Troubleshooting issues with suggested media and link details

When you paste a link into the Buffer composer, we’ll scan the page and suggest images and metadata (like title and description) for your post. If your link preview isn't looking quite right, this guide explains how Buffer pulls in that information, how you can optimize your site, and how to troubleshoot any issues.
In this article:

How Buffer finds images from URLs

When you add a link to the Buffer composer, Buffer uses a scraper to scan the page for images and then suggests them to use with your post. Here’s how it works:
  • The scraper checks for Open Graph tags (like og:image ) in the HTML.
  • It then scans the first 24 images, in groups of 8, until it finds at least 5 that meet certain requirements.
  • Only the first 15 valid images will be considered for Suggested Media.
  • Buffer checks that each image has a width or height attribute and that the image is large enough (at least 200x200 pixels) and reasonably square.
If the first 8 images are valid, Buffer stops there and uses those as the Suggested Media. This keeps things efficient and fast.

Tip: A properly formatted image might look like this:

  <img src="link-to-your-image" width="600"/>

What metadata does Buffer use to generate link previews? 

Buffer looks for the following Open Graph tags when pulling in link previews:
  • og:title → Link title
  • og:description → Link description
  • og:image → Image preview
We recommend following the Open Graph Protocol when setting up your website so that Buffer (and other platforms) can pull the correct information.

Pro tip: To ensure your preferred image is always shown (regardless of size or shape), use the Open Graph tag like this:

<meta property="og:image" content="link-to-your-image"/>

How to validate your link 

To check what metadata is available for your link, we suggest using the Facebook Sharing Debugger or Buffer's scraper debugging tool.
Paste your URL there to:
  • See which metadata is available
  • Confirm which images are being pulled
  • Refresh Facebook's (and Buffer’s) cached version of your link

📝 Please note, these guidelines are for those who are sharing links to pages that they own and have control over. If you are sharing links to websites that you do not own, it is not possible to control which images are pulled in.

Forbidden Error or 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

What it means: The website is blocking Buffer’s scraper.
Why it happens: Buffer identifies itself using a custom HTTP header called x-Bufferbot . Some servers block unknown headers or bots by default.
How to fix it:
  • Ask your developer to allow the x-Bufferbot header on the server.
  • If you're using Cloudflare, disable Bot Fight Mode or create a firewall rule to allow Buffer’s scraper. This Cloudflare guide may help.

ESOCKETTIMEDOUT

What it means: It took too long for Buffer to scrape the link.
How to fix it: The website may need performance improvements. Try running your URL through Google PageSpeed Insights for optimization tips.
Sometimes, Buffer’s scraper debugger doesn't show an error, but the link preview still doesn’t generate correctly. In this case, we recommend checking your browser’s console for a 403 error.
To check:
  1. Right-click on the page and choose Inspect
  2. Open the Console tab
  3. Look for 403 or other network-related errors
If you see a 403 error, it's likely the server is still blocking Buffer. Refer back to the steps above about allowing the x-Bufferbot header.

Best practices for optimizing your site for Buffer

Here are a few tips to ensure Buffer can pull the correct content from your links:
  • Add proper Open Graph tags to your HTML (og:title , og:description , og:image )
  • Place your og:image tag near the top of your page’s HTML
  • Use valid image formats and recommended sizes
  • Avoid blocking bots like Buffer’s in your firewall or server settings
  • Test and refresh your link using the Facebook Sharing Debugger

Still need help?

If you've tried the suggestions above and things still aren’t working as expected, feel free to reach out to us at hello@buffer.com — we're always happy to help!
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.