Technologies

Hey, Instagram, Stop Posting My Photos to Facebook

If your Instagram posts are inexplicably showing up on Facebook, here’s what’s happening and how to fix it.

Ever since Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion back in 2012, the two sites have been awkwardly dancing around integration.

Back in 2014, users were surprised to see their Instagram «likes» showing up as Facebook posts, and in 2020, Facebook Messenger took over direct messages on Instagram.

One of the latest attempts by Facebook and Instagram owner Meta at synergy between the sites is a prompt to encourage automatic cross-posting from Instagram to Facebook. Unfortunately, some users don’t know they’ve allowed the cross-posting and are surprised to see their Instagram photos showing up on their Facebook profiles.

Learn how and why you may’ve accidentally enabled photo sharing between Instagram and Facebook, and how to turn it off using the Instagram mobile app or the website. For more tech tips, learn how to access your Google files when you’re offline, and check out the best privacy settings for kids on TikTok.

Why are my Instagram photos posting to my Facebook profile?

a screenshot of a prompt from the Instagram mobile app asking to share stories and posts automatically to Facebook. The Share button is big and blue and the Not Now link is text only below it — Screenshot by Peter Butler/CNET

Last year, Instagram started prompting users to share photos automatically to Facebook. The prompt features a big blue button to opt in and a smaller link without a button to opt out — an interface-design practice sometimes called a «dark pattern.»

Many Instagram users, taking the path of least resistance, click the blue button to close the prompt as quickly as possible, according to a report in The New York Times. After they do, some are later surprised to see their Instagram photos becoming Facebook posts.

Whether you accidentally opted in to Facebook sharing or did it on purpose, it’s easy to turn it off.

How do I stop my Instagram photos automatically cross-posting to Facebook?

If you’re using the Instagram app, you can customize the sharing settings for each photo individually when posting, but it’s easy to turn off automatic sharing to Facebook completely. I’ll show you how to do it on both the mobile apps for iOS and Android and in a web browser.

In either the iPhone or Android mobile app, go to your Instagram profile page, tap the hamburger, or three-line, icon in the top right corner, and then tap Settings at the top of the menu. From the Settings menu, tap Account, tap Sharing to other apps, and then tap Facebook.

screenshots of Instagram's settings menu showing how to select Account, Sharing with other apps, and Facebook settings — Screenshot composite by Peter Butler/CNET

a screenshot of the Instagram settings for sharing to Facebook, showing that sharing stories, posts and reels is enabled — Screenshot by Peter Butler/CNET

After you’ve accessed the Facebook sharing settings, you’ll be able to customize automatic cross-posting for Instagram stories, posts and reels. Simply switch the blue sliders off if you don’t want to automatically share anything to Facebook.

To disable automatic photo sharing to Facebook using the Instagram website, you’re going to need to use a new Meta feature called the Accounts Center.

How do I turn off automatic sharing from Instagram to Facebook using the Accounts Center?

a screenshot of Instagram's Accounts Center settings for sharing to Facebook — Screenshot by Peter Butler/CNET

You can turn off automatic sharing of Instagram posts with Facebook via the Meta Accounts Center feature on either site or app. The Accounts Center is the only way to turn off automatic sharing using a web browser, and new messaging on the mobile settings page indicates it’ll soon be the only way to do it on the apps too.

A link to the Accounts Center is available at the bottom of the Instagram settings page on both the mobile apps and the website. Once you’re in the Accounts Center, you can change your sharing settings by clicking Sharing across profiles.

Under Share from, select your Instagram account, and you’ll see Facebook listed if you’re automatically sharing content. Those familiar blue sliders will let you turn on and off automatic sharing of posts, stories and reels to Facebook.

You can also make these sharing changes using the Accounts Center on Facebook, which is designed identically.

The only difference between the Accounts Center on the Instagram website and the mobile apps is that the apps let you control automatic sharing for Instagram reels, while the website only contains settings for sharing stories and posts, not reels.

For more tech tips, check out how to use your iPhone to send secret messages and how to avoid ads when using Safari.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, June 8

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, but 1-Across might make you think of the sky, and that’s not the direction you need to go. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Org. with shooting stars
Answer: NBA

4A clue: Buildings with weather vanes, stereotypically
Answer: BARNS

6A clue: Swiss watch brand
Answer: OMEGA

7A clue: What Santa, Gandalf and Dumbledore each have
Answer: BEARD

8A clue: Pie in the ___
Answer: SKY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «I’m bad with ___» (party excuse)
Answer: NAMES

2D clue: Start of a billiards game
Answer: BREAK

3D clue: Seeing red
Answer: ANGRY

4D clue: Timothée’s role in «A Complete Unknown»
Answer: BOB

5D clue: Feeling blue
Answer: SAD

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 8, #258

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 258, for June 8.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition isn’t too tough, but let’s hope you know the résumé of a certain NBA player to get the blue group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Let’s go at it.

Green group hint: Signal-callers.

Blue group hint: Hoops star’s teams.

Purple group hint: Great barbecue town.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Competition.

Green group: Names of NFL QBs.

Blue group: Teams Tyrese Haliburton has played for.

Purple group: Kansas City ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is competition. The four answers are bout, contest, event and match.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is names of NFL QBs. The four answers are Baker, Bo, Dak and Tua.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams Tyrese Haliburton has played for. The four answers are Iowa State, Kings, Pacers and USA.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Kansas City ____. The four answers are Chiefs, Current, Monarchs and Royals.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for June 8, #728

Here are some hints and the answers for Connections for June 8, #728.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle could be tricky. The purple category is one of those «sounds like» groups, that can be really tough to figure out. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Keep at it.

Green group hint: Think Wall Street animals.

Blue group hint: Online encyclopedia subheads.

Purple group hint: $$$.