How to Save Videos From Facebook

This article explains how to download any video from Facebook to watch on your device anytime, without internet access. These instructions work on both a computer or a mobile device.

How to Save a Video That You Posted on Facebook

Media uploaded to Facebook can serve as a backup if you lose the original file. To retrieve a video from Facebook that you uploaded:

1. Sign in to Facebook on your laptop or desktop computer and go to your profile page.

2. Go to the header menu and hover the cursor over More.

3. Select Videos.

   If you don't see this option, select Manage Sections from the More menu, and enable Videos.

4. In the Videos pane, select Your Videos.

5. Hover over the video you want to download, then select the pencil icon located in the upper-right corner of the image.

6. Select Download SD (standard definition) or Download HD (high-definition).

7. The video appears in a new screen. Select the three vertical dots (located in the lower-right corner of the video player), then choose Download. The file downloads to your computer.

How to Save a Video That Someone Else Posted on Facebook

If a video appears in your Facebook timeline after being posted by a friend, family member, company, or other entity, download it as an MP4 file and store it locally for future use. But first, you must trick Facebook into thinking that you're viewing the social media site on a mobile device, an unconventional but necessary workaround. The following steps work for the majority of Facebook videos, including those originally recorded using Facebook Live, in most major web browsers.

1. Go to the video that you wish to download, then right-click anywhere within the player.

2. Select Show video URL. Or, select Copy video URL at current time, then skip to step 4.

3. Click the URL to highlight it, then right-click and select Copy. You can also use the Ctrl+C or Command+C shortcut on the keyboard.

4. Clear the browser address bar and paste the URL.

5. Edit the URL. Replace www with m. The front portion of the URL should now read m.facebook.com instead of www.facebook.com. Press Enter to load the new address.

6. In Microsoft Edge, select Save to download the video file to your default location. In Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, right-click anywhere on the video and select Inspect.

7. Press Play, then select the arrow icon (located in the upper-left corner of the inspection window).

8. Select the video to focus on it.

9. In the Elements window, right-click the URL and select Copy link address. If you don't see that option, double-click the area where you see the video's URL so that it's highlighted, and then copy the URL using the Ctrl+C or Command+C keyboard shortcut.

10. Paste the new URL into a new, empty browser window and press Enter.

11. The video will play in a smaller window. Select the three vertical dots that are located in the lower-right corner of the screen.

12. Select Download. The video downloads as an mp4 file to your computer.

How to Save a Video From Facebook on an iOS or Android Device

To download someone else's video to your phone or tablet, you'll need to download a third-party app such as Friendly For Facebook. Friendly adds workflow and usability features to Facebook, including an option to download any video posted to the social network.

The instructions to download Facebook video to a phone or tablet is the same for both iOS and Android.

After locating the video that you'd like to save to your device, tap the play button. Once the video begins to play, tap anywhere on the screen to see playback and menu information. Select the Cloud icon that's located in the lower-right corner of the screen. A menu will appear that gives you the option to download the video to your mobile device.