What tagging is and why you might want to review it
Tagging is when someone mentions another person or business in a Facebook post, photo, or comment by typing @ and their name. When people tag you in posts or photos, those posts can show up on your timeline and in your friends' feeds. Facebook lets you control whether tags appear on your profile right away or only after you look them over first.
Many people turn on tag review because they want to see what's being posted about them before it goes live on their profile. This is especially useful if you manage a business page, post photos at events, or simply prefer not to have every mention appear automatically. The setting takes about one minute to turn on.
Key Takeaways
- Tag review is a Facebook setting that holds tags in a queue until you approve them, rather than letting them post to your timeline immediately.
- You turn on tag review in your Facebook settings under "Timeline and Tagging," and the setting applies to all tags from anyone.
- When someone tags you, you will see a notification and can choose to approve the tag, delete it, or leave it pending.
- Approved tags show on your timeline and in your friends' feeds; rejected tags disappear and the person who tagged you is not notified.
- You can also review old tags that were posted before you turned on tag review by visiting your timeline and checking the "Posts You're Tagged In" section.
How to turn on tag review in your settings
Open Facebook and click the downward arrow in the top right corner of your screen. Select "Settings and Privacy," then click "Settings." On the left side, look for "Privacy" and click it. Scroll down until you see "Timeline and Tagging" and click that section.
Find the line that says "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your timeline?" and click the dropdown next to it. Change it from "Off" to "On." Once you do this, any tag someone adds to your posts will wait for your approval instead of showing up right away. The setting takes effect immediately.
How to approve or reject tags when they come in
When someone tags you in a post or photo, you will get a notification. Click on that notification to see the post. You will see a message asking whether you want to approve the tag. Click "Approve" if you want the tag to show on your timeline, or click "Delete" if you do not want it there.
If you do not act on a tag right away, it stays in a pending state. You can come back to it later by going to your profile, clicking the three dots next to your name, and selecting "See Your Posts." Look for posts with a pending tag notification and make your choice then. There is no time limit — you can approve or reject tags days or weeks later.
Where to find pending tags on your profile
To see all the tags waiting for your approval in one place, go to your Facebook profile and click the three dots next to your name. Select "See Your Posts." Any post with a pending tag will show a small notification icon. Click on the post to open it and then approve or reject the tag.
You can also visit your activity log to see pending tags. Click the three dots next to your name, select "Activity Log," and then click "Pending" on the left side. This shows all the tags, posts, and other items waiting for your review. Click on any pending tag to approve or delete it from this view.
How to review tags that were posted before you turned on tag review
If you turned on tag review after people had already tagged you, those old tags will not automatically go into a review queue. However, you can still remove them from your timeline. Go to your profile, click the three dots next to your name, and select "See Your Posts." Look through your timeline for posts you were tagged in and want to remove.
Click on the post and look for the tag notification. You will see an option to remove the tag or untag yourself. Removing the tag takes it off your timeline entirely. Untagging yourself keeps the post on the other person's timeline but removes it from yours. Choose whichever option fits what you want — most people use "Remove Tag" if they do not want the post associated with them at all.
What happens when you approve or reject a tag
When you approve a tag, the post or photo shows up on your timeline and can appear in your friends' feeds, depending on the privacy settings of whoever posted it. Your friends will see that you were tagged and may click through to see the post. The person who tagged you will see that their tag went through.
When you reject a tag by clicking "Delete," the tag disappears and does not show on your timeline. The post itself stays on the other person's profile, but your name is no longer attached to it. The person who tagged you is not told that you rejected the tag — they simply will not see it on your profile. If they check their own post, they may notice the tag is gone, but Facebook does not send them a notification about the rejection.
Turning tag review off if you change your mind
If you decide you no longer want to review tags, you can turn off the setting just as easily. Go to Settings, click "Privacy," then "Timeline and Tagging." Find "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your timeline?" and change it back to "Off." From that point forward, tags will post to your timeline right away without waiting for your approval.
Turning off tag review does not affect tags you already approved or rejected — those stay as they are. Only new tags going forward will post automatically. If you turn the setting off and then turn it back on later, you start fresh with a clean queue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I approve tags for just certain people and not others?
No. Tag review is an all-or-nothing setting — either you review all tags or none. However, you can restrict who can tag you in the first place by going to Settings, Privacy, Timeline and Tagging, and changing "Who can tag you in posts?" to "Friends" or "Only Me" instead of "Everyone."
What if someone tags me in a comment instead of a post?
Tag review only works for tags in posts and photos, not for tags in comments. If someone mentions you in a comment by typing @yourname, that comment posts right away. You can delete the comment or ask the person to remove the mention, but you cannot review it first.
Do I get notified every time someone tags me?
Yes, you get a notification when someone tags you in a post or photo, whether tag review is on or off. If tag review is on, the notification tells you the tag is waiting for approval. You can turn off tag notifications in your notification settings if you do not want to see them, but the tags will still be there waiting for you to review them.
Can I see who tagged me if I reject the tag?
Yes. Even after you reject a tag, you can see in your activity log that the person tagged you — the log shows all tags, approved and rejected. The rejected tag just will not appear on your timeline or in your friends' feeds.
What if I approve a tag by mistake?
You can remove an approved tag the same way you would remove any tag. Go to the post on your timeline, click on it, and select "Remove Tag" or "Untag Yourself." The tag will disappear from your profile, though it stays on the other person's post.