# Facebook: Adding names to photos **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237 "2017-09-13T14:03:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/1 "2017-09-13T14:03:08Z")
I posted a bunch of photos I shot at an aunt’s 90th birthday last year. Facebook tagged many of the people with their names, but those who are not on FB have ‘Type any name’ when I hover over some faces. So I attempted to ‘type any name’. It shows a list of FB member names. If I type, say, a cousin’s name, FB changes it to the first name on the drop-down list. I can choose another name from the drop-down list, but I can’t seem to just enter a name without it linking to an erroneous profile. So how do I ‘type any name’ and not have FB choose a name for me? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/2 "2017-09-13T14:13:41Z")
I don’t think you can. If you want to tag a face, it lists FB members with matching names, so it can send the people you tag a note saying you’ve tagged them. If you want to keep a record for some general purpose, I wouldn’t use Facebook, but if it’s just to tell other FB users who everybody in the photo is, just list them in the text box that goes with a photo posting. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/3 "2017-09-13T15:12:17Z")
Just keep typing, type out the whole name you want to use and put a space at the end if FB is coming up with a match to that exact name. You can use plain text for tagging, not connected to any FB profile. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/4 "2017-09-13T15:46:19Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Just keep typing, type out the whole name you want to use and put a space at the end if FB is coming up with a match to that exact name. You can use plain text for tagging, not connected to any FB profile. That doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/5 "2017-09-13T16:06:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That doesn’t work. Just worked for me a second ago. Are you on a phone or computer? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/6 "2017-09-13T16:15:22Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Just worked for me a second ago. Are you on a phone or computer? I’m on a computer. I type the name and (in this case) I get two FB ‘matches’. If I type a space after the name, the suggested links do not go away. If I type a character after the space, for example, I type ‘Firstname Lastname cousin’, the FB links go away. But I don’t want to put ‘[space] cousin’ after the name because she’s not everyone’s cousin. She’s also someone’s daughter or sister. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/7 "2017-09-13T16:55:06Z")
Use another symbol. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/8 "2017-09-13T20:23:27Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Use another symbol. > > * * * > > It’s too late. I don’t think it’s too late. If you’re the person who added a tag Facebook will let you delete or change the tag. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/9 "2017-09-13T21:08:16Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I don’t think it’s too late. If you’re the person who added a tag Facebook will let you delete or change the tag. It lets me delete it, but not change it. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/10 "2017-09-14T02:02:13Z")
Just remove the tag and add another one. Type whatever name you want, hit escape to close the recommendations, and then enter to save the name as-typed. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-adding-names-to-photos/796237/11 "2017-09-14T10:31:05Z")
Speaking for those of us not on Facebook and would prefer not to have a Facebook presence, it might not be particularly polite to give their names unless they’ve given you permission to do so. I certainly wouldn’t want you to do that.