How to Download Facebook Videos: Your Own, Saved and Others

Facebook lets you download videos you uploaded yourself, usually from the three-dot menu on the video. The Save option does not create a file. It adds the video to a private list inside Facebook so you can find it again later. Videos posted by other people have no built-in download button, and saving them to your device is often restricted by Facebook’s terms and by copyright.

How do you download a video you posted yourself?

On a computer, open your profile, go to Videos, and open the video you want. Select the three-dot menu and choose the download option if it appears, then pick where the file is saved. On the mobile app, open the video, tap the three-dot menu and look for an option to save or download the video to your device. The exact wording and position of menu items change from time to time, so look for the closest match to “download video” on your screen.

The file you get is a copy of what you uploaded, as processed by Facebook. Facebook compresses uploads, so the quality can be lower than your original recording. If you still have the original on your phone or camera, that copy is the best one to keep.

What does the Save option do?

Save is a bookmark. Choosing Save on a post or video adds it to your Saved items, where you can sort it into collections. Nothing is stored on your device, and you cannot watch the video offline. If the original poster deletes the video or changes who can see it, it disappears from your Saved list too.

Saving is the right choice when you want to come back to a video later and have no need for a file.

Can you download videos from other people’s profiles or pages?

Facebook does not offer a download button for videos that belong to someone else. Content posted by other people is protected by copyright, and Facebook’s terms of service limit what you may do with it. Downloading with a third-party tool may break those terms and can be unlawful if you then copy or share the video without permission.

Better options exist. Ask the person who posted the video to send you the original file or to download it for you. If the video is public and you want to share it, use the Share button, which keeps the poster’s name and privacy settings attached. For a video you made together with someone, such as an event recording, ask the other person for a copy.

Be careful with websites and apps that claim to download any Facebook video. Many are covered in ads, and some push unwanted software or ask for your login details. Never enter your Facebook password into a site that is not Facebook. A look at safe online file converters explains what to check before you use a web tool at all.

How can you get all of your own videos at once?

Facebook’s data download tool exports a copy of your information, and you can limit it to posts and media. You choose the date range, the format and the quality, and Facebook prepares the file for you to download. The steps are explained in the guide on downloading a copy of your Facebook data. This is the practical method if you want a backup of years of uploads before leaving Facebook or closing an account.

The Facebook Help Center at Facebook has current instructions for each device, since menus differ between the website, the Android app and the iPhone app.

What if the download option is missing?

• Check that you are logged in to the account that posted the video, not a personal profile when the video was posted by a Page you manage.
• Update the app, or try a browser on a computer, which often shows more options.
• Videos posted by a Page may be downloadable from the Page’s own tools. Page admins can look in the Page’s video library.
• Live videos can sometimes be downloaded after the broadcast ends, from the same menu.

Quick answers

Is a saved Facebook video stored on my phone?

No. A saved video stays on Facebook and is only added to your Saved list. You need a connection to watch it.

Does downloading my own video lower its quality?

The downloaded file is the version Facebook stores, which can be more compressed than your original upload. Keep original files when quality matters.

Is downloading a video from YouTube any different?

Each platform sets its own rules. The guide to downloading YouTube videos legally covers what Premium and your own uploads allow.