How to Embed a YouTube Video on a Facebook Profile

The Facebook share button on YouTube makes it easy to embed a YouTube video on your Profile wall, a friend's wall, in a message or on a Facebook Page. You can post a message to go along with the video and select a thumbnail for the video. You can also customize who is able to see the video and who is not, by using the Facebook privacy options. Once posted, anyone who has access to your video post can click on the thumbnail to watch the video without leaving Facebook.

Instructions

1. Open a Web browser and go to YouTube. Find a video you want to embed in Facebook.

2. Click the "Share" button beneath the video. A link to the video is displayed, as well as share buttons.

3. Click the "Facebook" icon. A new window opens.

4. Note that the default option is to share the video "On Your Own Wall." This embeds the video on your profile. To embed the video on a place other than your own profile wall, click the arrow button to choose another option, including "On a Friend's Wall," "In a Group" or "in a Private Message." If you have a Facebook Page account, you can also select "On Your Page."

5. Type a message to include with the video in the "Write Something" field.

6. Click on the Arrows beside "Choose a Thumbnail" if they are not grayed out to select a thumbnail. Many videos include only one default thumbnail, so this may not be an option.

7. Make sure the "No Thumbnail" box does not have a check mark. Click it to clear the box if it does; otherwise, only the link is posted and the video is not embedded.

8. Click the "Lock" icon at the top right of the window to select who can see the video. Select "Everyone," "Friends of Friends," "Friends Only" or "Customize." If you select "Customize," skip to Section 2, otherwise continue to the next step.

9. Click the "Share Link" button to embed the video on Facebook.

Custom Privacy Settings

1. Customize who can see your embedded video by clicking the "Lock" icon in the "Share This Link" window from Step 8. Then select "Customize." The Custom Privacy dialog box opens.

2. Click the menu beside "These People" to customize who sees the video. Select "Friends Only," "Friends of Friends," "Me Only" or "Specific People." If you select "Specific People," begin typing the names of those people in the resulting text field and click on their names when they are presented.

3. Type the names of people you do not want to see the video in the "Hide This From" text field. Select their names from the list provided when you begin typing.

4. Click the box beside "Make This My Default Setting" to make this your default option for all future links and videos you share on Facebook.

5. Click "Save" when you are finished customizing your privacy settings for this video.

Tips & Warnings

• Note that some YouTube videos forbid embedding. In this case, when someone clicks the thumbnail, they are asked if they want to watch the video in YouTube. The video then opens in YouTube in a new window.

References

• Facebook Help Center: How Can I Post a Video on My Friend's Wall?
• Facebook Help Center: How Do I Share a Link to External Content on Facebook?