How To Get GIFs To Work on Facebook

We’ve all been begging and finally, Facebook listened and we would like to welcome them to 2015. Today, GIFs started showing up as animated pics when posted to Facebook. We’ve waited so long for this day, everyone! REJOICE!

However, you cannot just upload a GIF to the site. It will show up as a still (static) picture. Here’s how you make a GIF display properly.

How you make a GIF display on a Facebook status

Find a GIF you love online. I do it by going to Google images, typing in what I want and “gif” after it. Pull the direct link of the gif. Example: http://images.wikia.com/glee/images/3/3a/Yas.gif

Copy that link and paste it into a Facebook status, like you would when you want to share a video. Once you press “Enter” (not “post”) the pic will show up under it.

NOW, delete that link and it will remain. Add the caption you want and VOILA! Working GIF.

This works on personal profiles and groups but not on fan pages yet (as of May 29, 2015 at 12pm CT).

How you make a GIF display in comments

When you want to drop a GIF in the comments of a Facebook status, grab the link of the GIF and copy and paste into the comments box.

Add whatever caption you want before pressing “Enter.” When you do this, it will publish the comment AND show the GIF.

For those who are slightly anal about deleting the link and letting the GIF just show, you cannot delete the link when you’re posting the GIF in comments. It stays.

* As of right now (May 29, 2015 at 12pm CT), GIFs posted in comments aren’t showing up in the Facebook mobile app. It just shows you the link and then when you click it, it will take you to your web browser to view it. i expect an update is coming soon for this.

Update: For some people, GIFs in the comments of Facebook fan pages are starting to work (2pm CST, May 29). It’s not working for me yet, though and I’m on a desktop.

How to get GIPHY GIFs to display

Facebook has allowed GIFs from the website GIPHY to display for a while. Except, they’d display and you’d have to press “play” so they were basically showing up like videos are.

If you are using a GIPHY link, pull the actual direct link of the GIF, not the GIPHY page link. Get on the GIPHY page and then right click the GIF itself, and click “open image in new tab.” So instead of: http://giphy.com/gifs/photoset-rupauls-drag-race-season-4-NspyGbONuQLtu you want: http://media.giphy.com/media/NspyGbONuQLtu/giphy.gif. It will display like this:

You will know the link you pulled is right if it ends in .gif.

Facebook has opened Pandora’s Box because we are about to UP the level of ridiculous in Facebook and I’m worried about my readers because this is just going to make them act up even more. I already have a thread on my profile where people have dropped bout 60 GIFs. My already robust GIF folder of 4,500 is about to get some new additions.

I love it.

Let the shenanigans roll!!!