Did Facebook forced you to it’s new 2020 layout ?. But, You still miss the old classic layout and want’s to switch back ?. Is your Browser plugins or extensions no longer works , Because of the Facebook new layout ?. Fear not , You can still switch it back to the old layout. But ,Why ? . you might ask . The old Facebook layout or theme is very simple and easy to use . There was no major theme or layout change in decades .But , This is the biggest layout change they ever made . So, people who are familiar with the old layout may feel lost in the new Layout. Because , lot of options and features have been removed or relocated. So , Until you are get used to new layout , You can still go back to the classic theme and do your things . Facebook ditching the old classic layout all together and they wants their users to experience the new layout . Even if they don’t like it .In this tutorial , I will show you how to switch back to old layout . However , This method might not work in the future . Because , Facebook no longer wants to keep the old classic theme in their platform . They are doing their best to prevent using the old Facebook layout .
Switch to old Facebook
There are mainly two methods we are going to use . The first method doesn’t involves any use of third party tools . In that method we are going to take advantage of Facebook switch back to old layout privilege that given to page admins (Temporally) . The second method involves use of web browser extension to switch back to old Facebook layout .
First Method
However this method may not work for everyone since it has some requirements .The first requirement for this method to work is , You need to have a old Facebook page connected to your profile .The page should be created before mid 2020 .Finally , You need to have an administrative page role . This method will not work For fresh pages.
Switch back to old classic Facebook
Go to the page that connected your Facebook profile .On the top left of the page you will see a button link Switch Now . Click on it . wait for a moment until page changes to old page layout. Go back to your profile , you will see your Facebook in old classic mode .By doing this you can keep the Facebook in classic layout for up to 48 hours . But , what if you want Facebook more than 48 hours ?. After 48 hours , Your account will switch back to new layout automatically . If you need the classic layout back , Follow the same steps mentioned above. However , Facebook allows you to switch back to classic layout this way without a limitation .But , Not sure about the future .
What is the point of this?. you might ask .Some extensions or plugins such as DownAlbum will not work in the new Facebook layout .This trick will allow you to switch back to Facebook classic theme and use those extensions or plugins without any problems.
Switch to new Facebook layout
The next question is how to switch to new layout before 48hrs .in the home page click on the drop down icon (▼) at the top-right corner and select Switch to New Facebook from the drop down list.
However , lets say you don’t have a old Facebook page associate with your Facebook profile and you asked someone you know to add you to their page roles as an editor or admin. Technically this should work , Right ?. But, Unfortunately this will not work .Facebook will not allow new page roles to switch back to classic theme .
Note : So far , We have switched back and forth several times and Facebook still allows us to switch back to old Facebook classic theme.
Update [ 1/14/2021 ] – Unfortunately this method no longer works . Because , Facebook decided to remove the “Switch Now” button from every page . However , We will update this article if we were able to find a fix to this method . If you have any suggestions please let us know. Until then , Try the next method .
Second Method
This method worked perfectly until recently . The only bug in this method is that it stopped working on the Home page .But , In every other page , It works fine . However , The developers are working to fix this problem . The extension is called “Switch to Classic design on Facebook™” . It’s a simple chrome extension that will change the Facebook page code. so that , It will switch to Facebook old theme or layout .This extension will change the HTML code of the new Facebook page and change that code so that it will look like old theme . Best part of this extension is that it allows you to use other browser extensions that worked on the old layout . We will keep you update. Here is how to switch back to old Facebook with chrome or chrome based browsers (Brave..Etc)
Switch to Classic design on Facebook extension install
Open your chrome or chrome based web browser .Click Here to go to the “Switch to Classic design on Facebook™” chrome extension page. Then Click on “Add to Chrome” button. A pop-up window will appear . Click on “Add extension” button on that pop-up window. Wait for few seconds until you get a message from the extension stating that the extension has been added to chrome. Now you are done installing the extension.
Pin Switch to Classic design on Facebook™ extension
Now you have the extension added to your browser. Look at the top right of your web browser window where your pinned extension icons are at . Look for the “Switch to Classic design on Facebook™” extension icon. If you cant see it there , click on the extension button to the right .Which will show all the extensions added to your browser .Locate the “Switch to Classic design on Facebook™” extension and click on the pin icon next to it. Which will pin your extension in the web browser interface.
Now go to Facebook website and click on the “Switch to Classic design on Facebook™” extension icon on the top right of your browser window . A drop down window will appear , Click and check “classic design” . Your page will reload to classic Facebook . Since , It’s now working on the Facebook Home page , If you are in the home page you may not see the changes .But , If you go to other pages of Facebook , You will see that you are in the classic mode of Facebook .Since , Facebook is eliminating the ways to switch back to classic layout .eg- They removed the switch back to classic Facebook from settings drop down menu. We can’t guarantee these methods will work in the future .So , Enjoy the old Facebook layout while you can .
Conclusion
Facebook forcefully updated the layout to a new version . Although , No one asked for this update . You don’t have any other option but to accept it and continue using Facebook . Lot of people loved the old Facebook layout . It was simple and very easy to use . Some of the users just stopped using Facebook and moved to other social media sites . But , Some of them liked the new layout . We must admit the new layout it’s very confusing to old users . Hard to find the menus and features .Because , They relocated most of them. Facebook used to allow users to switch back to old layout. Unfortunately , They removed any means to switch back to old layout . But , There are alternative methods to go back to using the old layout . Some of these methods may not work as Facebook removes them . Luckily , We have some of these methods that still works .
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the first method still valid ?
No , Facebook have removed the ability to switch back to old layout for page Admins . This method no longer works .
Is there anyway switch back without using a extension or plugin ?
Unfortunately , No . Using the extension is the only working method . But , If we were able to do such thing without a plugin or extension , We will update this article .
Any privacy concerns should be aware of using the extension ?
If you are concerned about your privacy please reach out to the creator of this extension . But , In their Privacy Practices page they claims they doesn’t collect any data.
Why Homepage still looks the same ?
Yes , This happened recently . The extension doesn’t work on the home page of Facebook . Although , The home page is in new layout , Other pages will be in the old layout . The developers of this extension are working on this and may fix it in no time .
- Disclaimer – The content of this article may change over the time . The methods that we used in this article may or may not work in future . Because , Facebook platform changes all the time . The options and menus may relocated as the Facebook layout changes . In such case ,Please google to find the specific menus and options in Facebook . We don’t have any connections with the plugin creator or their companies . This is not a promotion for those parties. This Tutorial does not involves any illegal activities nor encourages to do such . The extension we used to get back the old Facebook layout may or may not violate the TOS of Facebook platform .Please read the TOS before using such tools . We are not responsible for any damage caused by using these tools . Use it at your own risk .
Author : Janaka Jayathilake
12/11/2020