How to Tag on Facebook: The Complete Guide

Tagging people on Facebook can help you better connect and engage with friends, family, and followers. But not everyone knows the ins and outs of Facebook tagging.

In this 2500+ word guide, you‘ll learn everything you need to know about tagging on Facebook, from the basics to more advanced tips.

What is Tagging on Facebook?

Tagging is a feature on Facebook that allows you to link another person‘s profile to a post or photo. When you tag someone, they will get a notification that they have been tagged. The post or photo will also appear on their profile.

There are a few ways to tag on Facebook:

• Tag people in your posts: Mention friends by name in your status updates or other posts.

• Tag people in photos: Select the correct friend when tagging them in a photo.

• Tag people in comments: Mention friends in the comments section of posts.

Why Use Tagging on Facebook?

Here are some of the key benefits of using Facebook‘s tagging features:

• Increase visibility of your posts: Tagging friends means more people will potentially see updates in their news feeds.

• Engage directly with friends: Let specific people know you‘re thinking of them or want their input.

• Share memories: Tag friends who appear in photos to share the memory and allow them to see themselves tagged.

• Expand reach: When friends like, comment on or share tagged posts, it increases the reach even further.

Now that you know why tagging is such an important part of the Facebook experience, let‘s go over how to do it.

How to Tag People on Facebook

Tagging someone on Facebook only takes a couple of clicks. Here is a step-by-step guide to tagging in posts, photos and comments.

Tagging People in Posts

1. In the status update box, type ‘@‘ followed immediately by the person‘s first or last name.

2. A dropdown menu will appear. Select the correct name of the friend you want to tag from the menu.

3. The friend‘s name will now appear highlighted in blue and function as a tag.

4. Publish the post as normal.

Once posted, the tagged friend will receive a notification of being mentioned, with a link to view the post.

Tagging People in Photos

1. Upload a photo containing the friend(s) you want to tag.

2. Mouse over the photo and click "Tag Photo."

3. Click directly on the face of the friend you want to tag.

4. Begin typing the name and select the correct match from the dropdown menu.

5. Adjust the tag if needed by dragging the tag box to frame their face.

6. Click "Done Tagging" then publish the photo.

The tagged friend will be notified and the photo will also appear on their own timeline.

Tagging People in Comments

The process for tagging friends in comments on Facebook is very similar to tagging in posts.

1. Underneath a post, begin typing a comment.

2. Type ‘@‘ followed by the first few letters of the friend‘s name.

3. Select the matching name from the dropdown menu.

4. The tagged friend‘s name will appear highlighted in blue.

5. Post the comment.

The tagged friend will receive a notification including the full comment text and link to the post. Tagging in comments helps direct replies to specific people and makes ongoing conversations easier to follow.

Advanced Facebook Tagging Tips

Now that you know the basics, let‘s go over some pro tips for mastering Facebook tagging like a pro.

Using ‘@‘ to Tag Friends

Typing out full names every time you want to tag a friend can be time consuming. Here is a handy shortcut using the ‘@‘ symbol:

1. Type ‘@‘ followed immediately by the first 1 or 2 letters of your friend‘s name.

2. Select matching name from the dropdown list.

As long as the letters you choose are unique enough to identify that specific friend, this shortcut allows you to tag quickly and efficiently.

Tagging Multiple Friends at Once

To tag several friends in a single post, comment or photo caption, follow this simple trick:

1. After typing ‘@‘ and the first few unique letters of a friend‘s name, select the matching option from the dropdown list.

2. Next, type ‘,‘ (comma) ‘@‘ followed by the next friend‘s name.

3. Keep repeating step 2 until you have tagged all desired friends separated by commas.

When using this multiple tagging technique, be sure every friend‘s name appears highlighted in blue, indicating successful tags.

Editing and Removing Tags

Made a mistake with tagging or change your mind later on? Editing and removing tags is easy.

To edit a tag:

1. Click directly on the existing tag in your post.

2. Select "Edit Tag" from the dropdown menu.

3. Alter the selection or delete altogether.

To completely remove a tag:

1. Click directly on the tag name.

2. Choose "Remove Tag" from the dropdown menu.

Now you know how to delete mistaken tags or modify tags at any point after posting.

Facebook Tag Privacy Settings

While tagging can help increase engagement, some people prefer tighter control on tags appearing on their profile. Luckily Facebook provides detailed privacy settings for both taggers and tag recipients.

Who Can See My Tags?

When you tag someone, visibility depends on a combination of factors:

• Privacy setting of your post (Public, Friends, etc)

• Privacy settings controlling tagging for your friend

For example, you may set a photo privacy to Public. But if your friend limits tag visibility to Friends only, then only mutual friends would see your tag of that person.

Managing Tag Approvals

To exert more control over tags people add to your own timeline, use the tagging review feature.

1. Click the account menu (top right) then choose "Settings & Privacy" > "Settings"

2. Click "Timeline and Tagging" on left menu.

3. Under "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline?" select Enabled.

With tag review enabled, tags will pend approval and only appear publicly on your profile once accepted. You can also remove unwanted tags using this built-in moderation functionality.

Troubleshooting Facebook Tag Issues

Tag someone but the tag didn‘t work? Or can‘t figure out why your tagged photo isn‘t showing up on a friend‘s profile? We‘ll explore how to resolve the most common Facebook tagging problems step-by-step.

Unable to Tag Certain Friends

If one or more friends don‘t appear as options when trying to tag, there are a couple possible reasons:

• They are not (or no longer) your Facebook friend

• They have allowed tagging by Friends only in their privacy settings

Double check both friendship status and privacy settings if someone fails to appear for tagging.

Tagged Photos Not Appearing

When tagging a friend in a photo but it‘s not showing up on their timeline, try this:

• Check if the overall photo privacy is Public or Friends only. If Friends, restricts visibility for tags too.

• The tagged person may have Unapproved your tag or changed their settings to limit timeline visibility for photo tags.

• Retag the photo directly selecting from the options menu at the top. Force reloading the tags.

As with most Facebook issues, inaccurate privacy settings often are the culprits behind tagging fails.

Tagging Etiquette

While Facebook tagging can build connections between friends, there are also some etiquette guidelines to keep in mind:

• Always ask permission in advance before tagging friends in potentially sensitive photos.

• Respect friends‘ privacy. Not everyone wants certain types of photos or content viewable publicly.

• Use good judgment when tagging in passionate political or ideological posts which could attract unwanted attention or controversy.

Following basic courtesy rules ensures your tagging practices don‘t make others uncomfortable or regret connections with you online.

Using Hashtags on Facebook

In addition to tagging individual friends, you can also use hashtags in Facebook posts. Hashtag any word or short phrase, preceded by the # symbol (no spaces), to organize content and tap into public conversations.

Facebook Hashtag Tips

To maximize effectiveness of hashtags on Facebook:

• Leverage trends: Research popular hashtags frequently used within your industry and use similarly well-known tags in your own content.

• Be consistent and specific: Tagging related posts with a unique branded hashtag makes it easier for interested people to discover your page and promotes consistency.

• Monitor hashtags: Keep current on trending hashtags by exploring Facebook searches and monitoring social listening tools. Identify relevant conversations to join.

Pro Tip: You can follow certain hashtags by clicking "Follow" on the hashtag search results page. Facebook will add updates with those tags to your regular feed.

Recap of Key Facebook Tagging Takeaways

Hopefully this guide provided everything you need to know to skillfully and courteously tag profiles on Facebook. Let‘s recap the major points:

• Tag friends in posts, comments and photos to involve them in updates
• Use ‘@‘ tagging shortcuts for efficiency
• Bulk tag multiple people within the same content
• Adjust tag privacy controls and enable tag approval reviews
• Troubleshoot issues like missing tags or tagged photos not appearing
• Follow proper etiquette asking permission and respecting preferences
• Incorporate relevant #hashtags to expand reach and track trends

Did you find this guide helpful? What other Facebook functionality would you like explained? Let me know in the comments!