Error: Error validating access token
This error happens when your Facebook tokens have been invalidated — usually by a changed password.
Common Error 200 Messages
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Error validating access token: The session has been invalidated because the user changed their password or Facebook has changed the session for security reasons
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Error validating access token: The user is enrolled in a blocking, logged-in checkpoint
The Fix
The fix here is a quick one!
Just head to Settings > Social Networks and click the "Refresh" button on the Facebook row.
If the problem persists, do a full app reset.
Facebook Error: Unexpected Error or Unknown Error
Sometimes, Facebook will show an "unexpected" or "unknown" error when trying to perform any action.
This is usually caused by an issue on Facebook's side and clears up after a few minutes. But sometimes Facebook will need you to clear cache to reset.
Common Error Messages
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An unexpected error has occurred. Please retry your request later
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An unknown error has occurred
The Fix
Clear your cache!
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The keyboard shortcut to this is CMD/CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE
For Chrome, here's how to it looks:
Once you click "Clear data" and clear your browser cache, close and re-open your browser. Then launch Facebook and login.
Then open another tab on the same browser, and login to Post Planner.
If you continue to experience the error, please do a full app reset.
Facebook Error: Invalid URL Error
This error is usually caused by an error when pulling content from external URLs.
Facebook either doesn't recognise the content in the link or can't connect to the link.
Common Error Messages Shown for this Issue
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The URL you supplied is invalid — Invalid URL — Failed to parse URL
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Unable to fetch video file from URL — Unable to fetch video file from URL — Unable to fetch video file from URL
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Service temporarily unavailable — Can't Download — Could not retrieve data from URL
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Empty reply from server
The Fix
Please check your link url to make sure it's correct. Then try again.
The link may be correct but the site where it lives may be down. Check the actual site to make sure.
Facebook Error: Temporary Block
Facebook will sometimes block a profile from performing certain actions — especially if they detect that the profile is:
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spamming
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adding too many friends
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being reported multiple times
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posting content that goes against the Facebook Community Standards.
Common Temporary Block Messages from Facebook
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You have been temporarily blocked from performing this action.
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Our security systems have detected that a lot of people are posting the same content, which could mean that it's spam. Please try a different post.
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You recently posted something that violates Facebook policies, so you're temporarily blocked from using this feature. For more information, visit the Help Center.
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To keep from getting blocked again, please make sure you've read and understood Facebook's Community Standards. The block will be active for (x) days and (y) hours more.
The Fix
Be patient!
Facebook will make you wait a certain period before restoring your profile's ability to post and do other activities.
Facebook Permissions Error: Could Not Share Post
A Facebook Permissions Error can happen if you're trying to re-share a FB post that can't be shared.
The post may not be shareable for these reasons:
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The original publisher of the post may have deleted it
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The privacy settings of the post prevent it from being shared
In order to re-share any Facebook content to your own profile or page, the content must be public.
Common Permissions Error Message
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Permissions error – Could Not Share Post – Sorry, the post that you’re sharing couldn’t be loaded. It may have been recently deleted. Or it may have privacy settings that prevent sharing.
The Fix
If you are the owner of the content, please check the privacy settings for the post, and ensure that it is visible to the public.
Sometimes there may be age-related, or country-related, restrictions which prevent the content from being fully public.
Facebook Error: Please Reduce The Amount Of Data You’re Asking For, Then Retry Your Request
This is actually an ongoing Facebook bug.
Common Error Message
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Please reduce the amount of data you’re asking for, then retry your request
The Fix
Again, this is a known Facebook API bug that affects many parts of their API (see the bug reports below). Facebook has said that the cause is their servers running out of memory. Most reports indicate that the problem is caused when including Page mentions in your post.
We've noticed that sometimes the post is published successfully to your page, even though Post Planner shows the post as failed. You should check your page to see if the post was published or not, then take action accordingly.
If retrying the post continues to fail, the Facebook API may be unable to publish the post with the page mention included. In that case, you can try posting natively on Facebook, or scheduling the post and adding the Page mention by hand afterwards.
Facebook Error: Unsupported Post Request
In April 2018, Facebook made changes to how third-party apps like Post Planner can access private, closed and secret groups.
From Facebook:
"Currently apps need the permission of a group admin or member to access group content for closed groups, and the permission of an admin for secret groups. These apps help admins do things like easily post and respond to content in their groups. However, there is information about people and conversations in groups that we want to make sure is better protected. Going forward, all third-party apps using the Groups API will need approval from Facebook and an admin to ensure they benefit the group. Apps will no longer be able to access the member list of a group. And we’re also removing personal information, such as names and profile photos, attached to posts or comments that approved apps can access."
When you try to post to a private/closed/secret group, you may get this error if the group admin is not posting from their specific linked personal account in Post Planner.
For more on this error and how to fix it, see our article on Facebook Group Permissions.
Facebook Error: User Permissions
This error message is generated when the current Facebook user's permissions for the page are not set high enough to post to the page.
The Fix
Go into the admin settings of the page and make sure the Facebook profile connected to your Post Planner account has a page role of moderator or higher.
If Two-Factor Authentication is turned on for the page, you will need to authenticate your profile as well.
Once this step has been completed, please refresh your Facebook connection and you should be able to post successfully.
Twitter Common Error Messages & Fixes
Below are simple solutions to the most common Twitter error messages.
You'll find the error message, a short explanation of the problem, and then the Fix!
Missing Required Parameter: Status
Problem: The tweet is empty.
The Fix: Add text to the tweet.
No Status Found with that ID
Problem: the tweet you're trying to share/retweet is gone — it probably got deleted.
The Fix: Remove the post that includes the deleted tweet.
Tweet needs to be a bit shorter
Your tweet needs to be 280 characters — or less if you include a link or image.
The Fix: Try shortening your text and then retry.
Twitter media upload failed: invalid API response
Twitter did not receive the image or video you uploaded — possibly because of a server or network traffic error.
The Fix: Recreate and retry the post at a different time.
Invalid or expired token
You have been logged out of Twitter.
The Fix: Re-login to Twitter, then re-authorise your Twitter profile in Settings > Social Networks and try again.
Internal error
Twitter goofed! Unknown internal error. 😭
The Fix: Retry the post. If the error persists, try logging out of Twitter and disconnecting the profile from Post Planner. Then re-login to Twitter and re-connect Twitter in your profile in Settings > Social Networks.
This request looks like it might be automated. To protect our users from spam and other malicious activity, we can't complete this action right now. Please try again later
Twitter thinks your Tweet is spam.
The Fix: Rewrite your post and try again later. If this continues, you may need to file a support request with Twitter or wait a few days and try again.
Image file size must be <= 5242880 bytes
Your image needs to be resized or saved with a lower resolution to create a smaller file size.
The Fix: Resize your image and retry the tweet with the updated image.
Image dimensions must be >= 4x4 and <= 8192x8192
Your image needs to be resized be successfully posted to Twitter.
The Fix: Resize your image and retry the tweet with the updated image.
Twitter Error: Duplicate Status
If you see a "Whoops, you already said that" error message when you post a Tweet, you've posted the exact same text in another Tweet recently, and should try writing something new in your next Tweet.
You should only see this error if you post exactly the same text as a recent Tweet.
The Fix
Try posting a different Tweet.
Bottom line: if you never post the exact same text or media in tweets, you will never get this error.
LinkedIn Error: Restricted profile
LinkedIn restricts profiles for many different reasons.
Common Error Message
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Error: Member is restricted
The Fix
If you received this error on Post Planner, please login to your LinkedIn account directly and contact their support to resolve the issue.
LinkedIn states that the following are examples of conduct or activity that may result in account restriction:
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An unusually large number of page views from the account
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The name used in the account profile is in violation of LinkedIn's User Agreement
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LinkedIn detected inappropriate or illegal activity on the account
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A history of repetitive abusive behaviour on the account
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LinkedIn has detected that the account may have been hacked or compromised
If you have been restricted in error, you can appeal directly to LinkedIn to un-restrict your account.
LinkedIn Error: Internal Service Error
If you get an Internal Service Error when posting to LinkedIn, it means LinkedIn is experiencing difficulties on their end.
It's probably a server issue on their side.
The Fix
Please wait a few minutes and then retry your post.
LinkedIn Error: Do not post duplicate content
If you receive a "Do Not Post Duplicate Content" error on LinkedIn, it means LinkedIn has detected you reposting the same content too often or close together.
The Fix
You need to increase the time between your repeating/recycling posts — or change the text and content a bit to make it not an exact duplicate.
POST PLANNER
Post Planner Error: Double post protection engaged
You will see this error on your failed posts in Post Planner if you tried to post the exact same post twice in a row in a very short amount of time (within minutes, for example).
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Double post protection engaged: Duplicate post detected in last 12 hours.
We block duplicate posts from publishing so you are not penalized by the social networks, which don't like duplicate posting.
The Fix
Try not to publish the same post content more than once within a 12 hour period.
Post Planner Error: Facebook is rejecting our requests
You may see this error message inside Post Planner:
Facebook is rejecting our requests. Please logout of both Facebook and Post Planner, clear your cookies then comeback to retry your action.
The Fix
First thing you should do here is try the directions from the message (minus clearing browser cookies).
- Logout of FB and Post Planner
- Log back in
If that doesn't work, do a full app reset.
If the full app reset doesn't fix the problem, something on your side is preventing Post Planner from extracting the necessary information from your profile.
This could be browser plugins, the browser itself, your Facebook settings, or actions taken by you which are blocking us.
In this case, please try with fresh browser and following all guidelines.
Post Planner Error: Owner of this website has banned your IP address
You may see this error message in Post Planner:
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The owner of this website has banned your IP address
The Fix
This block is actually intentional from our side. At some time in the past, we have block the IP address because of malicious activity — or because of the risk of infection from malicious code.
Please contact us if you have further questions.
Post Planner Error: Error while connecting LinkedIn account
You may encounter an error while trying to connect or refresh your LinkedIn account.
This error is rare, but can have the following causes:
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Changing in your LinkedIn password
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Adding 2-factor authentication to your LinkedIn account
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Changing your privacy settings on your LinkedIn account
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Invalidated LinkedIn tokens
The Fix
The error can usually be fixed by reconnecting your LinkedIn account.
If this doesn't work, do the following:
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Go to LinkedIn Permitted Services and remove Post Planner
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Then re-connect your LinkedIn account in Settings > Social Networks
Post Planner Error: Browser not supported
If you are using an older or rare browser, you may run this error in Post Planner:
Browser not supported
The Fix
You will need to switch to a browser supported by Post Planner.
Post Planner supports the following browser versions:
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Chrome 83+
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Firefox 78+
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Safari 12.1+
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Opera 68+
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Edge 83+
If user is getting the error popup, check if their browser is supported first. It may work with older versions but it is not 100% guaranteed.