If you’re using the Instagram Graph API (or any Meta‑based endpoint) to publish images or videos, a new restriction is now in place:
“Media download has failed. The media URI doesn’t meet our requirements.”
This error appears when you try to use a Google Drive link (even a “direct” download link) as the media source.
What changed?
Meta now requires the URL to point directly to the raw media file – no redirects, no auth‑tokens, no HTML wrappers.
Google Drive links always contain redirects and token‑based endpoints, so they no longer meet the new criteria.
Here are alternatives:
Host on a public server or CDN
Serve the file with correct Content-Type headers. Best for production, low latency, and full control.
AWS S3 (public-read)
Upload to S3 and use the public URL. Scalable, inexpensive, and reliable.
Dropbox direct download
Add ?dl=1 to the share link. Works now but may break in the future.
n8n binary + webhook
Save the file locally (/tmp/video.mp4), expose it via a public webhook, and submit that URL to the API. Fast, no extra cost, and great for prototypes.
How I solved it with n8n
Save the binary media from the workflow to a local path (e.g., /tmp/video.mp4).
Create a public webhook in n8n that serves the file with the correct Content‑Type (e.g., video/mp4 or image/jpeg).
Use the webhook URL as video_url / image_url in the Instagram/Meta Graph API request.
Result: The API fetches the file directly—no redirects, no authentication—so the upload succeeds without errors.
Why this works now
Meta’s media upload requirements (updated late 2024 / early 2025) now enforce:
Direct URL to the raw file
No redirects or authentication tokens
Proper media headers (e.g., video/mp4, image/jpeg)
By hosting the file on a public, static endpoint (your own server, CDN, S3, or a simple webhook), you satisfy these new rules and keep your automation running smoothly.
Takeaway
If you’re still using Google Drive links for Instagram/Meta uploads, switch to a direct, public URL today. It’s the only reliable way to keep your automated social‑media publishing pipeline alive.