How to Allow Facebook Messenger to Access Your Photos

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Let Messenger use your photos and camera

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: September 21, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Using an iPhone or iPad
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• Using an Android
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If you want to share photos and videos to friends on Facebook Messenger, you'll need to give the app access to your Camera Roll or Gallery. You can choose to allow full access or limited access. Here's how to allow Facebook Messenger to access your photos on iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Enabling Photo Access for Messenger

• To enable photos on iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Messenger > Photos > Full Access.
• On Android, open Settings > Apps > Messenger > Permissions > Photos and videos > Always allow all.
• Once enabled, restart the Facebook Messenger app.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using an iPhone or iPad

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1. 
   1
   Open the Settings app. This is the grey gear icon located on your Home screen.

   • If you can't send photos on Facebook Messenger, you'll need to change your photos settings.
2. 
   2
   Scroll down and tap Messenger. You can find this towards the bottom of Settings. It will be listed with your other apps in alphabetical order.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Photos. A new page will open.
4. 
   4
   Tap Full Access. A blue checkmark will appear next to the option.

   • Alternatively, you can select Limited Access and then tap Edit Selected Photos to choose which photos Messenger can access.
5. 
   5
   Tap Allow Full Access. Messenger can now access your photos. You may need to restart the app for this to take effect.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using an Android

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1. 
   1
   Open your device's Settings. You can do this by tapping the Settings app on your Apps list.
2. 
   2
   Scroll down and tap Apps. A list will open with all applications installed on your device.
3. 
   3
   Scroll down and tap Messenger. You can also tap the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner to search for it.
4. 
   4
   Tap Permissions. This includes your camera, microphone, and storage permissions.
5. 
   5
   Tap Photos and videos. You can find this towards the bottom of the screen.
6. 
   6
   Tap Always allow all. Messenger can now access your photos. You may need to restart the app for this to take effect.
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• Question

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  Community Answer

  Open Settings, select Apps. Tap the Gear icon. Select Draw over other apps. Select the application that is running in the background. Turn Off Permit drawing over other apps. Close and re-open the application. Set the application permission.

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