M4 Mac Air: Photos from Messages not uploading to Facebook

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Level 2

354 points

M4 Mac Air: Photos from Messages not uploading to Facebook

I recently updated to a M4 Mac Air. I sometimes upload photos to FB. Usually, I'll drag them from iMessages and then upload them. Since I've been using the M4 Mac Air, the images don't display properly on the desktop. It's like they are aliases rather than images, if that makes sense. When I upload them to FB, I get an error message for all the photos. I then use Preview and export the HEIC format to jpeg. However, I get the same error. I never had this issue before when I did it from my Intel chip Mac Air. You might ask: why don't you upload them directly from your phone to FB? That's a legitimate question. When I do, everything works fine and there is no need to export to different image formats. The reason I don't do that is I rarely access FB from my phone. There are a few apps that I limit how often I use them from my phone. It's just a preference.

Still, this seems to be an odd occurrence. Any thoughts? What am I missing here?

MacBook Air 15″

Posted on Jan 15, 2026 9:19 PM

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Answer 1

TheLittles

Level 10

207,905 points

Jan 16, 2026 8:46 PM in response to Victor Foster

"I tested it using Safari and I didn't get any errors when I uploaded the photos to FB. It does appear to be an issue with the DuckDuckGo browser. That's good to know. Thanks for your assistance."

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You are most welcome. Excellent job troubleshooting this!

The Brave Browser can be user-friendly in many other ways. So, look into using that as a side Browser.

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Answer 2

Victor Foster Author

Level 2

354 points

Jan 16, 2026 8:43 PM in response to TheLittles

I tested it using Safari and I didn't get any errors when I uploaded the photos to FB. It does appear to be an issue with the DuckDuckGo browser. That's good to know. Thanks for your assistance.

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Answer 3

TheLittles

Level 10

207,905 points

Jan 15, 2026 9:35 PM in response to Victor Foster

"M4 Mac Air: Photos from Messages not uploading to Facebook: [...]You might ask: why don't you upload them directly from your phone to FB?[...]"

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FaceBook Having Issues Accessing Photos:

Grant permission for the the App to access your Photos. Go here: Control Access to your Photos on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 4

TheLittles

Level 10

207,905 points

Jan 16, 2026 7:02 AM in response to Victor Foster

“I'm afraid I didn't explain the issue as well as I would have liked. I don't have any issues uploading from my phone to Facebook. The problem occurs when I attempt to upload photos from my Mac Air to Facebook. In those cases I'm using a browser. Maybe the problem has something to do with the DuckDuckGo browser?[…]”

———-

Thank you for the screenshot.

Obtaining Photos from Desktop with DuckDuckGo Web Browser:

Some Thoughts:

Use the Correct Browser —one that works.

I’m not a big fan of DuckDuckGo, as they all base their results off of the same source of Google. So, try a browser that works for you.

Correct Browser:

Use a browser that supports this, just to complete your goal.

Which Search Engine to Use:

Try going to brave.com

Try a FaceBook App, if Available:

I would download a FaceBook app, seeing if you can add it that way, likely as an add on.

Turn of ALL VPN Connections:

I would also turn off any and ALL VPNs that you have enabled.

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Answer 5

Victor Foster Author

Level 2

354 points

Jan 15, 2026 11:25 PM in response to TheLittles

I'm afraid I didn't explain the issue as well as I would have liked. I don't have any issues uploading from my phone to Facebook. The problem occurs when I attempt to upload photos from my Mac Air to Facebook. In those cases I'm using a browser. Maybe the problem has something to do with the DuckDuckGo browser?

I've attached a screen capture of what the images look like when I drag them to the desktop. Perhaps that will provide more context.

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Answer 6

Victor Foster Author

Level 2

354 points

Jan 16, 2026 11:09 AM in response to TheLittles

Thanks fife the suggestion. I’m still curious to know why the images appear like that when I drag them from messages to the desktop. DuckDuckGo may not be the best browser but when I drag images from the browser they display as a smaller image of the actual photo. Why is that not happening when I do it from messages? Recall this only started once I switched to the M4 Mac Air.

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Answer 7

TheLittles

Level 10

207,905 points

Jan 16, 2026 12:01 PM in response to Victor Foster

“Thanks fife the suggestion. I’m still curious to know why the images appear like that when I drag them from messages to the desktop. DuckDuckGo may not be the best browser but when I drag images from the browser they display as a smaller image of the actual photo. Why is that not happening when I do it from messages? Recall this only started once I switched to the M4 Mac Air.”

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Why Smaller Images?:

It’s probably a feature of DuckDuckGo app. This could be affected by Temporary Internet Files; Caches needing to be cleared; or that your system is looking to optimize your storage.

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M4 Mac Air: Photos from Messages not uploading to Facebook

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