How to Check In on Facebook (New or Old Posts)
A check-in is a Facebook post with a place attached. Start a post from What’s on your mind?, choose Check in, pick a nearby place from the list or search for one, then choose your audience and post. On a phone, Facebook also needs location access for its app before it can check you in nearby.
Meta’s steps for how to check in on Facebook differ a little between a computer, iPhone and Android, so each is below, along with how to add a place to a post you’ve already shared. For posting basics beyond location tags, our Facebook guide links the rest of the series.
Table of Contents
- How to check in on Facebook
- How to add a check-in to a post you already shared
- Why isn’t the check-in option showing?
- Who can see your Facebook check-in?
- Check-ins and business Pages
- Frequently asked questions
How to check in on Facebook
Every check-in starts from the post box at the top of your Feed. The flow is nearly the same on each device; the last buttons are what differ. You click Post on a computer, while the apps have you tap Next and then Share. Before posting you can add a photo or video (or, in the apps, a live video), tag friends or add a feeling or activity, and you pick the post’s audience.
On a computer:
- Scroll to the top of your Feed and click What's on your mind, [name]?
- Click Check in and select a location from the list below or search for a location.
- You can also: Tag friends, Photo/video Add a photo, or Feeling/activity Add how you're feeling or what you're doing.
- Select an audience for your post.
- Click Post.
On iPhone:
- Scroll to the top of your Feed and tap What's on your mind?
- Tap Check in and search for a nearby location or tap any location from the list below to select a location.
- Optionally add a photo/video, live video, feeling/activity, tagged friends, choose the audience, and write a status update.
- Tap Next, then tap Share.
On Android:
- Scroll to the top of your Feed and tap What's on your mind?
- Tap Check in.
- Tap Search and search for a nearby location or tap any location from the list below to select a location.
- Optionally add a photo/video, live video, feeling/activity, tagged friends, choose the audience, and write a status update.
- Tap NEXT, then tap Share.
Checked against Facebook Help Center: How do I check into a nearby location on Facebook.
Choose that audience on purpose: a Public check-in is also visible to the people who manage that place’s Page, as the audience section below explains.
How to add a check-in to a post you already shared
Edit the post. Meta lets you add a location to a post you’ve already shared by editing it and choosing Check in, which sits under Location on iPhone. That’s the documented way to tag a place after the fact. You can only edit posts you shared yourself, so it won’t work on someone else’s post. Checked against Facebook Help Center: Share and Manage Posts on Your Profile
On a computer:
- Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook, then click your name to go to your profile.
- Scroll down to the post and click Options in the top right of the post.
- Click Edit post.
- Click Check in. You may need to click Options in the bottom right first.
- Click Where are you? to search for a location, or select a location from the list below.
- Click Save.
On iPhone:
- Tap Menu in the top left of Facebook, then tap your name.
- Scroll down to the post and tap Options in the top right of the post.
- Tap Edit post.
- Tap Location and then tap Check in to search for places or to select a location from the list below.
- Tap Save in the top right.
On Android:
- Tap Menu in the top left of Facebook.
- Scroll down to the post and tap Options in the top right of the post.
- Tap Edit post.
- Tap Check in to search for places or to select a location from the list below.
- Tap SAVE in the top right.
Checked against Facebook Help Center: How do I add my location to a post?.
The rest of the post editor, from photos to feelings, is covered in our guide to making a post on Facebook.
Removing a check-in
A check-in is a post, so you remove it the way Meta describes for any post of your own: on your profile, open its Options menu and choose Delete post on a computer, or Move to trash in the apps. Items in trash are deleted automatically after 30 days unless you restore them first. Checked against Facebook Help Center: Remove or hide something posted on your Facebook profile To keep the post but limit who sees it, change its audience instead, using the audience selector on the post.
Why isn’t the check-in option showing?
On a phone, start with the Facebook app’s location permission. Meta says you need Location Services turned on for Facebook before checking into a nearby location, and that the setting is only available in the Facebook app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Allow While Using the App on iPhone, or Allow only while using app or Ask every time on Android.
On iPhone:
- Go to your device's home screen.
- Tap Location Services and tap Toggle next to Location Services to turn on or off.
- In the list of apps under Location Services, tap Facebook and select While Using the App, Ask Next Time or Never.
On Android:
- Go to your device's home screen.
- Tap Settings, then tap Apps.
- Scroll through the list of apps and tap Facebook.
- Tap Permissions, then tap Location.
- Select Allow only while using app, Ask every time or Don't allow.
Checked against Facebook Help Center: Turn on Location Services for Facebook.
Meta’s computer steps don’t mention Location Services: you select a location from the list or search for one. On iPhone, Meta’s steps start at Location Services, and Apple’s support article on Location Services (checked 2 October 2026) puts that screen under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
If one particular business never shows up in the list, the cause may be on its side: Meta says that without a correctly set map pin, check-ins and tagging won’t be available for that business’s Page. Meta’s check-in articles cover picking a place from the list or searching for one; they don’t document creating a new place, so we don’t give steps for that.
Who can see your Facebook check-in?
Whoever the post’s audience includes, plus the place’s Page managers when the post is Public. Meta says that if a check-in post is shared with Public, the people who manage that location’s Page can see it; if it’s shared with any other audience, it isn’t shared with the Page’s managers. You pick the audience in the post itself.
Checked against Facebook Help Center: How do I check into a nearby location on Facebook.
Here’s what each audience means, using Meta’s audience definitions (checked 2 October 2026):
| Audience you pick | Who can see the check-in | Shared with the place’s Page managers? |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone, including people off Facebook | Yes |
| Friends | Your friends, plus anyone tagged in the post and their friends | No |
| Only Me | Only you | No |
| Custom | The people you choose, minus anyone you hide it from | No |
So tagging friends in a Friends check-in widens it to their friends too. Groups have a rule of their own: Meta says anything you post or comment in a public group is public and can be seen by anyone. And changing a check-in’s audience affects that post only; your next post goes back to your default audience. Checked against Facebook Help Center: Choose who can see your post on Facebook For a wider privacy review, see how to hide your Facebook profile.
Check-ins and business Pages
For customers to check in at your business, your Page needs an address with a correctly placed map pin. Meta says only people with Facebook access to a Page can edit its address, that without a correctly set pin certain actions like check-ins and tagging won’t be available for your Page, and that it may take a few days before tagging and check-ins are enabled. It adds that a Page may need to meet other requirements too, without listing them.
Meta’s article on adding a Page address (checked 2 October 2026) has the steps, including dragging the red map pin to the spot that matches your address.
Two more points for Page owners. Public check-ins at your location are visible to the people who manage your Page, while check-ins shared with any other audience aren’t. And if you ever merge two Pages, Meta combines their followers and check-ins on the Page you keep, but deletes the other Page’s posts, photos, reviews, ratings and username, and the merge can’t be undone. Checked against Facebook Help Center: Merge 2 Facebook Pages Our guide to merging Facebook Pages explains the process.
From one chat, Outfeed AI schedules text, single-photo and single-video posts to Facebook Pages and eight other networks (TikTok posts publish as private while TikTok reviews the app), but it doesn’t add check-ins or locations, so tag places in Facebook itself.
Plan your Page’s posts in Outfeed AI
Stuck for something to post from your business? Our Facebook post ideas for Pages has 40 of them, and the best time to post on Facebook covers timing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check in on Facebook on my phone?
In the Facebook app, tap What’s on your mind? at the top of your Feed, tap Check in, then search for a nearby location or pick one from the list. Optionally add a photo, tag friends and choose your audience, then tap Next and Share. Meta says to turn on Location Services for Facebook before checking into a nearby location.
Why isn’t the check-in option showing on Facebook?
Start with the Facebook app’s location permission. Meta says you need Location Services turned on for Facebook before checking into a nearby location, and the setting is only available in the Facebook app for iPhone, iPad and Android. On iPhone, allow While Using the App; on Android, choose Allow only while using app or Ask every time.
Can I check in on Facebook without making it public?
Yes. A check-in is a post, so you choose its audience before you post. Meta says that if a check-in is shared with Public, the people who manage that location’s Page can see it, and that if it’s shared with any other audience, it isn’t shared with the Page’s managers.
Can I add a check-in to a post I already shared?
Yes, if it’s your own post. Open the post’s Options menu, choose Edit post, then Check in (on iPhone, tap Location first), search for or select a place and save. You can only edit posts you shared yourself, so you can’t add a place to someone else’s post.
How do I let customers check in to my business on Facebook?
Add your business address to your Page and make sure its map pin is in the right place. Meta says only people with Facebook access to a Page can edit its address, that without a correctly set pin certain actions like check-ins and tagging won’t be available for the Page, and that it may take a few days before tagging and check-ins are enabled. Meta adds that a Page may need to meet other requirements too.