What tag approval does and how to turn it on
Tag approval is a Facebook setting that lets you review posts and photos before they're linked to your profile. When someone tags you in a post or photo, it won't show on your timeline or in your profile until you approve it. This gives you control over what appears connected to your name.
By default, Facebook allows tags to appear on your profile when ready. To change this, you need to turn on tag review in your privacy settings. Once it's on, every tag someone adds will sit in a queue waiting for your decision — you can approve it, decline it, or ignore it entirely.
This is different from being notified that someone tagged you. You'll get a notification either way. Tag approval just means the tag doesn't go live until you say so.
Key Takeaways
- Tag approval prevents posts and photos from appearing on your profile until you review and approve them, giving you final say over what's linked to your name.
- You turn on tag approval in Settings under Privacy, in the section labeled "Who can tag you in posts?"
- Once enabled, tags wait in a notification queue — you can approve them one at a time or bulk-review them whenever you check your notifications.
- Declining a tag removes it completely; the post still exists but your name is no longer attached to it.
- Tag approval applies to all tags from everyone, including friends — there's no way to require approval from strangers only.
How to enable tag approval in your privacy settings
Open Facebook and click the downward arrow in the top right corner of the screen. Select Settings and privacy, then click Settings. On the left side, you'll see a menu — click Privacy.
Look for the section that says Who can tag you in posts? You'll see a dropdown menu next to it, usually set to Friends or Public. Click that dropdown and select Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook. This is the setting that turns on tag approval.
Facebook will ask you to confirm. Click the confirmation button, and tag approval is now active. You don't need to save anything — the change takes effect when ready.
Where to find and review pending tags
When someone tags you, you'll get a notification. Click on that notification to go directly to the tag review screen. You'll see the post or photo, the person who tagged you, and the context of the tag.
You can also find all your pending tags by clicking the notification bell at the top of Facebook, then looking for tags in your notification list. If you have multiple pending tags, you can review them one at a time or scroll through several in a row.
Some people miss tag notifications and forget they're waiting. If you want to see all your pending tags at once, go back to Settings, click Privacy, and look for a link that says Review tags or See pending tags — this varies slightly depending on your device and Facebook version.
Approving, declining, or ignoring a tag
When you're looking at a pending tag, you'll see two or three buttons: Approve, Decline, and sometimes Hide. Here's what each does.
Approve means the tag goes live when ready. The post or photo now appears on your timeline and in your profile, and your name is linked to it. Anyone who visits your profile will see it.
Decline removes the tag completely. The post or photo still exists on the other person's timeline, but your name is no longer attached to it. It won't appear on your profile, and people searching for you won't find it through your profile.
Hide (if available) keeps the tag but removes it from your timeline view. It's less common and works differently depending on your device — on some versions of Facebook, this option doesn't appear at all.
If you don't take action, the tag stays pending. You can come back to it later. There's no time limit — pending tags don't expire or auto-approve.
What happens when you decline a tag
When you decline a tag, the person who tagged you is not notified. They won't receive a message saying you rejected it. However, they might notice over time that the tag didn't appear on your profile, especially if they were trying to tag you in something important.
The post itself remains on their timeline or in their photos. Other people can still see it and interact with it. Your name is straightforward removed from it. If the post is about you specifically — for example, a photo of you at an event — declining the tag doesn't remove the post; it just breaks the link between you and it.
You can decline as many tags as you want. There's no penalty or limit. Some people decline tags from events they didn't attend, unflattering photos, or posts they straightforward don't want associated with their profile.
Tag approval and group posts
Tag approval works on posts in groups, but with one difference: group admins and moderators can sometimes override tag approval settings. If a group is set to allow admins to post on behalf of members, those posts might appear on your profile without your approval first.
If you're in a group where this is happening and you don't want it, you can leave the group or adjust your group privacy settings. Go to the group, click Settings, and look for options about who can tag you or post on your behalf.
For most groups and most tags, however, tag approval works the same way — you review and approve before the tag goes live.
Turning off tag approval if you change your mind
If you decide you want tags to appear on your profile automatically again, go back to Settings, click Privacy, and find the section Who can tag you in posts? Click the dropdown and select Friends, Public, or No one — whichever you prefer. Any of these options turns off tag review.
Once you turn off tag approval, any pending tags that were waiting for your review will be automatically approved and will appear on your profile. If you have tags you wanted to decline, decline them before you turn off tag approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I require tag approval from some people but not others?
No. Tag approval is an all-or-nothing setting — it applies to everyone, including close friends and family. If you turn it on, you'll review tags from everyone. Facebook doesn't offer a way to require approval only from strangers or only from certain groups of people.
Will the person who tagged me know if I decline the tag?
No. They won't receive a notification that you declined it. They might eventually notice the tag didn't appear on your profile, but Facebook doesn't send them a message about it.
What if I approve a tag by mistake?
You can remove it. Go to the post or photo on your profile, click the three dots in the corner, and select Remove tag. This unlinks you from the post the same way declining does, except the post still exists on the other person's timeline.
Do pending tags expire or disappear?
No. Tags stay pending until you take action on them. You can leave them sitting in your notifications indefinitely. They won't auto-approve or disappear on their own.
Can I see all my pending tags in one place?
Yes. Go to Settings, click Privacy, and look for a link to review pending tags. The exact wording varies, but it's usually near the tag approval setting. This shows you all tags waiting for your review at once.