Why Can’t I Like Anything on Facebook? Here’s The Fix

Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms with over a billion users a month, however, this means that it will come with its issues from time to time.

Liking is a huge part of the Facebook app. It shows your appreciation for other creators on the platform. When Facebook won’t let you like posts it can suck as you can’t save that post for later.

If you can’t like posts on Facebook then you may have been hit with a temporary ban. When you are liking or commenting too much on posts Facebook will see this as bot behavior and block you from doing this for up to 24 hours.

Many users have been facing this issue so it’s you’re not alone. You will be able to fix it depending on the methods you choose to do down below.

We will begin with more of the reasons why you can’t like anything on Facebook and what you can do to fix it.

Remember that the main solution is to wait it out if you have been hit with a temporary ban from liking or commenting so it’s up to you.

Likes on Facebook will always remain an important aspect of the app so Facebook needs to regulate this carefully. I will be starting with the reason why you can’t like anything.

Why Can’t I Like Anything on Facebook?

Right now it’s pretty hard to say why Facebook isn’t letting you like posts as there are several reasons why this issue could be occurring.

There are a few reasons why you can’t like posts on Facebook. One of these reasons is that the app does not want you to. If Facebook stops you from liking posts this means that they think you’re up to suspicious activity so they ban you.

When you’re liking too many posts in a short period the app will think you’re a robot. By this, I mean that the app will think that you’re using software to like as many posts as you can.

Only software could behave in that way. If Facebook thinks that you’re liking activity is faster than usual then the app will think you’re not human.

When Facebook thinks you’re not using human behavior you may be banned from liking posts for a few hours or up to a day.

Another popular reason why Facebook won’t let you like posts may be down to internet issues or account issues. You would need to check your internet connection before you proceed.

If your internet connection is bad the app will not be able to process the like as you’re only able to like with an internet connection. This is also the reason why you can’t post on Instagram or like on TikTok.

You Have Been Banned From Liking

The temporary like and comment ban error happens when you have exceeded the Facebook liking limit. The reason there is a limit to liking posts on Facebook will be because they do not want bots on their app.

If your account is newer then you are more likely to receive this error as your account hasn’t gained trust with Facebook.

If you create a new account and you’re liking or commenting on multiple photos, videos, and posts on Facebook without actually watching them you will get blocked from carrying out this action.

Newer accounts are usually penalized for a lot of things like posting and commenting too much. So take into consideration that if you’re using a new account you should be careful to avoid this temporary ban.

The reason Facebook has this ban in place is that there are many new fake accounts on the app every day to grow new accounts with likes. The only way they can detect this is by detecting spam and bots.

So bare in mind that if you’re not reading posts or watching videos to full length then you may not be able to do things such as like or comment on posts.

Check Account Status: Review any notifications from Facebook regarding account restrictions.

How Long Does a Temporary Ban Last

The ban can last depending on how long your account has been made so it’s not for a specific set of time for an account. If you have been hit with a temporary ban before then the ban will last longer.

As a rule of thumb, the ban should only last for about 24 hours. If it is longer than 24 hours then it’s probably because you’re using a new account. If you were using an old account then it would be a much shorter period.

The most common way to be able to like Facebook posts again is to wait for the ban to go again. It’s not that big of a deal if you’re not able to like anything as it will only last for a few hours.

If you’re lucky the ban may only last for a few minutes so just stop trying to like posts for a certain amount of time. I would also advise you to stop liking during the time you’re banned as this may affect the length of time.

Remember that this ban is only temporary so do not worry. There are other reasons why you may not be able to like so we’ll get into that down below.

Clear Cache

I’ve already mentioned that clearing your cache can be a good way to fix this issue but I never went into depth about what this meant.

When you clear the cache on the app it takes away some of the old data stored on Facebook which makes it run a lot smoother.

This can be beneficial in your case as it will be removing any software that stops you from liking posts.

The cache memory will have onto any old data that has been stored on your account so any new entries won’t get processed as it is not able to perform the activity you’re asking it to.

In this case, it will not be able to like any new posts you ask it to. Clearing cache varies on different devices. If you’re on ios then it is as easy as going into your Settings and going into General.

Here click on iPhone Storage > find Facebook > tap on Offload App.

If you’re on Android then just over to Settings and find the App option. Find Facebook and click on Storage then tap on Clear Cache.

Check Your Internet Connection

This is the first solution I would recommend anyone to do. The reason why you were unable to like anything on Facebook is that your internet is down.

When you don’t have a good internet connection then Facebook will not be able to process your likes as you’re not able to like posts without an internet connection.

Make sure your data or Wi-Fi network icon can be seen at the top of your screen. If you can’t see it then this may be an indication that your Wi-Fi has been cut and you would need to go into your settings on whichever device you’re on.

If you had Wi-Fi on when trying to like a photo or video then try using your cellular data. Make sure you have turned off Wi-Fi first. To turn on cellular/mobile data. go into settings on your iPhone > Tap on Mobile data then toggle it on.

Here’s how to turn on mobile data on other devices. Now try again and see if that works.

If you had cellular data on when you tried liking a post on Facebook then turn it off and turn on Wi-Fi instead.

Check your router if you’re at home as well. Turn it off and wait for about 30 seconds before you turn it on again.

Reset Network Settings

Your Network Settings are all the settings on your device that are related to a network. So that could be your internet connection, Wi-Fi connection, etc.

You may need to reset your network settings if you have checked your internet connection and Facebook still won’t let you like any posts.

You can either do this by turning on Airplane Mode on whichever device you’re using. This is a quick fix to solve any issues. You can do this by either swiping down on your iPhone or going into Settings on your Android.

Remember to only do this if your internet connection is not working.

If you’re using Wi-Fi and you have access to the router then you should try turning off the router for a few minutes before you turn it back on. This should be done if you’re using Facebook on a PC.

Remember that if you’re using Facebook on a Pc or computer and you can’t like anything then you should press harder on the like button as a touch screen on mobile is usually more sensitive.

If none of these work then you should go into settings and turn reset your network settings properly.

Here’s how to do this on iPhone:

1. Go into Settings
2. Scroll down and click General
3. Tap on Reset 
4. Press Reset Network Settings.

If you are using an Android This is how to reset it on an Android device. It’s pretty much the same process.

Update Facebook

Facebook may be having a software issue for whatever reason. To stop this from happening, deleting the app may help with that.

If there is an update currently available on Facebook then I would advise you to update it as well. There may be software issues stopping you from liking posts which is why it would benefit you to update the app.

To update the app you should go into the App store of whatever device you are on and update it. Developers would have gotten rid of any previous issues wrong with the app.

Once you have deleted and re-downloaded the app, you should see that your problem is no more, if it is still an issue then it may be more serious than you might think.

Deleting the app also clears the cache so if this was the problem then it would solve this as well. I showed you how to do this above so scroll up if you want to do that.

To delete an app you will need to hold down on the app until you see all the other apps shaking. Now press the cross on the Facebook app until a pop-up shows up. Now hit delete to uninstall it.

Report the Problem to Facebook

Hopefully, by now you have resolved the problem and can now like whatever you like, whether that be a video, a status, or a photo.

In rare instances where you still are not able to like anything then as a final resort, I would report these issues to Facebook.

Here you can explain to them what the problem is and hopefully, they will be able to resolve it. This can be done by going to the link above and clicking on the down arrow. Now click on Help & Support. 

I would also take a screenshot of anything that comes up when you try liking a Facebook post. Look for the relevant article

The only downside to this is that it may take Facebook up to a week to respond to your report. This is because they go through so many reports a day so they will need to filter through all of them before they get to yours.

I would suggest getting straight to the point in your report to help speed up the process. This isn’t necessary but just as a last precaution since it may be quite clear that there is something wrong with your account.

Create a New Account

If you find that Facebook isn’t letting you like any posts on your account then it is worth making a new account so you can start liking and commenting again.

Even though a temporary ban will only last for a day you will have to decide whether or not that is too long for you.

If you have another account, you can like posts on there as the ban will probably not affect your other account. In the case that you don’t have another account then you can make a new one.

But keep in mind that it is very hard to make a new Facebook account with the same name so be cautious of that.

To make a new Facebook account you will have to open the app and go onto your profile. From here you should click on the settings icon which is where all of your settings are.

From here scroll down and tap on Sign Out. From here you will want to create or log into a new account.

Once you have clicked on this you should choose whether you want to sign up with a phone number or email. Once you have chosen the one you will need to decide on a password to use.

Only Like Posts, You Like

Many people on Facebook usually just like posts for the sake of liking them. This may or may not be one of the reasons why you’re unable to like posts on Facebook.

If you’re one of those people who like statuses for the sake of liking them then you should stop that behavior.

I will admit I am also guilty of this. Sometimes I will like posts just for the sake of liking them or because I want to go back to them later on.

But this is what the save feature is for, so if you want to back to a post on Facebook you should probably save it instead of liking it. Remember to only like posts if you genuinely like them.

What I’m trying to say is that you should use the app like a human being. Take your time between liking posts, don’t just like them in a spammy way. If you like or comment too fast then you will be hit with another temporary ban.

View The Whole Post Before Liking or Commenting

We have now established that the reason you can’t like anything on Facebook on both phone and PC is that you have been banned from liking posts due to Facebook thinking you’re a bot.

One way to prevent Facebook from stopping you from liking posts is to read the whole post before you like it. This is because it will be less suspicious to them when you view a whole post as it won’t come off as suspicious.

When you take your time to view a post before liking it you will not be seen as a bot as bots usually just like posts without reading them at all.

So think before you like a post. If you have not read the whole post or taken your time to like it then it is in your best interest not to like it.

If you know you’re not going to watch the whole video or picture then just scroll past it and watch the next one.