If you’re having trouble posting or connecting accounts in Postful, this guide covers the how to troubleshoot common issues with Postful from network connections, permissions, authentication problems, and posting errors.
Network Connection Issues #
Social accounts can disconnect for several reasons, including password changes, expired permissions, or revoking Postful’s access. When this happens, you’ll need to reconnect the account.
Why accounts disconnect #
- You changed your password on the social network
- Permissions for Postful expired or were modified
- You revoked Postful’s access on the social platform
- Authentication expired shortly before a scheduled post
- A publishing attempt failed due to an authentication error
How to reconnect (recommended) #
- Open Settings → Your Networks
- Click Disconnect next to the affected account
- Click Connect to reauthorize
- Log in and accept all requested permissions
Resetting access from the social platform #
Sometimes the social network holds stale or partial permissions.
- Go to the social network’s settings
- Find Connected Apps or Business Integrations
- Revoke Postful’s access
- Return to Postful → Settings → Your Networks
- Reconnect the account
Account Permission Issues #
Even if an account connects successfully, missing permissions can prevent publishing.
Instagram requirements #
To publish to Instagram, you must have:
- A Business or Creator account
- All relevant permissions accepted during login
LinkedIn requirements #
To publish to a LinkedIn Page:
- You must be a Super Admin for that Page
- All necessary permissions must be accepted when connecting
If your role changes or permissions were previously denied, disconnect and reconnect to update access.
Authentication Expiration #
Social networks regularly expire authentication tokens. When that happens, scheduled posts may be unable to publish.
How Postful handles expiring authentication #
Postful will notify you:
- 5 days before authentication expires
- 1 day before expiration
If authentication expires before a scheduled post:
- The post is saved as a draft for the affected networks
- Other networks in the same post (if any) will publish normally
How to fix it #
Reconnect the affected network from Settings → Your Networks, then republish the draft.
Pre-Flight Errors (Issues Detected Before Publishing) #
Pre-flight errors occur while composing a post—before Postful attempts to publish.
Common causes #
- Exceeds character limits
- Unsupported image or file type
- Missing required text or media
- Image or video dimensions not supported
How pre-flight errors appear #
- Badges or warnings in the network selector
- Inline flags in the editor (e.g., character overages)
What happens #
- Affected networks will not publish
- Unaffected networks will publish normally
- If you attempt to publish anyway, Postful creates a draft for the affected networks
Fix the flagged issues and republish.
In-Flight Errors (Issues During Publishing) #
In-flight errors occur after you click “Post,” while Postful communicates with the social network.
How in-flight errors appear #
- Error messages appear in the publishing modal during progress
What happens #
- Successful networks publish normally
- Failed networks can be retried
- If errors persist, the content becomes a draft in the Posts page
Common causes #
- Expired authentication (reconnect the network)
- Temporary social network outages (retry later)
- Local network instability (check your internet connection)
Post Not Appearing on the Social Network #
If your post doesn’t appear, it’s almost always due to an in-flight error or recent disconnection.
Things to check #
- Ensure the account is still connected
- Check the Posts page for a draft or error message
- Confirm your internet connection was stable when posting
If problems continue, contact support@postful.ai.