Refreshing a Channel in Publlish

Learn when and how to refresh a social media channel connection in Publlish. Fix expired token errors, reconnection issues, and keep your TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn channels posting reliably.

Social media platforms use access tokens to allow tools like Publlish to post on your behalf. These tokens expire over time — it's a standard security measure used by every platform. When a token expires, your channel in Publlish loses its ability to publish, and you'll start seeing connection errors or failed posts.

Refreshing a channel renews the token and restores the connection without having to fully disconnect and reconnect.

When to Refresh a Channel

You should refresh a channel when you see any of the following:

A warning icon or "Reconnection required" message next to a channel in your Channels list
Posts failing with errors like "Invalid token", "Expired access token", or "Cannot authenticate"
A channel showing as disconnected or greyed out in Publlish
Posts that were previously publishing successfully have suddenly stopped
You recently changed your password on a social platform
You recently updated app permissions on a social platform

Publlish will usually notify you when a channel needs refreshing, but it's worth checking your Channels list proactively if you notice unusual publishing behaviour.

How to Refresh a Channel

In your Publlish dashboard, click Channels in the left sidebar
Find the channel showing the connection warning or error
Click the Refresh button next to that channel
You'll be redirected to the platform to re-authorise Publlish — log in with the account that manages the channel and grant the required permissions
Once authorised, you'll be returned to Publlish and the channel will show a green connected status

The refresh process takes less than a minute for most platforms.

Platform-Specific Refresh Notes

Instagram Instagram tokens are tied to Facebook authorisation. When refreshing Instagram, you'll log in through Facebook — make sure you use the Facebook account that has Admin access to the Page linked to your Instagram. Instagram connection guide →

Facebook Pages and Groups After refreshing, check that all permissions are still active. If you declined any permissions during the refresh flow, some features may not work correctly. Facebook error library →

TikTok TikTok tokens tend to expire more frequently than other platforms. If your TikTok channel disconnects often, make sure you're using a Business or Creator account, as personal accounts have shorter token lifespans.

LinkedIn LinkedIn requires re-authorisation every few months as a platform security policy. This is expected and not a Publlish issue.

YouTube Google/YouTube tokens generally last longer but can expire if you change your Google account password or revoke app access. Refresh through the same Google account used during initial connection.

X (Twitter) X tokens can be invalidated by changing your X password or updating X's app permission settings. Refresh from Channels if you've made any security changes to your X account.

What to Do If Refreshing Doesn't Work

If clicking Refresh doesn't restore the connection, try the full reconnection flow:

Go to Channels and click Disconnect next to the problem channel
Confirm the disconnection
Click Connect a Channel and go through the full connection process again
Make sure you're logged into the correct account on the social platform before starting

If the channel still won't connect after a full reconnection, check the platform-specific error library for your channel:

What Happens to Scheduled Posts During a Disconnection

Any posts scheduled while your channel was disconnected will have failed. You'll see them flagged in your Queue as failed posts. Once you've refreshed the connection:

Go to your Queue and filter for failed posts
Review each failed post
Reschedule them for a new time

Posts in your queue that haven't fired yet (future-dated posts) should still publish normally once the connection is restored, as long as they're scheduled for a time after you complete the refresh.

Preventing Frequent Disconnections

Social media tokens expire, but there are things you can do to minimise disruption:

Don't change passwords without refreshing Publlish connections immediately after — password changes instantly invalidate tokens
Post regularly — platforms sometimes expire tokens for accounts with no recent activity
Grant all permissions during connection and refresh flows — partial permissions can cause connections to be less stable
Keep your Publlish account's email notifications active — Publlish sends an alert when a channel needs attention

Full best practices for keeping channels connected →

Frequently Asked Questions

How often do I need to refresh my channels in Publlish? It varies by platform. Instagram and LinkedIn typically need refreshing every few months. Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube vary but usually last longer. Publlish will notify you when a refresh is needed.

Do I need to disconnect and reconnect, or is refreshing enough? In most cases, clicking Refresh is enough. A full disconnect and reconnect is only needed if the Refresh fails to restore the connection.

Will refreshing a channel affect my scheduled posts? No. Refreshing a connection doesn't change your queue, scheduled posts, or any settings. It only renews the authentication token.

Why did my channel disconnect after I changed my password? Changing a platform password invalidates existing access tokens for all connected apps — this is a standard security measure on all social platforms. Always refresh your Publlish connections immediately after changing a password.

My channel shows as connected but posts are still failing — what do I do? Try refreshing the channel anyway — sometimes the connected status shows green even when the token is close to expiry. If failures continue after refreshing, check the relevant error library for your platform.