Alex Ruben
How To Upload and Watch High-Quality Videos on Facebook: The Complete Guide
This stuff can be pretty frustrating, especially when videos look kinda crappy despite having a decent connection. Sometimes it’s just the app not automatically playing videos in HD, or maybe your uploads get compressed more than they should. If you’ve ever tried to boost the video quality on Facebook, you probably noticed it’s not super straightforward. This guide’s aimed at helping out with both uploading in better quality and ensuring you’re watching videos in the best resolution possible. Expect some toggling in settings, maybe rebooting the app, and a few tricks to get around the worst of Facebook’s compression. After running through these steps, videos should look a lot sharper and your uploads will hopefully retain more of their original quality. Oh, and good internet connection is still king here, because of course, Facebook likes to make it harder than necessary.
How to Fix Video Quality Issues on Facebook
Method 1: Change Video Playback Settings in the Facebook App
This helps because Facebook has a setting that defaults to a lower video quality to save bandwidth. If you want HD videos when watching on mobile, you need to tell the app to prioritize quality. It applies when videos look pixelated or blocky even though your connection is good. On some devices, this setting isn’t very obvious, but toggling it on will make a noticeable difference. Expect crisper videos and less fuzz if it works right. On one setup it worked right away, on another I had to restart the app for the change to stick.
- Open the Facebook app.
- Tap on the Menu icon (usually the three lines at the top right or bottom right).
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then select Settings.
- Find and tap on Media and Contacts (or just Media on some versions).
- Look for an option called Videos in HD or similar—this might be under a submenu like Video Settings.
- Switch it on — enabling this tells Facebook to load videos in HD when your connection allows.
This should help the videos you’re watching now to look a lot better. For uploads, the process is similar—make sure your videos are high-res before uploading, and check your Facebook app settings for upload quality options, which often aren’t very obvious but are usually tucked in the same media settings area.
Method 2: Use a Strong Internet Connection (Wi-Fi is best)
Kind of weird, but a lot of the quality issues are about connection. Facebook tends to auto-adjust quality if it detects slow Wi-Fi or cellular data. To really push for HD streaming, make sure you’re on a reliable Wi-Fi network, preferably not one with spotty signal. Moving closer to the router or switching to a different Wi-Fi can make a big difference. Expect fewer buffering moments, and videos will play in higher resolution without dropping to a lower setting. On some devices, Facebook still auto-opts to lower quality even when your connection is good—so this isn’t 100% foolproof, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Method 3: Adjust Upload Settings Before Sharing Videos
This is kind of tricky because Facebook doesn’t give you a super obvious way to choose upload quality, but it’s worth making sure your video files are high-res before uploading. Also, check if there’s an option for upload quality in your app settings—sometimes hidden in Media or Account Settings. For Android, some devices have a “High-quality uploads” toggle in Settings > Account Settings > Media and Contacts. On iOS, you may need to upload in 4K or high-resolution from your camera roll first and let Facebook process it. Expect sharper uploads if you start with a high-quality video; Facebook will still compress, but the base file will be better to begin with.
Extra Tips & Common Fixes
- Try clearing the app cache if videos still look washed out. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage and tap Clear Cache.
- Update Facebook to the latest version. Sometimes new features or fixes for video quality come with updates.
- If videos still look bad, restart the app or even your device. Sometimes the app just needs a quick refresh, and on some phones, it really helps.
One thing to keep in mind—Facebook’s compression algorithms are kinda aggressive, so even with all these tricks, some quality loss is inevitable. But it’s better than nothing, right?
Wrap-up
Overall, making sure settings are dialed in, your connection is solid, and starting with high-res videos before upload are the main steps. It’s a bit of a game of whack-a-mole sometimes, but these tweaks usually help tons. Maybe one day Facebook will give us perfect quality toggles, but until then, these tips should at least improve your experience.
Summary
- Turn on the Video in HD setting in Facebook’s app settings.
- Use a reliable Wi-Fi connection for streaming and uploads.
- Start with high-res videos before uploading.
- Clear cache and keep the app updated — sometimes this fixes weird quality bugs.
Final Words
Getting videos to look their best on Facebook can be a pain, but it’s doable. Expect slightly better results when you tweak everything from settings to connection. Fingers crossed this helps—worked for me, so hopefully it does for others too.