Why social accounts disconnect

Hootsuite uses access tokens to connect to your social accounts. Social networks provide these tokens. When an access token expires or becomes invalid, you must reconnect your social account to Hootsuite (see Reconnect a social account). Doing this generates a new token.

Each social network has policies and security algorithms meant to keep its users’ accounts and data secure. When a social network identifies certain actions on an account, it forces the account's token to expire, which causes the account to disconnect from Hootsuite.

Hootsuite, like all external partners of social networks, is subject to these security measures. They are often more stringent for third parties than what you may experience using the social network itself. While disconnections can be frustrating, they occur to protect you.

While some periodic disconnections are expected, you can avoid many others by adhering to some best practices. Safeguard against social account disconnections.

Token expiration

Tokens expire due to the following:

1. Manual updates to your account settings, like changing a password.
2. The social networks forcing tokens to expire as a security measure.
3. Tokens reaching the end of their built-in lifespans.

A. Changes to account settings that result in disconnection
Hootsuite depends on settings you maintain in each social network. Making changes in a social network, such as X or Instagram, can result in your account disconnecting from Hootsuite. Here are some changes that cause disconnections:

• You change your username or password for a social account connected to Hootsuite. For example, if you sign in to Facebook and change your password, your Facebook account disconnects from Hootsuite.
• You revoke Hootsuite’s access to your social account. Social accounts have settings that list which apps have permission to connect to your social account. Hootsuite must remain on that list if you want to publish to that social account from Hootsuite. If you manually revoke Hootsuite access from the social account settings, your account disconnects from Hootsuite. See Revoke Hootsuite access to a social account.
• If the user who added a social account to Hootsuite loses their Admin status or access to a account, the account disconnects from Hootsuite.

B. Security measures that result in disconnection
To keep your social account secure, a social network might disconnect the account from Hootsuite when it identifies certain behaviors. The following behaviors are likely to get flagged and should be avoided as a best practice:

• Using alias usernames that don’t appear to be real names.
• Logging in with the same account credentials from different IP addresses. In other words, sharing logins between users or devices.
• Publishing content that gets flagged for copyright violations or other inappropriate content.

C. Token lifespans for each social network
Tokens from each social network can have built-in expiration dates, so that they don’t grant access to information forever. Disconnection can be expected based on each social network’s authentication policy.

Top disconnection reasons

Hootsuite displays the specific reason for your disconnections whenever possible. The following sections describe the most common errors we receive from each social network, along with recommendations to prevent them:

Facebook and Instagram Business

The following sections describe the top reasons for Facebook and Instagram Business disconnection.

Facebook password or security alert

This is the most common reason that Facebook or Instagram Business accounts get disconnected. We receive this message from Facebook when:

• Your Facebook account password gets updated.
• Facebook has detected what it thinks is a suspicious login attempt to your account. This includes logging in from a device or web browser that Facebook doesn’t recognize. To protect your account, Facebook disconnects any third-party tools, like Hootsuite. Here’s what you can do to avoid this in future:
  • Avoid using alias usernames for your Facebook accounts. Use the same name on Facebook that you use in everyday life, so people know who they’re connecting with.
  • Don’t share your Facebook account credentials (username and password) with anyone else. Team members managing Pages or accounts should be signing in with their own credentials.
  • Try turning on Facebook alerts for unrecognized logins. If you start getting alerts, you can tell Facebook which devices and browsers to trust in the future. See the Facebook help article Get alerts about unrecognized logins to Facebook.

Facebook access revoked

When you connect your Facebook account to Hootsuite, Hootsuite is authorized in your Facebook account’s Business Integrations. If Hootsuite is removed from the authorized connections list, its access to your Facebook account is revoked and your Facebook account, including all your Pages and associated Instagram Business accounts, are disconnected from Hootsuite.

Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Hootsuite. Make sure you and your team understand the consequences of revoking Hootsuite’s access to a Facebook account. See Revoke Hootsuite access to a social account.

Facebook security checkpoint

When Facebook thinks your account security may be compromised, it triggers a security check when you log in. Security checks are different ways of confirming your identity. For example, they might ask you to identify friends in a tagged photo, or provide your date of birth. This needs to be completed before you or Hootsuite can access the account.

Actions that can trigger security checks include:

• Compromised accounts
• Unrecognized logins
• Incomplete setup of two-factor authentication
• Reports of inappropriate content
• Copyright violations

To resolve the issue and unblock your account, do the following:

1. Clear the cookies and history from your browser.
2. Go to facebook.com and sign in to your Facebook account.
3. Follow the instructions to complete the security check provided.
4. Wait another 24 hours before signing in to your Facebook account.

If you encounter an issue completing the security check, reach out to Facebook.

To reduce the risk of triggering a security check in future

• Review your account’s Security and Login settings and set up all available security measures.
• Ensure that two-factor authentication is set up. Incomplete configuration can trigger security checks.
• For more ways to keep your account secure, see the Facebook help article Keep your Facebook account secure.

Facebook token expired

Facebook supplies tokens that allow Hootsuite to access and connect to your account. When a token expires, your Facebook account, including all your Pages and associated Instagram Business accounts, disconnect from Hootsuite.

This disconnection occurs with the following actions:

• The token has reached its built-in expiration date.
  • Tokens have built-in expiration dates for security so that a single token can’t grant access to your information forever. You will need to reconnect your Facebook account on a regular basis to get a new token and confirm Hootsuite is still authorized to access your Facebook account.
• The user who connected the account to Hootsuite is no longer an admin of the Facebook Page or account.
  • To add a Facebook Page to Hootsuite, your Facebook user must be an admin of the Page. If your admin role is later removed, the Page will disconnect from Hootsuite. See Connect a Facebook account for details on the required permissions.
    
    Make sure that all your Page and account admins know which user is authorizing Hootsuite’s access. That user needs to remain listed as a Page admin or account admin.

Unconfirmed Facebook account

This error means there’s an issue with your account that you need to resolve on Facebook before you can reconnect it to Hootsuite. Sign in to your Facebook account to see what Facebook needs you to do to resolve it.

Insufficient Page role

To add a Facebook Page to Hootsuite, your Facebook account must have a Page role of Admin or Editor if it's a classic Page type or Facebook access with full control or partial control on a new Page type. This disconnection occurs when the user who connected the account no longer has sufficient access to the Facebook Page. Their role may have changed or their account was removed from the Page because they left the company.

Make sure that all your Page admins know which user is authorizing Hootsuite’s access. That user needs to remain listed as a Page Admin or Editor. To learn more, see the Facebook help article Manage Page Settings.

Hootsuite lacks Page permissions

This error means that Hootsuite is missing a permission it needs to complete an action on your behalf for a Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile. When Hootsuite performs the action, such as pulling analytics data from Facebook, it causes your social account to disconnect.

When you add your Facebook account to Hootsuite, you are asked to grant Hootsuite permissions to manage your Page. If you do not grant all permissions, then your account could be in a state of constant disconnection. Permissions can also be revoked in your Facebook account's business integrations, where Hootsuite is authorized as a connected app. Finally, Hootsuite may not have permissions for any newer Facebook features or recently created Pages.

Another possible reason for this disconnection for an Instagram Business profile is that it was switched to a Personal profile. You will need to switch it back to a Business profile before you can reconnect.

To reset all permissions for Hootsuite, you must remove the Hootsuite app from your Facebook account’s business integrations and then reconnect the Page in Hootsuite.

1. Ensure that your Facebook account has a Page role of Admin or Editor if it's a classic Page type or Facebook access with full control or partial control on a new Page type. See Facebook’s article See your Facebook Page role or access. Facebook requires two-factor authentication for your Facebook account if your Page is in Business Manager (see Facebook's article Turn on Two-factor Authentication for Business Manager).
2. Open another browser tab and sign in to Facebook as your personal profile. Then use this direct link to your Facebook account’s business integrations: www.facebook.com/settings?tab=business_tools
3. Select Remove next to Hootsuite.
4. Select Remove again to confirm.
5. Now reconnect your Facebook Page in Hootsuite. Go to Account, and then select Disconnected social accounts.
6. Select Reconnect next to your Page. You’ll be prompted anew to grant permissions to Hootsuite.
7. Select Continue as [your Facebook profile name]. Do not select Edit Access to change any of those settings.
8. Select Continue. Hootsuite will be granted all the necessary permissions by default. Do not select Choose what you allow to change any of the permissions.

Page restriction settings

This error means that Hootsuite can't access some of your Page's data that it has requested from Facebook. The most common cause for this is when the Page has country or age restrictions, or if the Page itself is not published.

Check your Page’s settings to see if any of these things are restricting its visibility. If the Facebook account that was used to connect the Page to Hootsuite does not meet the Page’s visibility requirements, then Hootsuite won’t be able to see the Page either. See Manage Page Settings: How do I control who can see my Page? in the Facebook Help Center.

Two-factor authentication not found

Facebook requires two-factor authentication on Facebook accounts to prevent unauthorized access to Business Manager and Pages with large audiences. You need to add this extra layer of security to your Facebook account because it meets one of the following conditions:

• Your Facebook Page is an asset in Business Manager.
• The Facebook Page associated with your Instagram Business account is an asset in Business Manager.
• Your Facebook Page has a large audience.

Use Facebook’s help article to turn on two-factor authentication for your account. Then reconnect your Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile to Hootsuite.

Learn more about Facebook’s requirements for Business Manager and Pages with large audiences.

Your Instagram account is a Creator profile

Hootsuite labels Creator profiles as Business profiles, but due to limitations from Instagram, they do not have access to direct publishing. You can either publish all your posts from Hootsuite via mobile notification or switch your Instagram account to a Business profile.

See Convert an Instagram Personal profile to a Business profile to convert your Creator profile to a Business profile and get full Instagram functionality in Hootsuite.

LinkedIn

The following sections describe the top disconnection reasons for LinkedIn.

LinkedIn token expired

LinkedIn supplies tokens that allow Hootsuite to access and connect to your account. These have built-in expiration dates for security, so that a single token can’t grant access to your information forever. When a token expires, your LinkedIn account, including your profile and Pages, disconnects from Hootsuite.

LinkedIn tokens expire every 365 days. You can expect to have to reconnect every year to get a new token and confirm Hootsuite is still authorized to access your LinkedIn account.

As an extra security measure, LinkedIn also expires tokens for inactive accounts. If you haven’t used LinkedIn in Hootsuite (scrolled through a LinkedIn stream, published to LinkedIn, or loaded Inbox) in the last 60 days during that period, your token will expire.

LinkedIn access revoked

When you connect your LinkedIn account to Hootsuite, Hootsuite is authorized as a LinkedIn permitted service. If Hootsuite is removed from LinkedIn's Permitted services, its access to your LinkedIn account is revoked and your LinkedIn account, including your profile and Pages, is disconnected from Hootsuite.

Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Hootsuite. Make sure you and your team understand the effects of revoking Hootsuite’s access to a LinkedIn account. See Revoke Hootsuite access to a social account.

Insufficient access

To connect a LinkedIn Page to Hootsuite, you must be a LinkedIn Super Admin of the Page. If you are removed from the Page’s Admin list, the Page will disconnect from Hootsuite (even if you’re still listed as another kind of Page admin).

Make sure that all your LinkedIn Page admins know which account is authorizing Hootsuite to access the Page. That user needs to remain listed as one of the Page's admins on LinkedIn.

See a list of LinkedIn Page Admin types.

Restricted profile

LinkedIn restricts access to accounts that violate its acceptable use policies. Restrictions can be temporary or permanent, depending on the violation.

Sign in to LinkedIn for information on why it was restricted, what you may need to do, and how long you need to wait before you can access it again. When you regain access to your account, you will be able to reconnect the account to Hootsuite.

Here are some reasons an account might be restricted:

• An unusually large number of page searches, profile views, connection requests, or messages from the account. These are flagged as possibly coming from a bot or automated tool.
• The name used in the account profile is not a real person or is otherwise untruthful.
• LinkedIn has detected inappropriate or illegal activity on the account.
• A history of repetitive abusive behavior on the account.
• LinkedIn has detected that the account may have been hacked or compromised. If you think your account has been hacked, report it to LinkedIn right away.

Here are some tips to avoid restrictions in future:

• Don’t create a new account if your current one gets restricted. Each LinkedIn user is only allowed one account. LinkedIn detects and restricts accounts from the same IP address or that connect with the same people and employers.
• Make sure you are familiar with and follow LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies and the Dos and Don’ts of their User Agreement. Violating these terms results in restrictions.
• If you plan to conduct an unusual number of page searches, profile views, connection requests, or messages, try to spread your activity on LinkedIn over a number of days.
• Try using a different browser to see if an application in your default browser is generating high levels of activity on your account.
• See LinkedIn’s help article for best practices for keeping your account secure.

X

The following sections describe the top disconnection reasons for X.

Locked X account

When X thinks account security may be compromised, it temporarily locks the account, which disconnects it from Hootsuite. Accounts are locked when X detects suspicious behavior that violates X Rules or Terms of Service.

Before you can reconnect your X account to Hootsuite, sign in to X to restore your account.

To reduce the risk of having your account locked in the future, see X’s help article Help with my compromised account.

X access revoked

When you connect your X account to Hootsuite, Hootsuite is authorized as a connected app. If Hootsuite is removed from the authorized connections list, its access to your X account is revoked and your X account is disconnected from Hootsuite.

Revoking access to a social account can be a necessary troubleshooting step. It starts you with a clean slate before you reconnect that account to Hootsuite. Make sure you and your team understand the effects of revoking Hootsuite’s access to an X account. See Revoke Hootsuite access to a social account.

Suspended X account

X suspends access to accounts that violate its rules, or that may have been hacked. Go to X to understand why it was suspended. Sometimes accounts are suspended by mistake. If you are unable to unsuspend your account, you’ll need to file an appeal with X.

When you regain access to your account, you will be able to reconnect the account to Hootsuite.

Accounts are most commonly suspended for being the following:

• Fake or containing spam.
• Hacked, to prevent potentially malicious activity.
• Reported for abusive behavior.

To prevent account suspension:

• Make sure you’re familiar with and follow the X Rules of conduct.
• See the X help article About rules and best practices.
• See the X help article About account security for options to keep your account secure.

Threads

The following section describes the top disconnection reason for Threads.

Threads token expired

Threads supplies tokens that allow Hootsuite to access and connect to your account. These have built-in expiration dates for security, so that a single token can’t grant access to your information forever. When a token expires, your Threads account disconnects from Hootsuite.

TikTok

Hootsuite doesn’t get many disconnection errors from TikTok. If your account does get disconnected from Hootsuite, start by reconnecting the account. If you can’t reconnect, go to TikTok and sign in for information on why your account is having issues. Most commonly, TikTok suspends accounts that violate its community guidelines or that may have been hacked. See TikTok’s help article Content violations and bans to learn more.