Post to Instagram and Facebook with Auto-Refreshed Meta Tokens

How to Generate a Facebook Short-Lived Access Token for Instagram + Facebook Page Posting ### What You Need * A Facebook account * A Facebook Page (must be linked to an Instagram Business account if you plan to post to IG) * Access to Meta for Developers --- Step-by-Step: How to Generate Your Short-Lived Token #### 1. Go to Meta for Developers * Visit: https://developers.facebook.com/apps * Log in with your Facebook credentials #### 2. Create a New App * Click the blue Create App button * Choose Other as the app type * On the next screen, select Business * Enter an app name and contact email, then click Create App #### 3. Open the App Dashboard * After creation, you’ll be redirected to the app’s dashboard * This is where you’ll manage products, permissions, and tokens #### 4. Add Products * In the left sidebar, scroll down to Add Product * Click Set Up on both: * Instagram Graph API * Facebook Graph API (If missing it is automatically setup when you create the app) > If you do not see the "Add Product" section, your app may already be locked to a specific template or be in Live mode. You can still continue to the Graph API Explorer. #### 5. Go to the Graph API Explorer * Visit: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer/ * In the top-right dropdown, select your app * Under "User or Page", keep User Token selected #### 6. Generate a User Access Token * Click Get Token > Get User Access Token * A permissions dialog will appear #### 7. Select the Required Permissions (Scopes) Check the following boxes: * pages_show_list * pages_read_engagement * pages_manage_posts * instagram_basic * instagram_content_publish > These allow you to post to both Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts. Some may require approval for production use. #### 8. Authenticate and Authorize * A pop-up will prompt you to log into Facebook and approve the app * Be sure to authorize access to your Facebook Page and linked Instagram account #### 9. Copy the Short-Lived Token * After successful login, the Graph API Explorer will refresh * Your new short-lived token will appear in the top bar * Copy it immediately — this token is valid for 1–2 hours