Teams not showing thumbnails from links shared from Facabook

Question

Hello everyone

I am having problems with Teams on PC and Mobile, both do not show thumbnail videos shared from Facebook. Not all do not show thumbnails, but it happens a lot. But videos shared from YouTube to Teams are normal.

I use both corporate and personal accounts. I have also tested on the web + app of my Laptop and on the web + app of my phone and all have the above error.

Answer 1

Possible Reasons for Missing Thumbnails

Facebook Privacy Settings

• Facebook restricts access to link metadata (e.g., thumbnails) for certain users or applications due to privacy policies.
  • If the video is shared from a private group or has restricted visibility, Teams cannot fetch the metadata.
  Open Graph Metadata Issues

  - Facebook uses Open Graph tags to provide metadata for links (e.g., thumbnails, descriptions). If the OG tags are missing or improperly configured, Teams cannot display the thumbnail.
  
  **Teams URL Preview Restrictions**
  
     - Microsoft Teams may fail to fetch metadata for links depending on its policies or access issues with Facebook's metadata servers.
  
     **Network Restrictions**
  
        - Corporate firewalls or security tools may block Teams from fetching metadata from Facebook's servers.
  
        **Teams or Browser Caching Issue**
  
           - Cached data on Teams or the browser may cause the issue intermittently.
  
           **Regional or API Limitation**
  
              - Facebook might limit metadata sharing in certain regions or block requests from Teams due to API restrictions.
  

---

Potential Solutions

1. Test with a Public Facebook Video

• Share a publicly visible Facebook video link in Teams.
• If the thumbnail appears, the issue is likely related to the privacy settings of the Facebook content.

2. Check Facebook Privacy Settings

• Ensure the Facebook post is set to "Public."
• If it is shared from a group, check whether the group settings allow external sharing.

3. Use the Facebook Debugger Tool

• Use Facebook’s Sharing Debugger Tool to check the metadata for the link:
  1. Enter the Facebook video URL in the debugger tool.
     1. Check for any errors in the Open Graph tags (e.g., missing og:image or og:video tags).
        1. Click Scrape Again to refresh the metadata.
        • If the debugger identifies missing metadata, the issue needs to be resolved on Facebook.

4. Test in a Different Environment

• Share the same link in other platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, or Discord to check if the thumbnail appears.
• If the issue persists across platforms, it’s likely an issue with the Facebook link.

5. Clear Teams Cache

• On Desktop:
  1. Close Teams.
     1. Navigate to %AppData%\Microsoft\Teams.
        1. Delete the contents of the Cache, IndexedDB, and GPUCache folders.
           1. Restart Teams.
           • On Mobile:
             • Clear the app cache from your phone settings or reinstall the app.

6. Disable URL Preview in Teams and Re-enable

• Ask your Teams admin to toggle the URL Preview setting:
  1. Go to the Teams Admin Center.
     1. Navigate to Messaging Policies > Edit Messaging Policy.
        1. Disable and then re-enable URL Preview.

7. Check Network and Firewall

• If you’re on a corporate network, verify with your IT team that requests to Facebook's metadata servers are not being blocked.
• Test the issue on a different network (e.g., mobile hotspot).

8. Update Teams and Browser

• Ensure Microsoft Teams is up to date on both desktop and mobile.
• Update your browser (if you’re using Teams Web) to the latest version.

9. Use Alternative Links

• If thumbnails are critical, consider downloading the video thumbnail and uploading it manually in the Teams chat. Possible Reasons for Missing Thumbnails
  1. Facebook Privacy Settings
     • Facebook restricts access to link metadata (e.g., thumbnails) for certain users or applications due to privacy policies.
     • If the video is shared from a private group or has restricted visibility, Teams cannot fetch the metadata.
  2. Open Graph Metadata Issues
     • Facebook uses Open Graph tags to provide metadata for links (e.g., thumbnails, descriptions). If the OG tags are missing or improperly configured, Teams cannot display the thumbnail.
  3. Teams URL Preview Restrictions
     • Microsoft Teams may fail to fetch metadata for links depending on its policies or access issues with Facebook's metadata servers.
  4. Network Restrictions
     • Corporate firewalls or security tools may block Teams from fetching metadata from Facebook's servers.
  5. Teams or Browser Caching Issue
     • Cached data on Teams or the browser may cause the issue intermittently.
  6. Regional or API Limitation
     • Facebook might limit metadata sharing in certain regions or block requests from Teams due to API restrictions.
  Potential Solutions 1. Test with a Public Facebook Video
  • Share a publicly visible Facebook video link in Teams.
  • If the thumbnail appears, the issue is likely related to the privacy settings of the Facebook content.
  2. Check Facebook Privacy Settings
  • Ensure the Facebook post is set to "Public."
  • If it is shared from a group, check whether the group settings allow external sharing.
  3. Use the Facebook Debugger Tool
  • Use Facebook’s Sharing Debugger Tool to check the metadata for the link:
    1. Enter the Facebook video URL in the debugger tool.
    2. Check for any errors in the Open Graph tags (e.g., missing og:image or og:video tags).
    3. Click Scrape Again to refresh the metadata.
  • If the debugger identifies missing metadata, the issue needs to be resolved on Facebook.
  4. Test in a Different Environment
  • Share the same link in other platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, or Discord to check if the thumbnail appears.
  • If the issue persists across platforms, it’s likely an issue with the Facebook link.
  5. Clear Teams Cache
  • On Desktop:
    1. Close Teams.
    2. Navigate to %AppData%\Microsoft\Teams.
    3. Delete the contents of the Cache, IndexedDB, and GPUCache folders.
    4. Restart Teams.
  • On Mobile:
    • Clear the app cache from your phone settings or reinstall the app.
  6. Disable URL Preview in Teams and Re-enable
  • Ask your Teams admin to toggle the URL Preview setting:
    1. Go to the Teams Admin Center.
    2. Navigate to Messaging Policies > Edit Messaging Policy.
    3. Disable and then re-enable URL Preview.
  7. Check Network and Firewall
  • If you’re on a corporate network, verify with your IT team that requests to Facebook's metadata servers are not being blocked.
  • Test the issue on a different network (e.g., mobile hotspot).
  8. Update Teams and Browser
  • Ensure Microsoft Teams is up to date on both desktop and mobile.
  • Update your browser (if you’re using Teams Web) to the latest version.
  9. Use Alternative Links
  • If thumbnails are critical, consider downloading the video thumbnail and uploading it manually in the Teams chat.